The historical Museum
6 March – 1 September 2024
Photo: Henrik Pihl/The Archaeologists
The discovery of a treasure from the Viking Age with eight necklaces and two bracelets, coin pendants, pearls and a silver amulet ring attracted a lot of attention when it was found by the Archaeologists. The find is now on display in the History Museum’s new mini-exhibition Current archaeology.
It was during an excavation of a Viking-era farm in Viggbyholm in Täby outside Stockholm in 2020 that archaeologists made an astonishing discovery. Next to an older house, under a so-called cap stone, the remains of a pot were buried. The jar contained several necklaces and bracelets in silver and a bag in exclusive fabric with coin pendants and pearls. That the remains of a cloth bag are found preserved in connection with a silver treasure is unique, silver ions had preserved the textiles.
In the bag were twelve coin pendants made of European and Islamic coins dating to the years 904–997. The coins come from Persia, Bavaria, Bohemia, Normandy and England. In addition to silver, the linen bag also contained another kind of treasure – pollen from the Viking Age, including grains and medicinal plants.
– The find is unique both through the composition of silver objects and that there is a concrete connection to farm remains and burial grounds. The treasure may have been buried as the conclusion of a long and grand ceremony to honor a high-ranking deceased woman. At the same time, the yard is closed again at the same time, says John Hamilton, project manager at the Archaeologists at the State Historical Museums.
The Viking Age silver treasure attracted a lot of attention, both in Sweden and abroad when it was found. The treasure is now on display at the History Museum in Stockholm. In the new mini-exhibition Current archaeology in the entrance to the museum, visitors have the opportunity to take part in exciting finds and results from the latest archaeological excavations in Sweden.
The treasure from Viggbyholm is out first, but will eventually be replaced by objects and information from other current excavations.
– We want to be a historical and archaeological living room for our visitors. In the new mini-exhibition, we should be able to quickly show newly excavated objects and exciting results from the latest in archaeology, says Åsa Marnell, head of the History Museum.
