One of the Biggest Viking Treasures Ever Discovered In England

Don't get too excited, though. It's just Scandi "treasure" -- eight barrels of salted reindeer balls and an autographed 8x10 of Ed Begley, Jr.

The trove of coins and jewelry was buried more than 1,000 years ago - a collection of items from Ireland, France, Russia and Scandinavia that testified to the raiders' international reach.

"It's a fascinating find, it's the largest find of its type of over 150 years," said Gareth Williams, an expert at the British Museum who examined the items.

He said it was the largest such find in Britain since the 1840 discovery of the Cuerdale Hoard - a mass of 8,500 silver coins, chains, and amulets.

David Whelan, 60, and his 35-year-old son Andrew were trawling a through a farmer's field near Harrogate, in northern England, on Jan. 6 when their metal detector squealed. The pair began digging, finding a silver bowl more than a foot beneath the soil. Under British law, such finds must be reported to authorities.

The pair turned the bowl over to archaeological experts, who discovered it was packed with coins and jewelry. The bowl, a 9th century gilt silver container probably seized by Vikings from a monastery, had been used as an improvised treasure chest before being buried.

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Some of the coins mixed Christian and pagan imagery, shedding light on the beliefs of newly Christianized Vikings, said Gareth Williams, a curator of early medieval coins at the British Museum.

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The items were manufactured as far afield as Afghanistan, Russia and Scandinavia.

As far as Scandanavia, you say? How on earth did primitive Viking longboats ever make it from Norway to far-off Scandanavia? This find raises far more questions than it answers.

Okay, so maybe the treasure is sort of big. On the other hand, what did the stupid fucking Scandis do with it?

They buried it, like a dog buries its feces.

posted by Ace at 09:36 PM

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