Unburied treasure: a viking hoard found by a Scottish detectorist and its ‘bizarre’ link to South Australia

Items from the Galloway hoard. The significant archeological find of Viking-era treasure is on display at the South Australian Museum. Photograph: National Museum of Scotland

In AD900, marauding Vikings buried a hoard of treasure – jewellery, gold, silver and more – in Scotland. It wasn’t until 2014 that it was unearthed.

Metal detectorist Derek McLennan was prospecting in a ploughed field near Dumfries and Galloway when he came across the hoard, which turned out to be the most significant Viking-age collection ever found in the UK or Ireland.