The most important haul of Viking treasure to be discovered in Britain since the 19th century was unveiled by the British Museum.
Discovered earlier this year by a father and son detecting team near Harrogate in northern England, the find includes coins, ornaments, ingots and precious metal objects all hidden in a gilt silver bowl and buried in a lead chest.
The museum said the Harrogate hoard was probably buried by a wealthy Viking leader during the unrest that followed the brief conquest of the Viking kingdom of Northumbria in 927 AD by the Anglo-Saxon king Athelstan.
Illustrating the breadth of the Vikings’ travels and trade connections, objects in the Harrogate hoard have been identified as originating from as far afield as Afghanistan, Russia, Ireland and continental Europe.
The hoard contains coins relating to Islam, to the Vikings’ pre-Christian religion and to Christianity.
I can’t even find a frackin’ dime on the sidewalk outside a supermarket.
A first for the lost and found department at the Harrogate constabulary.
The dimes are in the cauldron hanging next to the bell-ringing nun standing in front of the grocery store. Go for it!
2,
Good one! I was going to blame the economy, but yours is better.
“The find was declared a treasure at a court hearing in Harrogate on Thursday. It will now be valued by the Independent Treasure Valuation Committee.”
At least it wasn’t found by my neighbor, it would be on “Antiques Roadshow” next week.
I’ve found arrowheads and other NA artifacts in the TX hill country, but this is the “one in a billion.” Nice sources Eideard, this is like discovering a new comet and having it named after you. Somehow I don’t think the IAU is ready for comet Bubba. 🙂
Viking treasure! that’s like a pirate only better.
Hey John,
You’re still kicking!
How about a trip down memory lane:
http://blog.creativethink.com/2007/07/the-next-big-th.html
25 years ago this week!
Those were fun times.
Best wishes to you and your many readers.
Roger von Oech
Unlike popular belief, the Vikings were mainly traders and merchants. They brought – among other things – chess from Constantinople to northern Europe.
#4 – At least it wasn’t found by my neighbor, it would be on “Antiques Roadshow” next week.
ROTFL!!
Pedantic correction.
Viking isn’t a name, its an activity.
Danes and other Norsemen went Viking. – Raiding rapeing pillaging
The Danes that conquered Northumbria, Mercia and other Saxon English Kingdoms Danes – invading for land, not vikings raiding for treasure and slaves they could take away.
However historians in the years since have changed the word Viking into a noun.
Interesting to note that at one point in 878 the danes had conquered all the various kingdoms of what was to become England forcing King Alfred of Wessex to hide in a swamp for half a year or so until he could raise an army that defeated the Danish invaders.
If Alfred had lost one more fight at that time I might have been writing this in Danish.
Instead he went on to drive the Danes back and He and his descendants eventually reclaimed the other conquered Kingdoms to form England – hence his historical honorific Alfred “the Great”