- A group of amateur archaeologists in Denmark found a Viking silver hoard.
- The loot of 300 items includes ancient coins, silver balls, and a ring pin.
A group of hobby metal detectorists discovered a hoard of Viking silver near the ruins of the Viking castle Fyrkat, in Hobro, North Denmark.
The trove contained over 300 items, including Danish, German and Arab coins, as well as silver balls, and a ring pin.
The find — made in autumn last year — dates back to the 900s, when King Harald "Bluetooth" (Blåtand) Gormsson, who united Denmark and Norway. His nickname, the result of a prominent dead tooth, inspired the widely used wireless technology between electronic devices, according to The Viking Herald.
Archaeologist and museum inspector at North Jutland Museums Torben Trier Christiansen told Danish news site TV2 Nord that "there is no doubt" that the coins are linked to the king, adding, "We are looking forward to delving into that history."
Christiansen said in a statement that the discovery was "a fantastic story" but to find them abandoned in a settlement only a few miles Haralds Blåtand's Viking fortress Fyrkat was "incredibly exciting."
The three people who discovered the treasure trove — Jane Foged-Mønster, Louise Stahlschmidt and Mette Norre Bækgaard — told TV2 Nord that they had been on a metal-detector holiday when they made their amzing discovery.
Stahlschmidt telling the news outlet that "This is one of the biggest things I have been involved in. That's what we all dream of. We've seen it in the history books with these silver finds, but I've never been in the middle of it, so my detector hobby is peaking right now."
Foged-Mønste is still processing the immensity of the find. "It can be attributed to a small part of Denmark's history, and it is so great to have been part of it. I don't think I can quite accept it yet," he said.
Per TV2 Nord, the finds will go on display at the Nordjyske Museer in Aalborg, near where the hoard was discovered, before going on to be displayed in the National History Museum in the capital city of Copenhagen.
But these finds aren't the end of the discoveries, with archaeologists from the North Jutland Museums being given the grant to investigate the site further.
Although it is not believed there will be more silver at the site, it is thought that there may be ancient buildings to discover.
"I hope we find the remains of a large Viking hall," Christiansen told TV2 Nord.