SWEDISH ISLAND SILVER BRACTEATE HOARD

 

Swedish archaeologists recently uncovered a 12th century grave during an archaeological dig – and found buried treasure along with it.

The Jönköping County Museum announced the find in a Mar. 27 press release that was translated from Swedish to English. The discovery happened during an excavation of a grave in an old church in Visingsö, a Swedish island.

The coins were found in the grave of a man that experts believed was between 20 and 25 years old when he died. The pieces of metal were produced between 1150 and 1180.

170 silver bracteates were found in total. A bracteate is a piece of thin, coin-shaped metal that was used as jewelry.

While the find might be seen as just old metal to some, Swedish historians say that the discovery is significant to their field.

"The find is very special, partly because there are few similar finds from the time period, partly because some of the coins are completely unknown from before," the museum said.

"It is a completely sensational find that will change the early medieval coin history in Götaland and shed light on a period that is largely completely unknown," the Royal Coin Cabinet's Eeva Jonsson said in a statement.

To read the complete articles, see:
Archaeologists uncover 850-year-old treasure in ancient grave: 'Sensational find' (https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/archaeologists-uncover-850-year-old-treasure-ancient-grave-sensational-find)
Archaeologists uncover a hoard of 12th-century coin-like objects in Swedish church (https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1891653/archeologists-uncover-coins-Sweden-church)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web