Largest Viking hoard in Denmark found in back yard

The largest hoard of Viking silver ever discovered in Denmark has been found by a homeowner clearing his backyard to install a new patio in Rebild. The hoard contains 18.5 kilos (41 lbs) of silver, almost triple the weight of silver in the second-largest Viking hoard, the Terslevskat, which weighs 6.5 kilos (14 lbs). The coins found date it to the 10th century and the composition of the hoard sheds light on the silver economy of the Viking Age.

The finder first encountered some loose objects and clay potsherds when removing weeds and stones to clear space for a new tile patio. He dug in the soil with his hands and pulled out a sequence of metal artifacts. They had fallen out of a clay vessel that still contained a heavy concentration of objects and fragments. Objects recovered include silver ingots, bracelets, a Thor’s hammer amulet, 47 coins and assorted pieces of hacksilver.

One notable piece is a silver ingot that has runes engraved on the surface. They read “hutu,” and runeologists interpret it as a personal name, perhaps an owner’s mark. In total there are approximately 700 objects and pieces in the hoard. About 320 of them were still in the pot; the rest were found in the soil right around it.

The coins are of Arab and Anglo-Saxon origin, evidence of Viking Age Denmark’s connections to the Islamic world via trade and England via raids. Most of the contents are ingots, jewelry and hacksilver, with only a few dozen coins out of hundreds of objects, which is unusual for portable wealth. The Islamic dirhams were cut into smaller pieces and used for the purity and weight of the silver.

“When we analyze the weight of the silver objects, the treasure reveals information about the economic practices of the Viking Age. The treasure does not only consist of beautiful objects. Most of them are part of a structured value system by weight,” [Torben Sarauw, cultural heritage manager and archaeologist at the Museums of North Jutland,] says.

Silver bars, jewelry and scrap silver were used as a means of payment and a store of value, where the weight of the silver was decisive. It was therefore often cut into smaller pieces, divided or melted down. The unusually large number of silver bars in the hoard are grouped around specific weight groups, and the same applies to parts of the bracelets and scrap silver. This suggests that the silver was not just randomly put together, but was organized as a significant stock of values.

* This article was originally published here