Coin treasure on Visingsö, Sweden
Archaeologists from the Jönköping County Museum in Sweden have made a unique find of 170 silver coins in a grave in Brahekyrkan on the island of Visingsö. An initial assessment shows that they are from the middle of the 12th century. Eeva Jonsson of the
Royal Coin Cabinet said: ‘It is a completely sensational find that will change the early medieval coin history in Götaland and shed light on a period that is largely completely unknown.’
Excavation monitoring was to be carried out by the county museum’s archaeologists, Kristina Jansson and Anna Ödéen, in connection with the installation of geothermal heating in the church.
On the very first day, two skeletons were found in the shaft where the wires were to be laid. While these were being excavated, three silver coins appeared. It soon became apparent that many more were lying close to the left foot of one of the skeletons, which appears to have been a man aged 20–25.
A total of 170 so-called silver bracteates, estimated to be from around 1150 to 1180, were found in the grave. The find is very special, partly because there are few similar finds from the time, partly because some of the coins are completely unknown from before.
It is rare that finds are made in Christian graves, and it is hoped that more clues will be found as to why this man had all these coins in his grave.