Viking Treasure Found In Norway

In ancient times, silver has always been considered a valuable material. Even for the barbaric tribe of Vikings, silver is the treasure of choice. The Norsemen's affinity for the metal gives discoveries of silver artifacts significant historical value—much like a treasure recently found in the old mountains of Norway, one that had sat undisturbed since the 9th century AD.

Before farmer Tårn Sigve Schmidt was able to carve a new road for his tractor on his mountainous farm near Årdal, northwest of Oslo, he had to call in archaeologists to make sure there were no unique areas he was about to disturb. Luckily, he found them.

About seven inches beneath the dilapidated floorboards of what was likely once a dwelling for Viking slaves, a team of archaeologists found four heavy silver bracelets, all with different decorations, likely from over 1,100 years ago.

"At first, I thought it was a question of some twisted copper wires that you can often find in agricultural land," field archaeologist Ola Tengesdal Lygre said in a translated statement from the University of Stavanger, "but when I saw that there were several next to each other and that they were not copper at all, but silver, I realized that we had found something exciting."

Further investigation showed that, at one point, a "large and powerful Viking farm" was located on the property, with multiple houses and shelter for animals. The location gave the owners control of the entry into the fjord. The excavation crew also found soapstone pots, rivets, knife blades, and whetstones for sharpening tools.

However, there is nothing can be compared and generate much excitement than the buried treasure.

"This is definitely the biggest thing I have experienced in my career," Volker Demuth, project manager at the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger, said in a statement.

"This is a unique find, because we very rarely find such objects exactly where they were placed. As a rule, such valuable objects are discovered on fields that have been plowed, where an object has been completely taken out of its original context. Since the silver hoard has not been moved, it can give us completely new insights into life and society in the Viking Age."