An archaeology student has uncovered seven “remarkable” Viking-era silver arm rings earlier this year in northern Denmark, according to a Danish museum announcement on Monday. The Moesgaard Museum, located south of Aarhus where the discovery was made, highlighted the international significance of the find, which links to regions including Russia, Ukraine, and the British Isles.
Gustav Bruunsgaard, a 22-year-old from Denmark, stumbled upon the arm rings while using a metal detector and spade in an area known for its Viking history. The discovery was made in a location historically recognized as a Viking settlement.
“The find underscores Aarhus’s pivotal role in the Viking world,” noted Kasper H. Andersen, a historian at Moesgaard Museum, which specializes in archaeology and ethnography.
Experts suggest the arm rings date back to around 800 CE, placing them in the early Viking period, which spanned from 793 CE to 1066 CE.
According to the museum, one of the rings represents a type originally from Viking settlements in what is now Russia and Ukraine, later replicated in the Nordic countries. Three of the rings are of a style frequently found in southern Scandinavia, likely Denmark. The remaining three, which lack ornamentation, are described as “rare” but are believed to originate from Scandinavia and England.
The total weight of the arm rings exceeds 500 grams, reflecting the importance of silver in the Viking Age as a measure of value, payment, and wealth.
The Moesgaard Museum is renowned for its preservation of the Iron Age Grauballe Man, discovered in a Danish bog in 1952. The well-preserved body, which still shows fingernails, toenails, and hair, is believed to have been violently killed and placed in a watery grave around 2,000 years ago.
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