Double hoard with Viking treasures discovered in Denmark (8 photos)

According to archaeologists, silver coins and jewelry, discovered in a field on the Jutland peninsula in Denmark reveal new insight into the reign and religious ambitions of a powerful king Viking Harald I Blue-toothed.





Items - about 300 pieces of silver, including about 50 coins and jewelry - were discovered at the end of last year by a local a group of archaeologists who examined a farm northeast of the city of Hobro and near Fyrkat, the ring fort built by Harald Bluetooth around 980 AD.



Archaeologists say that Harald Bluetooth paid his people and Danish aristocracy with "coins with crosses" and thereby spread knowledge of the new Christian religion throughout the region. On this side The silver coin has several runes. Image: Nordjyske Museer, Denmark

The excavations show that the valuables were originally buried and were in two hoards at a distance of about 100 feet (30 meters) each from a friend, probably under two long-vanished buildings. Since then these treasures were scattered around the area with the help of agricultural technology.

It seems that the one who buried the treasure deliberately divided it into parts in case one of the treasures is lost, Torben Trier said. Christiansen (Torben Trier Christiansen), an archaeologist who has attitude to the finds, as well as the curator of the Museums of North Jutland.





Approximately 300 silver items, including approximately 50 coins, were found with a metal detector in a field in Jutland, Denmark, in end of last year. Image: Nordjyske Museer, Denmark

And although some news outlets report that the one who stumbled upon a treasure, there was a young girl, in fact, the first the treasure was discovered by an adult woman with a metal detector.

“But she is very flattered,” Trier told Live Science.

Royal coinage



Several silver items are part of one very a large silver brooch, probably captured during a raid Viking, which was cut into "chopped silver" for sale at weight. Image: Nordjyske Museer, Denmark

Many of the items found are "chopped silver", or "hacksilber", which was often silver jewelry cut into pieces and sold by weight. But some of him are silver coins, which, according to archaeologists were from the Arab and German countries, as well as from Denmark itself.

Danish coins are of interest to archaeologists because they include includes "coins with a cross" minted during the reign of Harald I Sinezuby in the 970s and 980s. Harald moved from pagan Scandinavian beliefs in Christianity, and the spread of its new religion was part of his plan to unite the warring Viking tribes in Denmark.



Cross on one side of some of the found Danish coins suggests that they were minted at the end of the reign of a powerful Danish king Harald the Blue-toothed, circa 980 AD Image: Nordjyske Museer, Denmark

“The drawing of crosses on coins was part of his strategies,” Trier said. — He paid the local aristocracy with these coins to set a precedent for the transitional period when people also the old gods were also revered."

Both hoards also contain parts of a very large silver a brooch worn by a king or noble and which was probably captured during a Viking raid. It should be noted that a brooch of such style was not worn on the lands of Harald Blue-toothed, which is why, rather in all, it was cut into several pieces of chopped silver, he said.

Trier added that archaeologists will return to the site later, to collect more information about the buildings that once stood there Viking Age (793 to 1066 AD).



The place where the silver was found is very close to Fürkat Fort, which was one of several characteristic roundabouts forts built by Harald Sinezuby throughout Denmark. Image: Nordjyske Museer, Denmark

Harald Bluetooth

Archaeologists are not sure why Harald got the nickname "Bluetooth"; some historianssuggest that he may have prominent bad tooth, since the Scandinavian word for "blue tooth" translates as "blue-black tooth".

His name lives on today, in the wireless networking standard. Bluetooth, the purpose of which is to unify communication between different devices. Harald united Denmark and for a time was king of the Norway; he reigned until 985 or 986, when he died, repelling an uprising led by his son Sven I Forkbeard, subsequently succeeded him as King of Denmark.



Silver was found at the end of last year on a farm near from the city of Hobro in the north of Jutland with a metal detector from a local group archaeologists. Image: Nordjyske Museer, Denmark

Jens Christian Moesgaard, numismatist from Stockholm University, who did not take part in the opening, said Danish coins seem to date from the end of Harald's reign Blue-toothed; the dates of foreign coins do not contradict this.

"This new double hoard brings important new evidence supporting our interpretations of coinage and power Harald," he said.



Archaeologists plan to return to the site later this year. hoping to find more artifacts and buried remains of buildings that stood here during the Viking Age. Image: Nordjyske Museer, Denmark

The coins were probably distributed in the then newly built royal fort of Furkat.

“It is likely that Harald used these coins as gifts to your people to ensure their loyalty", - said the specialist.

The crosses on the coins suggest that Christianity was a key part of the king's plan.

“Through Christian iconography, Harald simultaneously spread the message of the new religion,” Mesgaard said.