The thick, dark soil, resonant with the history of millennia, revealed around 30 silver coins, earrings, two gold-plated finger rings, one ring fragment and two fibulae. They had been slightly disturbed in the course of agricultural activity, but there was a group of coins in a stack that were in their original configuration. Textile remnants were found on the stacked coins, the remains of a cloth bag the hoard was in when it was buried.
The coins date to the reign of Danish king Valdemar II (1202-1241). The stand-out pieces are a pair of gold filigree pendant earrings festooned with gemstones. The style is typical of Byzantine goldsmithing dating to around 1100. Another rare object is a gold plated pseudo-coin fibula. It is an imitation an Almohad dynasty (1147-1269) gold dinar fashioned into a Scandinavian-style a robe clasp. The coins date the deposit to the first half of the 13th century.
The hoard was unearthed in an agricultural field near the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hedeby, a major northern European trade hub during the Viking Age (8th-11th c.). Located on a narrow strip of land between the Baltic and the North Sea, the commercial town of Hedeby was enclosed by the ancient Danevirke rampart system that crossed the Schleswig isthmus and fortified the border between Scandinavia and the European mainland. Hedeby’s unique location made it one of the largest trading towns of the Viking era. Goods of all kinds passed through Hedeby and were also produced there. Specialized craftsmen — goldsmiths, blacksmiths, glaziers — created fine jewelry, tools, beads and many other objects of adornment and use. Hedeby was sacked and burned by West Slavs in 1066, so by the time the hoard was buried, the site was long abandoned, and likely considered haunted, and thus a great place to hide the loot - as long as you weren't superstitious.
Via the always good History Blog.
"Trainee metal detectorist" - is that a real job description?
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