Student with metal detector finds bangle — then discovers ancient hoard in Denmark
An archaeology student brought his education out of the classroom when he grabbed his metal detector and headed to a farm in Denmark.
Gustav Bruunsgaard, 22, was walking and scanning the ground of a field when his metal detector beeped, according to a news release from the Moesgaard Museum.
He dug into the ground, and a small, silver bangle emerged from the dirt, the museum said.
Hoping to find more, Bruunsgaard went to the same location a few days later and dug out six more bangles and a coiled ring, according to the museum.
The items were analyzed by Danish and international experts, who confirmed the pieces belonged to an ancient Viking hoard.
The museum shared a video Aug. 19 on Facebook explaining the find.
Historian Kasper Anderson explained that the Vikings used silver as a measure of value or a currency. In order for the silver to be exchanged, they were made to almost exact weights.
Of the seven bangles recovered, three of one style had the same weight as the ring, and three of the other style had the same weight as each other, Anderson said.
They were likely forged somewhere in southern Scandinavia, likely Denmark, around the 800s, the museum said.
The coiled ring, however, was a bit different from the rest of the silver pieces.
The ring design originally comes from Russia or Ukraine, the museum said, and was later imitated by the Nordics.
This is compared to the stamped bands that later inspired bangles in Ireland and the rare, smooth bangles that have been found in Scandinavia and England, the museum said.
Anderson said finding the Viking pieces in this area of Denmark, and with connections to other geographical regions, shows just how vast the Viking world was, particularly because the silver would have had to be imported.
The town now called Aarhus was named Aros by the Vikings during the ninth century, and would have been a regional hub for Vikings moving into eastern Europe, Anderson said.
The hoard was found just outside Aarhus, on the western peninsula of Denmark.
This story was originally published August 20, 2024 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Student with metal detector finds bangle — then discovers ancient hoard in Denmark."
