Extremely rare Viking Slave leg shackle and chain 10th c

An extremely rare Viking Slave shackle and chain section dating to the 10th-12th century. This piece was excavated near Dublin by repute, the centre of the huge Viking slave trade that existed at that period. The iron work is of very high quality and is typical of these chains. A similar neck chain is housed in the National Museum of Ireland, and a near identical piece housed in the Archaologisches Landmuseum in Schloss Gottorf, Germany. Northern Germany, Like Dublin was an important hub of the slave trade. Both were exhibted in the British Museum exhibition of the Vikings in 2014. The ironwork is very well preserved and appears to have traces of a coating of black pitch, a common technique at the time to help agaiinst rust.