Girl who was metal detecting in a Danish cornfield discovered "very rare" 1,000-year-old Viking coins
A museum announced Thursday that almost 300 silver coins that are thought to be over 1,000 years old have been found close to a Viking fortification site in northwest Denmark.
The silver coins were found about five miles from the Fyrkat Viking ringfort near the town of Hobro.
A little girl who was metal detecting in a cornfield last autumn discovered the unique collection, which was hidden in two locations not far apart.
"A hoard like this is very rare," said Lars Christian Norbach, director of the North Jutland museum where the artifacts will be shown, to AFP.
Near the town of Hobro, five kilometers from the Fyrkat Viking ringfort, silver coins were discovered. Notably, they are thought to be from the 980s because they both bear cross inscriptions, according to the museum.
According to archaeologists, the cache contains Danish, Arab, and Germanic coins as well as jewelry made in Scotland or Ireland.
The discoveries, according to Norbach, date from the same time as the fort, which King Harald Bluetooth erected, and will provide more light on the Vikings' past.
"The two silver treasures in and of themselves represent an absolutely fantastic story, but to find them buried in a settlement just eight kilometers from Harald Bluetooth's Viking castle Fyrkat is incredibly exciting," said museum archaeologist and curator Torben Trier Christiansen.
King Harald probably introduced the cross coins as propaganda in connection with his Christianization of the Danes because his earlier coins did not have a cross, according to the museum.
According to Norbach, there may be a connection between the treasure, which the Vikings would bury during battle, and the fort that burned down about the same time.
After the harvest, according to archaeologists, they will begin digging in the fall.
King Harald likely introduced the cross coins as propaganda in connection with his Christianization of the Danes, the museum said.
They want to locate the former owners of the troves' graves and residences.
The Vikings had the view that burying their treasure would enable them to recover it after passing away.
The Aalborg Historical Museum will start displaying the artifacts to the public in July.
The amount of the financial reward that will be given to the girl who made the discovery has not been made public.