Description
Book SynopsisThe breadth of National Museums Scotland's collections, together with the support of The Glenmorangie Company, puts National Museums in a unique position to reveal the role of silver in the development of the first kingdoms of Scotland. It was silver, not gold, which was the most important and powerful precious metal in Scotland for over six hundred years and, as well as showcasing beautiful objects, the book builds on the Glenmorangie Research Project to gives fresh insights into this formative period of Scottish history. Based on the exhibition Scotland's Early Silver which was at the National Museum of Scotland and is now on tour.
Trade Review' ... The book is very well written in clear and plain English and it conveys ideas and stories in short, well-structured, chapters that are appropriately illustrated to a high quality. ... It is a book to be relished and looked at in comfort and the images in particular reward closer study.’
-- Jim Mearns * Scottish Archaeological Journal 40 (2018) *
' … It is not possible to do this book justice in this review. This is partly because it is so succinctly written with a kernel of vital information in almost every sentence. It discusses many new discoveries, presents new research and provides numerous thought-provoking interpretations which change our perception of Scottish history in the ancient and medieval periods. … Finally, this book is a masterclass in how to present new material within a coherent and accessible narrative which can appeal both to the scholar and the layman … ' Britannia
' … The book is very well written in clear and plain English and it conveys ideas and stories in short, well-structured chapters that are appropriately illustrated to a high quality.' Scottish Archaeological Journal
Table of ContentsForeword by Dr Gordon Rintoul CBE, National Museums Scotland
Foreword by Marc Hoellinger, The Glenmorangie Company
Introduction: Silver, not gold
SCOTLAND'S EARLY SILVER
Ch. 1 Sources of silver
Ch. 2 Scotland's earliest silver AD75-160
Ch. 3 Bribery beyond Britannia AD140-230
Ch. 4 Silver for changing times AD250-350
Ch. 5. Pieces of silver: making sense of the Traprain Treasure AD350-450
Ch. 6 changing silver for a new world AD300-500
Ch. 7 Managing silver, managing change: Early Medieval hacksilver hoarding AD400-600
Ch. 8 New power symbols: massive silver chains AD300-500
Ch. 9 Holding it together: silver and brooches AD400-800
Ch. 10 New sources and new ideas AD800-1000
Ch. 11 Conclusion: a thousand years of silver
Bibliography
Exhibited objects
Index
Acknowledgements
