Archaeologists are hailing the discovery of a “spectacular” hoard of roughly 3,000 Viking coins found in a field in eastern Norway. More could yet be uncovered—the search is ongoing.
“This is a historic find. The fact that it is also from the Viking Age makes it even more spectacular,” said Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, the country’s minister of climate and environment, in a statement.
The coins were initially discovered by two metal detectorists in a field near the Norwegian city of Rena in the region of Østerdalen, according to the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. On April 10 the pair uncovered 19 silver coins; they immediately informed local officials.
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The hoard includes specimens from the 980s to the 1040s C.E.—the height of the Viking Age. Notably, many of the coins were foreign-made, originating from England and Germany and including elements of coins from Denmark and Norway. The Vikings dominated much of what is now Scandinavia, but they ventured by sea to many other regions, including Britain, Iceland and even the Americas.
“Foreign coinage dominates the circulation of money in Norway up until Harald Hardrada (1046–1066) established a national coinage,” said Svein Gullbekk, an archaeologist at the University of Oslo, in a statement from the university’s Museum of Cultural History. Hardrada, also known as Harald III, served as king of Norway from 1046 to 1066. During his tenure, the king’s mint replaced most of the foreign currency in circulation, according to Gullbekk. “The hoard was deposited right at the beginning of this development,” he said.
It’s possible that the coins are related to iron works in the area, said archaeologist Jostein Bergstøl of the Museum of Cultural History in the same statement.
“From the 900s until the late 1200s there was an enormous iron production in this area. Ore was extracted from the bogs, and the processed iron was exported to Europe,” he said.
Archaeologists are still probing the site because they hope to gain more insight into what the extent of the treasure is and why it has lain there for so long.
“This is a truly unique discovery of the kind one might only experience once in an entire career. To be present when something like this comes to light is simply a great experience, both professionally and personally,” said local archaeologist May-Tove Smiseth in the same statement. The last time a large stash of Viking coins was discovered in Norway was in 1950, according to the Museum of Cultural History’s statement.