Made in Scotland or Ireland toward the end of the eighth century, the
original purpose of Ranvaik’s chest had been to house the bones of a
Christian saint.
(Photo: National Museum of Denmark)
Ranvaik’s golden chest was made in Ireland or Scotland toward the end of the eighth century and originates from a church or a monastery.
"Ranvaik owns this shrine" the inscription on the bottom reads, as a strong indication that it later came to belong to a noble Viking lady named Ranvaik.
Archaeologists believe that the shrine, which can be admired at the Danish National Museum, is stolen property from the Viking Age.
”Viking Age objects that come from churches and monasteries can best be explained as loot from the raids which made the Vikings notorious in the Christian world,” explains Maria Panum Baastrup, an archaeologist at the National Museum’s Prehistoric Collection.
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