Silver Viking bracelets in original context

Four beautiful silver Viking bracelets were discovered on a hillside near the Norwegian farm Årdal in the village of Hjelmeland. Each is unique and all are in perfect condition. They were hidden under the floor of a Viking house that burned down in the 9th century.

Farmer and landowner Tårn Sigve Schmidt planned to build a dirt road that ran along the slope mentioned above. He notified archaeologists of his intention, who, when called to the site, found evidence of a large Viking farm, including dwellings and outbuildings for animals. They discovered, for example, fragments of soapstone vessels, rivets, knife blades, grinders and other objects. The most beautiful discovery was a silver bracelet from the 9th century.

The jewels lay just 20 cm below the ground, all close together and overlapping - stored together as they were discovered more than a thousand years later. They were removed in a soil block for microanalysis in the laboratory conditions of the University of Stavanger's Archaeological Museum. The block was first X-rayed and then soil samples were taken from it to see if it concealed any organic material - such as a piece of cloth or the sack in which the bracelets were originally wrapped.

"This is a unique find because we very rarely find such objects exactly where they were placed. Such valuable objects are usually found in fields that have been ploughed and where the object has been completely removed from its original context. Since this silver treasure has not been moved, it can give us a completely new insight into life and society in the time of the Vikings," said lead archaeologist Volker Demuth from the Museum of Archaeology at the University of Stavanger. "It's definitely the biggest thing I've seen in my career," he added.

The silver bracelets lay under what was once the floor of a very small house. The dwelling was so small that it probably housed enslaved workers, archaeologists believe. No other artifacts have been discovered around the site. The excavation revealed that the bracelets were hidden under the floor at the time the house burned. Perhaps they were hidden there by someone who stole them when the farm was set on fire.

The style of the bracelets resembles the design of six Viking necklaces that were discovered in 1769 on another farm in Hjelmeland. They were probably deposited as a ritual offering to mark or seal the settlement boundaries. There were no silver mines operating in Norway at this time, so all Viking silverall Viking silver came from abroad - whether by trade, as gifts or as part of the spoils of war.

Roman Nemec

Sources: thehistoryblog.com, uis.no, vg.no

• Finds using metal detectors of the Early Medieval period in the section hunterpoklad - Hunters of History: the Early Middle Ages

Find in situ

in the field

Top plan view - the cross on the right indicates the finding of bracelets

excavation of a house with a cultural layer

x-ray of the bracelet in the soil block