Garden work uncovers Denmark’s largest Viking silver hoard

Garden work in the Rebild area has uncovered Denmark’s largest Viking silver hoard, with more than 700 objects and fragments weighing a total of 18.5 kilograms, DR reports.

The discovery was made by an anonymous man who was digging to build a new terrace. The hoard is about three times heavier than Denmark’s previous Viking silver record.

“I could not believe my eyes,” said Torben Sarauw, head of cultural heritage at Nordjyske Museer, recalling when he first saw the large quantity of silver.

The hoard includes numerous silver bars, as well as jewellery, coins, a small Thor’s hammer and other small objects. Much of the silver was found inside a clay vessel.

“It is completely exceptional. We have previously received smaller silver hoards, but then we are talking about grams. Here, we are talking about several kilograms,” Sarauw said.

The previous record was the Terslev hoard, which weighs about 6.5 kilograms. According to Nordjyske Museer, it is far smaller than the newly discovered hoard.

Many questions remain

Archaeologists and museum officials believe the discovery may be connected to another, considerably smaller silver hoard found in the area in 1971. However, many questions remain unanswered.

“I would like us to find a house, village or something else that the silver was part of. That is what we are starting to investigate now,” said Lars Christian Nørbach, director of Nordjyske Museer.

Regardless of whether that investigation succeeds, the museum says the silver will provide new knowledge about Denmark’s shared history. Unique finds can help show where Vikings travelled, how they obtained silver and how their economy worked, the museum said.

The hoard contains about 47 coins or coin fragments, including some of Arabic origin. Several silver bars bear symbols such as crosses or Thor’s hammers, suggesting that the hoard dates from a period when the old Norse religion and Christianity existed side by side.

The find is classified as danefæ and will be assessed at the National Museum. Its total weight is 18.5 kilograms of silver.