POT LUCK

Gardening Work Leads to Astonishing Ancient Discovery

The record haul was uncovered entirely by accident.

A Danish man has uncovered the largest collection of Viking Age silver while doing gardening work at his home. The man, from the northern Danish municipality of Rebild, made the shocking discovery while cutting grass and removing stones in preparation for building a new terrace. The Dane uncovered around 700 pieces of buried treasure, including silver bars, dozens of coins, and a small Thor’s hammer. The hoard weighed around 18.5 kilos, three times heavier than the record discovery of Viking Age silver in Denmark, according to the Nordjyske Museer [North Jutland Museums]. “It should have just been a few hours of hard gardening work removing stubborn grass, stones and gravel for a new tiled terrace, but it turned out to be the biggest surprise of my life,” said the man, who wishes to remain anonymous. Torben Sarauw, cultural heritage manager at Nordjyske Museer, said the silver was likely used as payment, and the discovery was akin to “finding a safe” from the Viking Age.