TÄBY, SWEDEN—Sweden’s Arkeologerna announced that archaeologists working in Viggbyholm, Täby, outside of Stockholm, unearthed a stunning 1,000-year-old Viking Age treasure trove. The site was inhabited from around a.d. 400 to 1050 and contains more than 20 houses and other buildings. Beneath the flooring of one structure, former occupants concealed an array of valuables they were never able to retrieve, for reasons that are still unknown. The collection includes eight silver neck torcs, two silver armbands, one ring, two pearls, and 12 coins that were turned into pendants. These had been carefully wrapped in a cloth purse and placed in a ceramic vase for safekeeping. “This is something you probably only experience once in a lifetime,” said archaeologist Maria Lingström. The diverse origins of the coins—which came from places such as England, Normandy, Bohemia, Bavaria, and even Persia—are indicative of the far-reaching trade connections that Viking Age Scandinavians developed. To read about Viking wealth found on an island off the Swedish coast, go to "Hoards of the Vikings."
