Homeowner discovers 18.5 kg Viking silver hoard in Denmark after garden fork strikes buried treasure while digging for a new terrace

A few hours of garden work in Rebild, Denmark, turned into an extraordinary archaeological discovery when a homeowner uncovered what is now the country’s largest known Viking Age silver hoard. It was unexpectedly found while the owner was removing stubborn grass, stones and gravel to prepare the ground for a new tiled terrace. After about half an hour of digging, a garden fork struck something that made an unusual sound. What first appeared to be old iron, wire and pottery fragments soon revealed something far more valuable. The homeowner began pulling metal objects from the soil by hand and realised they were jewellery, coins and silver bars. As per North Jutland Museums, the hoard contains around 700 objects and fragments with a combined weight of 18.5 kilograms. It is almost three times heavier than Denmark’s previously largest known Viking silver hoard.What treasures were found in Denmark’s largest Viking silver hoardThe newly discovered hoard contains around 700 objects and fragments weighing a total of 18.5 kilograms. It includes numerous silver bars, bracelets, 47 complete coins and coin fragments, a small Thor’s hammer and various pieces of cut silver objects. About 320 objects weighing 6.4 kilograms were still inside the original clay vessel when the discovery was made. The remaining objects were scattered in the surrounding soil. It is almost three times larger than the Terslev hoard, previously considered Denmark’s largest Viking Age silver hoard, which contained about 6.5 kilograms of silver.What does the silver hoard reveal about Vikings’ wealthThe Rebild hoard is unusual because most of its weight comes from silver bars, jewellery and cut silver rather than coins. This suggests the silver was not simply collected as a group of attractive objects. Instead, much of it appears to have been organised according to weight. During the Viking Age, silver could be used as a means of payment and as a store of value. Pieces were often cut into smaller parts, divided or melted down. What mattered was largely the weight and purity of the silver.The unusually large number of silver bars in the Rebild discovery falls into particular weight groups. Parts of the bracelets and pieces of cut silver show similar patterns. This indicates that the silver may have been deliberately organised as a substantial store of value rather than being randomly accumulated.What do the Viking coins reveal about the hoardThe hoard contains both Arabic and Anglo-Saxon coins, offering clues about the extensive connections of Viking Age Denmark. Among the findings, there are two Anglo-Saxon silver pennies minted during the reign of King Edward the Elder, who ruled from 899 to 924. These coins provide an important dating point because the hoard could not have been buried before such coins had entered circulation. The discovery also contains Arabic silver coins known as dirhams with inscriptions that can often be connected to particular mints and periods.Why is Rebild important for Viking Age discoveriesThe new silver hoard is not the only major Viking Age discovery from the Rebild area. In 1971, another large silver hoard known as the Rebild hoard was found nearby. It also dates to the 9th century and contained silver bars, jewellery and smaller pieces of silver. Altogether, it weighed around four kilograms and had been wrapped in animal skin when it was buried. Another recent discovery from the wider area is the Rold hoard, consisting of six intact Viking Age gold arm rings weighing a combined 762.5 grams.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.