Oleg Ginnerup Schytz never thought that buying a simple metal detector would change his life. What happened? His hobby of archeology is one of his favorite hobbies, so one day he asked his friend for permission to “play” with this apparatus in the field of your property. However, his surprise would be such when he accidentally stumbled upon the Viking gold treasure of Denmark largest of his history.
The treasure was found in the vicinity of Jelling, located at southwestern Denmark, which would have been the cradle of the Viking kings of the 8th and 12th centuries, according to historians.
After reporting this finding, professional archaeologists carried out the respective excavation of the place, which was made up of Vejlemuseerne experts, the National Museum, the same that is financed by the Culture and Palaces Agency.
The investigations managed to rescue 22 objects that would have been buried, approximately, about 1500 years ago. Studies are on the way to find the reason to know the reasons that led these people to bury this treasure.
This would date from the end of the Iron Age, whose burial would have obeyed orders of the jarl from the town of Vindelev, which at the time was an important center of power of the Viking denmark.
Mads Ravn, Head of Research, stated: “Only a member of high society could have collected a treasure like the one found here”.
But, What does Vindelev’s treasure contain? Finely decorated saucer-sized medallions were found, known as bracteates; roman coins that were turned into jewels, which leads archaeologists to qualify the find as “unique”.
Raven adds. “It is the symbols of the objects that make them unique, more than their value in gold, which is one kilogram”.
In fact, there is a currency that refers to Constantine, who was emperor of the Roman Empire during the 4th century (285 to 337 AD), which would be a sample that, at late Iron AgeEurope already had extensive connections due to war and trade.
Why did they bury the treasure? Researchers handle the hypothesis that it could be an offering to the gods during a time when there were serious climatic changes produced by a volcanic eruption that took place in Iceland in 536 and caused a dramatic drop in temperatures.
“There are many symbols, some never seen before, that would allow us to expand our knowledge of the people of this period”, said the expert.
The viking treasure will be put on display at the Vejle Museum from February 3, 2022.
