Rare Iron Age silver jewellery hoard found in Asikkala

Brothers Valtteri and Viljami Kurki from Lahti discovered a significant late Iron Age treasure hoard of silver jewellery in a field in Asikkala, reports Yle.

The cache includes an exceptionally well-preserved 11th-century neck ring made of fine silver wire, adorned with two early 11th-century pennies from the German region and dirhams, 10th-century coins from the East. Archaeologist Esko Tikkala of the Lahti museums notes that only three or four similar neck rings have been found in Finland before.

“What makes this piece so remarkable is the craftsmanship,” Tikkala said. The brothers kept the find secret from museum authorities for a year and a half before handing it over in May. They said their personal circumstances at the time of the discovery made them reluctant to draw attention to the find.

The discovery confirms that Päijät-Häme was a prosperous region during the Iron Age, challenging earlier assumptions that Sysmä was the central hub. Recent finds across the region suggest widespread wealth, with trade and agriculture expanding from the 8th and 9th centuries onward. Waterways, particularly Lake Päijänne, played a key role in this development.

According to Tikkala, Iron Age society in Häme was clearly hierarchical, with farmers, soldiers, and a ruling class. However, little is known about the poorer inhabitants, as artefacts rarely reveal their lives.

The Lahti regional museum has not yet examined the find site, as the field is currently under cultivation. The jewellery will be conserved at the Finnish Heritage Agency this autumn, with plans to display the hoard later at the Lahti Historical Museum.

Under Finnish law, all objects suspected to be over 100 years old must be reported immediately to museum authorities, preferably through the Finnish Heritage Agency’s Ilppari system. The brothers received a reprimand from the Lahti museum for their delay in reporting the find.