Ancient Silver “Piggybank” Adds to Viking History Isle of Man

A metal detectorist with a nose for Viking era artifacts has struck gold again. Or more precisely, struck silver. These discoveries have helped to spark a renewed interest in the Viking history of the Isle of Man.

Metal Detectorist Strikes Again: Unearthing Viking Isle of Man Treasure

Kath Giles, a retired police officer living on the Isle of Man, found an impressive and very old hoard of silver Viking era coins, while searching a farmer’s field with her metal detector in April 2021. It was possible to identify when the coins in the collection were minted, since they were all imprinted with dates. Those dates covered a 35-year period, from 1000 to 1035 AD.

During this time, the Isle of Man was subject to the authority of the King of Norway and various associates. This state of affairs was forced on the island’s people by Viking invaders, who began arriving on the island as plunderers of the Isle of Man in the 8th century.