Rare Viking Treasure Made By A Highly Skilled Goldsmith Found On The Isle of Man

Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Archaeological evidence has confirmed the presence of Vikings on the Isle of Man, a strategically located island on the sailing route from Scandinavia to Ireland.

This location offered fertile agricultural land and excellent harbors, making it a crucial base for raiding, settlement, and trade with Scotland and Ireland. Notable Viking sites on the island include Ballateare’s burial mound, Peel Castle on St Patrick’s Isle, and Tynwald. Ongoing archaeological discoveries continue to enrich our understanding of the Isle of Man’s Viking heritage.

Credit: Eric Bobson, Jimbo457, Manx National Heritage. Image compilation AncientPages.com

Recently, metal detectorist Ronald Clucas unearthed a hoard containing a rare fragment of a gold arm-ring from around AD 1000-1100. This artifact has been declared Treasure by the Isle of Man Deputy Coroner of Inquests. The arm-ring was crafted by plaiting eight strands of gold rods together using an advanced technique by a skilled goldsmith.

Originally about 7.7 cm long before being folded in two when found at 3.7 cm in length, it weighs 27.26 g—a notable weight for its size—highlighting its significance as both jewelry and historical artifact.

“It was quite a big shock to discover this lovely piece of gold, I couldn’t really believe it at first! Gold generally gives a very low signal on the detector, so you can’t really predict what is going to be uncovered. I’ve been detecting for many years now and found some wonderful things, but to find a piece of gold from the Viking Age, that’s really something else,” finder Ronald Clucas, a member of the Manx Detectorist Society, said in a press release.

Credit: Manx National Heritage

“Jewellery items such as this had several functions in the Viking Age both as prized personal possessions and visible displays of wealth. They were easily portable and were also used to cover costs in financial transactions.

This fragment of gold arm-ring is the second find of ‘Viking treasure’ discovered by Mr Clucas, who has been detecting for 50 years, with 2025 marking his golden anniversary of metal detecting. Ronald’s earlier finds include a silver ingot and a lead ingot which he discovered on the island in 2005,” Allison Fox, Curator for Archaeology at Manx National Heritage said.

During the Viking Age, the Isle of Man operated under a dual economy that utilized both coins and bullion, comprising silver and gold, for transactions involving goods and services. Notably, Viking gold is considerably rarer than silver discoveries from this era. Typically, gold was employed in crafting intricate pieces of jewelry.

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“This arm-ring has been cut twice, indicating it has possibly been used for at least two separate transactions. One cut removed the terminal end of the arm-ring, the other one cut the original complete arm-ring almost in half. For reasons we will never know, this fragment of gold arm-ring was buried in the ground until discovered. It may have been hidden for safe-keeping, could just have been lost or may even have been buried as an offering to the Viking Gods,” Allison continued.

See Also: More About Vikings

The newly discovered Viking Treasure will go on display in the Viking Gallery at the Manx Museum in Douglas from Saturday 31st May 2025. Admission is free, with donations welcome.

Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff Writer