Legendary Danish king’s treasure found
BERLIN: A 13-year-old boy and an amateur archaeologist have unearthed a “significant” treasure trove in Germany that may have belonged to the legendary Danish king Harald Bluetooth who brought Christianity to Denmark.
Rene Schoen and his student, Luca Malaschnitschenko, were looking for treasure using metal detectors in January on northern Ruegen island when they chanced upon what they thought was a worthless piece of aluminium.
Upon closer inspection, they realised it was a shimmering piece of silver, German media said,
A dig covering 4,300sq ft that finally started over the weekend by the regional archaeology service uncovered a trove believed to be linked to the Danish king, who reigned from about 958 to 986.
Braided necklaces, pearls, brooches, a Thor’s hammer, rings and up to 600 chipped coins were found, including more than 100 that date back to Bluetooth’s era.
“This trove is the biggest single discovery of Bluetooth coins in the southern Baltic sea region and is therefore of great significance,” lead archaeologist Michael Schirren told news agency DPA.
The oldest coin found in the trove was a Damascus dirham dating to 714, while the most recent was a penny dating to 983.
The find suggested the treasure might have been buried in the late 980s, also the period Bluetooth was known to have fled to Pomerania, where he died in 987.
“We have here the rare case of a discovery that appears to corroborate historical sources,” said archaeologist Detlef Jantzen.
King Harald Gormsson was known as Harald Bluetooth because he had a death tooth that looked blue. He is credited with unifying Denmark. The Vikingborn king turned his back on old Norse religion and introduced Christianity to the Nordic country.
Bluetooth’s legacy is found in smartphones and laptops. Bluetooth technology is named after him, and the symbol is the Runes spelling his initials, R.B.