Double hoard of Viking treasure discovered near Harald Bluetooth's fort in Denmark

Tom Metcalfe
·5 min read
32
A silver coin with Arabic writing on it.
A silver coin with Arabic writing on it.
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Silver coins and jewelry unearthed from a field on the Jutland peninsula in Denmark are revealing new insight into the reign and religious ambitions of the powerful Viking king Harald Bluetooth, according to archaeologists.

The objects — around 300 pieces of silver, including about 50 coins and cut-up jewelry — were discovered late last year by a local archaeology group surveying a farm northeast of the town of Hobro and near Fyrkat, a ring fort built by Harald Bluetooth in about A.D. 980.

Excavations show that the valuables were originally buried in two hoards about 100 feet (30 meters) apart, probably beneath two now long-gone buildings. Since then, these hoards have been spread around by farm machinery.

Here we see several silver coins buried in the dirt.
Here we see several silver coins buried in the dirt.

It seems that whoever buried the treasure was deliberately splitting it up in case one hoard was lost, said Torben Trier Christiansen, an archaeologist involved with the find and curator at the Museums of North Jutland.

Although some news outlets have reported that the finder was a young girl, the first of the treasures were in fact located by an adult woman with a metal detector. "But she is very flattered," Trier told Live Science.

Related: 1,100-year-old 'ceremonial' Viking shields were actually used in battle, study suggests

King's coinage

A silver piece that has a ball-shape at the right and a curved piece above it. It was likely part of jewelry and cut up for hack silver. It is against a black background.
A silver piece that has a ball-shape at the right and a curved piece above it. It was likely part of jewelry and cut up for hack silver. It is against a black background.

Many of the pieces are "hack silver" or "hacksilber," which was often silver jewelry cut into pieces and traded by weight. But a few are silver coins, which archaeologists determined were from Arabic and Germanic countries, as well as from Denmark itself.

The Danish coins are exciting to archaeologists because they include "cross coins" struck during Harald’s Bluetooth’s reign in the 970s and 980s. Harald had converted from pagan Norse beliefs to Christianity, and spreading his new religion was part of his plan to unify the warring Viking tribes of Denmark.

"Putting crosses on his coins was part of his strategy," Trier said. "He paid the local aristocracy with these coins, to set a precedent during a transitional period when people cherished the old gods as well."

Both hoards also contain parts of a very large silver brooch that would have been worn by a king or nobleman and was probably seized in a Viking raid. But this style of brooch wasn't worn in Harald  Bluetooth's lands, and so it was cut up into several pieces of hack silver instead, he said.

Archaeologists will return to the site later this year, Trier added, hopefully to learn more about the Viking Age (A.D. 793 to 1066) buildings that stood there.

Image 1 of 4

A prominent cross on one side of some of the Danish coins found suggests they were minted late in the reign of the powerful Danish king Harald Bluetooth, about A.D. 980. Here we see a close up of the cross side of the silver coin. On the end of each cross there are 3 small circles.
A prominent cross on one side of some of the Danish coins found suggests they were minted late in the reign of the powerful Danish king Harald Bluetooth, about A.D. 980. Here we see a close up of the cross side of the silver coin. On the end of each cross there are 3 small circles.

Image 2 of 4

The location where the silver was found is very close to the site of Fyrkat, which was one of several distinctive ring forts built by Harald Bluetooth throughout Denmark. There are four people exploring a patch of upended dirt with metal detectors. There is a large yellow construction vehicle in the background.
The location where the silver was found is very close to the site of Fyrkat, which was one of several distinctive ring forts built by Harald Bluetooth throughout Denmark. There are four people exploring a patch of upended dirt with metal detectors. There is a large yellow construction vehicle in the background.

Image 3 of 4

The silver was found late last year on a farm near the town of Hobro in the north of Jutland by a metal detectorist with a local archaeology group. Here we see a large yellow digger dredging up dirt in a field. There is also another person scanning the recently upended earth.
The silver was found late last year on a farm near the town of Hobro in the north of Jutland by a metal detectorist with a local archaeology group. Here we see a large yellow digger dredging up dirt in a field. There is also another person scanning the recently upended earth.

Image 4 of 4

Archaeologists plan to return to the site later this year, hopefully to find more artifacts and the buried remains of buildings that stood there during the Viking Age. Here we see two archaeologists on their knees carefully inspecting a site for buried remains.
Archaeologists plan to return to the site later this year, hopefully to find more artifacts and the buried remains of buildings that stood there during the Viking Age. Here we see two archaeologists on their knees carefully inspecting a site for buried remains.

Harald Bluetooth

Archaeologists aren't sure why Harald gained the nickname "Bluetooth"; some historians  suggest he may have had a prominent bad tooth, as the Norse word for "blue tooth" translates to "blue-black tooth."

His name lives on today in the Bluetooth wireless networking standard, which aims to unify communications between different devices. Harald unified Denmark and, for a time, was also king of part of Norway; he reigned until 985 or 986, when he died fighting off a rebellion led by his son, Sweyn Forkbeard, who succeeded him as king of Denmark.

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Jens Christian Moesgaard, a numismatist at Stockholm University who was not involved in the discovery, said the Danish coins seem to be from late in Harald Bluetooth's reign; the dates of the foreign coins do not contradict this.

"This new double hoard brings important new evidence that substantiates our interpretations of Harald's coinage and power," he said. The coins were probably distributed at the king's newly built fort at Fyrkat. "It is indeed very likely that Harald used these coins as gifts for his men to ensure their loyalty," he noted.

The crosses on the coins suggest Christianity was a key part of the king's plan. "By the Christian iconography, Harald spread the message of the new religion at the same occasion," Moesgaard said.

Editor's note: Updated at 11:04 a.m. EDT on May 2 to correct the caption for the top image, which shows an Arabic coin from one of the hoards.