Spectacular treasure trove of 1,000-year-old Viking coins unearthed in Denmark

Archaeologists in northern Jutland made a remarkable discovery last autumn - a trove of Viking treasure that sheds light on Denmark's rich history. 

Unearthed by a detectorist in a farmer's field in Bramslev, south of Aalborg, the hoard consists of nearly 300 silver coins and cut-up silver jewellery, hinting at their use as a form of payment during the 980s. 

The find is an exceedingly rare one, as confirmed by Torben Trier Christiansen, a curator and archaeologist at the Historical Museum of Northern Jutland, who led the excavation.

"This trove is extremely rare," Trier Christiansen stated. “I’ve been working in this end of the country for a lifetime almost now. And I've only seen it once before and it was a small one. So, it's a very rare one." 

The hoard, initially discovered in two groups less than 50 meters apart, captures the fascination of archaeologists due to its dating back to the reign of Viking King Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson in the late 10th century. 

Harald, one of the last Viking rulers to govern Denmark along with parts of Sweden, Norway, and northern Germany, played a significant role in spreading Christianity throughout his kingdom. 

The influence of Harald's reign is reflected in Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson's decision to name their Bluetooth wireless technology after the Viking king.

The coins in the hoard feature a Christian cross on one side, likely used as a means to propagate Harald's Christian message across Denmark. 

"This shows us that he actually did it in multiple ways,” explains Trier Christiansen.

“We know it from the runestones, but now we see that he did it through the coins as well. So, it was actually a piece of propaganda, you can say, that he actively used the coins as a media to