Up to 20,000 coins from Early Middle Ages discovered by man digging for worms near Stockholm
A man went worm-hunting outside of Stockholm and made the discovery of a lifetime: a treasure trove of up to 20,000 silver coins interspersed with silver beads, pendants and rings.
The treasure dates from the early Middle Ages and weighs about 13 pounds (6 kilograms), according to a translated statement from Stockholm County Administrative Board.
“This is probably one of the largest early medieval silver hoards discovered in Sweden,” Sofia Andersson, an antiquarian at the Stockholm County Administrative Board, said in the release. “We don’t know exactly how many pieces there are yet, but I think it could be over twenty thousand.”
Preliminary analysis showed that most of the silver coins date from the 12th century. Some bear the text “KANUTUS”, the Latin name for Knut, meaning they were minted during the reign of the Swedish king Knut Eriksson, who reigned from around 1173 to 1195.
Some coins are rare, including several “bishop coins” that were minted by powerful bishops, according to the release. These coins depict a bishop holding a crosier, a shepherd’s crook widely used by clergy as a symbol of their ecclesiastical work.
“It’s very unique; we don’t have any other medieval treasures from Stockholm,” Lin Annerbäck, director of the Stockholm Medieval Museum, said in Swedish. Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter. “And then it seems to be extremely big too. So that’s very exciting.”
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Stockholm did not exist at the end of the 12th century, Annerbäck noted; it was officially founded in 1252 by a statesman. It became the largest city in Sweden at the end of the 13th century.
As for why the treasure was buried, the late 12th century was a “troubled time” as the Swedes attempted to colonize parts of Finland, Annerbäck explained.
“So we believe that many hid treasures like this to keep them in the possession of the family,” Annerbäck told Dagens Nyheter. “The fact that the money is mixed with pearls and other things makes it look like it’s someone’s wealth that’s been hidden.”
Research into the treasure is ongoing. The Stockholm County Administrative Board will now report the discovery to the National Heritage Board, which will determine whether the state will compensate the man who discovered the treasure.
“The researcher acted completely correctly in contacting us with the county administrative board,” Andersson said. “According to the law on the cultural environment, anyone who discovers an ancient silver find or deposit is obliged to offer the state to buy it back for payment.”
