Gustav Brunsgaard, a 22-year-old archaeology student, was walking around with a metal detector this spring when he discovered a hoard of silver dating back to the Viking Age. The shiny find has links to the British Isles, Ukraine and Russia.
be Translated statement from the Mosgaard Museum In Højbjerg, Denmark, a student from Aarhus University in Denmark was walking through a field in Ørsted, north of Aarhus, when his metal detector made a loud noise, so Broonsgaard grabbed a small shovel and discovered a small silver bracelet. A few days later, he returned to the spot and found six more bracelets. An evaluation by Danish and international experts revealed that they dated back to the 18th century. Early Viking Age (Around 793 to 1066 AD), Viking Age city of Aarhus or ArosExperts believe the stone probably originated in Scandinavia, south of Denmark.
[Related: Even Vikings had to pay fines.]
The Viking economic system was extremely complex, and recently a new interpretation of the Försa Ring inscription in Sweden has given economic historians new insight into how money and debt were handled at the time. These large fines could amount to $9,610 today, but it is unclear what crimes were subject to the fines.
During the Viking Age, silver rings like those found at Ørsted were Measures of valueThe metal served as a means of payment and a kind of collateral to prove the owner’s financial standing: the seven bracelets Broonsgaard found weighed a little over a pound in total, and archaeologists estimate they were worth a fortune.
Coil rings are a type of silver. Originally from what is now Russia or Ukraine It was imitated in Scandinavia: the three banded engraved ring is a type of South Scandinavian design that influenced the present-day Irish bangle, which became very common there. The three smooth bangle is an unusual form of jewellery, but is found in Scandinavia and Britain.
[Related: Vikings filed their teeth to cope with pain.]
“The Ørsted Farm treasure is a fascinating find from the Viking era, linking Aarhus with Russia and Ukraine to the east and the British Isles to the west,” says Morsgaard Museum historian Kasper H. Andersen. It said in a statement“Thus, the find emphasises that Aarhus was at the centre of the Viking world, which stretched from the North Atlantic to Asia.”
Visitors to the Morsgaard Museum can see the silverware currently on display.
