Just 8 km from the Viking castle of Fyrat, two treasure troves have been found in a field in Bramslev near the north Jutland town of Hobro.

Between them they contain almost 300 Danish, German and Arabian silver coins, along with some silver jewellery, mostly cut up into pieces.

Mr Bluetooth
The troves date back to the same period as the construction of the Viking fortress Fyrkat: the era of King Harald Blåtand (Bluetooth), approximately the year 980.

“This is a fantastic find. Each of these troves contains a unique story,” archaeologist Torben Trier Christiansen, a museum inspector at Nordjyske Museums, told DR.

“Treasure finds offer many opportunities to learn more about the Viking Age. I think we will gain new knowledge about Harald Blåtand from this discovery.”

Derived from Ireland
Beyond the coins, it is thought the silver jewellery is plunder taken from Ireland.

The Danish Vikings had little interest in the design of jewellery, only its weight, so it was often cut into pieces.

It is thought that some of the pieces, had they remained intact, would have formed a ring pin typically worn by a bishop, or even a king.