National Museum of Ireland Receives Anonymous Archaeological Donation

The museum is eager to hear from the nameless treasure hunter.

The Kildare Street entrance to the National Museum of Ireland. Courtesy the National Museum of Ireland.

An anonymous treasure hunter has sent a small selection of Bronze Age and Viking finds to the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin, and the museum is now appealing for them to get in touch to reveal more about their fascinating discoveries.

The items were sent to the museum in rough, brown envelopes with no postmark, scrappily addressed to “The History Museum,” rather than the correct name of the museum, the National Museum of Ireland, the BBC reports.

One of the envelopes used to deliver the anonymous finds. Courtesy the National Museum of Ireland

One of the envelopes used to deliver the anonymous finds. Courtesy the National Museum of Ireland.

The four items include two Bronze-Age axes, one with an estimated date of 2,200 BC, and the other dated to around 1,300 BC. Also sent in was a Viking strap-end that the museum estimates to have come from Norway, and a small twisted ring that officials think could be linked to the strap-end. Ancient Norwegian objects are rarely found in Ireland, so the museum is eager to find out where the objects were discovered, in order to further investigate the location. It is thought that having access to these sites could provide priceless information about the history of Ireland.

The include two axes and two items thought to be from Norway. Courtesy the National Museum of Ireland

The include two axes and two items thought to be from Norway. Courtesy the National Museum of Ireland

Officials think that the objects could have been dug up from three different sites, and that a metal detector may have been used to find them. Excavating objects with a metal detector without a license is, in fact, illegal in Ireland. Many people do not know this, and the museum believes the person who found the objects may not have, either.

There have been many archaeological finds in Ireland throughout 2016, including three separate discoveries of clothing pins, one of which was found in a drain in Country Limerick by a workman who initially thought the object was an old nail.


Follow Artnet News on Facebook:


Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.
Article topics