'Very Special' Viking-Era Silver Treasure Found in Denmark

The sensational find involving hundreds of silver coins in excellent condition may redraw the Viking Age geography of power, casting a new light on the history of the Middle Ages.

A silver treasure from the Viking Age has been found near Rødding in southern Denmark on the Jutland Peninsula.

According to inspector Terkel Brannet of the Salling Archeology Museum, the find, made by the metal detector club Guldhornene (“The Golden Horns”) from Vestsalling, is very special.

“For our area, it is completely unseen and most special”, Terkel Brannet told TV2. According to Brannet, it is the largest of its kind.

The trove involves 214 silver coins struck in Hedeby, which was a key trading settlement during the Viking Age, now part of Germany, around the year 980. The find also featured two German and two English silver coins, 30 fragments of Arabic silver coins, as well as four fragments of silver jewellery and three silver bars.

In addition to being an important piece of history, the treasure is even extremely well preserved.

“The coins were so shiny that I could not take a picture of them. It is unusual,” Brannet said.

The museum inspector explained that silver coins are typically grey when first found because they tend to get oxidised over the years. The excellent condition of the coins implies that the treasure has been hidden under the ground all these years, he estimates.

According to Brannet, the find is nationally important.

“The find helps redraw the geography of power. Perhaps the find can help clarify what role Salling played at the time,” Brannet ventured.

The find was initially made in January and the treasure was excavated in full only in mid-March. The reason for finding the treasure was the current farmer and owner of the land had ploughed deeper than the previous one.

Due to the size and the importance of the find, the coins will be transferred to the National Museum.

During the Viking Age (793-1066), Scandinavian mariners known as Vikings undertook wide-ranging raids, conquests, and trading missions across Europe and beyond, reaching Northern Africa and the Middle East. Among other things, they settled in Iceland, Ireland, the British Isles, in parts of the Mediterranean region, and even reached North America.