Viking silver bracelet hoard found on Norwegian farm

Four silver bracelets from the Viking Age were found on a hillside on a farm in Ådal, Järmeland, Norway. Each of them is very different in style and very well preserved. They were found less than eight inches from the surface and so close together that they overlapped, leaving no doubt that they had not been disturbed since they were buried in the 9th century.

“This is a unique discovery because we rarely find these objects in situ. Usually, these precious objects are found in cultivated fields and have been completely removed from their original context. As the silver hoard has not been moved, it can give us a whole new insight into life and society during the Viking Age,” he said. [lead archaeologist Volker] Demuth.

The excavation began when the landowner, farmer Tårn Sigve Schmidt, called in archaeologists to survey the route of a tractor road he planned to build to the top of the mountain. Archaeologists found extensive evidence of a Viking farm, including human dwellings and outbuildings for animals. Artifacts found included soapstone jar fragments, rivets, blades and whetstones.

The silver bracelets were found under the floorboards of a small house. The house was so small and simple that archaeologists believe it may have been the home of slave workers, and no other artifacts have been found in the area. Excavations have uncovered evidence that the farm burned down around the time the silver bracelets were buried. So someone living on the farm may have buried the treasure before fleeing an attack and chose an unexpected location to discourage thieves.

The bracelets are similar in style to six Viking silver neck rings now in the collection of the Stavanger Archaeological Museum, which were found on another farm in Järmeland in 1769. They were most likely deposited as part of a ritual offering, to mark or seal the boundaries of a settlement. They are not associated with graves, and silver neck rings have never been found in Viking graves. This may indicate another motive for burying the rings. According to the Heimskringa Saga, under Odin’s law, men could take to Valhalla everything that was burned on the funeral pyre and anything they personally buried in the ground.

The bracelets were not fully excavated at the site, but were placed in soil blocks for micro-excavation under laboratory conditions at the University of Stavanger’s Museum of Archaeology. Conservationists have X-rayed the blocks and will take samples of the soil to look for any evidence of organic material, such as bags or cloth that the bracelets were wrapped in before burial. Once the research and conservation work is complete, the treasure will be exhibited at the museum.