Rainfall uncovers Viking treasure in Swedish garden

Stockholm | September 16, 2007 1:17:27 PM IST









A bout of torrential rain has uncovered a Viking treasure trove in a Swedish garden.

Tage Pettersson, a farmer, discovered two coins in his lawn on the island of Gotland, following a heavy downpour in the region.

Pettersson then called in Gotland's archaeologists, who last week found a further 52 coins on the site.

According to a report by the local daily, The Local, most of the coins are German, English and Arabic currency from the late 900s and early 1000s.

But archaeologists are most excited about the presence of six very rare Swedish coins, from the reign of Olof Skotkonug, king of Sweden from 994-1022.

One of the Swedish coins has never been found in Sweden before, although an example has been found in Poland, and one of the other coins is only the second of its kind to have been found.

Archaeologist Dan Carlsson told the daily, Svenska Dagbladet, that the coins were "very well preserved, and came from a period about which they knew little in terms of coin history".

He said the English coins were likely to have been paid to the Vikings as an incitement to let them live in peace.

Gotland is one of the richest sources anywhere of buried Viking treasure. Discoveries of coins and other treasure are made on a regular basis. (ANI)

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