Amateur archaeologist finds fourth Viking Age treasure in three years

Amateur archaeologist finds fourth Viking Age treasure in three years
Amateur archaeologist finds fourth Viking Age treasure in three years
Anonim

British amateur archaeologist Kat Giles has discovered a treasure trove of over one hundred silver artifacts on the Isle of Man. It is noteworthy that this is the fourth find for a woman in the past three years. The treasure was buried around 1035, and many coins depict the profiles of various European rulers. The find was reported by the Isle of Man National Heritage charity on its website.

During the early Middle Ages, the Vikings raided many European countries. They ravaged any area they could reach by water. Most of the treasures, apparently, never ended up in Scandinavia. The Vikings made treaties with the Franks and the inhabitants of the British Isles for colossal amounts of silver so that the Normans would not attack. For example, around the year 1000, they raided England, ruled by thelred II the Unwise. The king paid a huge amount to leave the country. This tribute, collected in the form of a land tax, was nicknamed "Danish money", and the ruler himself got his nickname precisely because of the inability to secure his state.

At present, apparently, only a small part of the hidden treasures has been excavated. Although more than a thousand treasures of gold and silver have already been discovered, which were mainly made on the islands, along the coasts and inland waterways. The main part of the treasure was silver in the form of jewelry, coins or ingots. It is noteworthy that at that time in Scandinavia itself there was no development of any own deposits of this precious metal.

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British amateur archaeologist Kath Giles discovered a treasure trove of silver items on the Isle of Man in April 2021 using a metal detector: 87 coins, 13 pieces of minced bullion, bracelets and other artifacts. This is Giles' fourth significant find in the past three years.

American independent researcher and numismatist Kristin Bornholdt-Collins studied the find and said that the treasure includes coins minted in Dublin, England, Germany and on the Isle of Man itself. The profile of King Sitrik Silkbeard can be seen on Irish and Manx coins. In addition, some of the artifacts contain images of King Knut, King Ethelred of England, and Holy Roman Emperor Otto I.

Some coins have lines that were used when it was necessary to cut the metal when it was necessary to pay a lower amount. Discovered chopped silver objects were used for a more flexible exchange system. Their cost depended on the weight and purity of the metal. Bornholdt-Collins reported that the treasure dates back to around 1035.

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