Posted on 09/15/2007 9:57:04 AM PDT by blam
Rain uncovers Viking treasure trove
Published: 14th September 2007 08:30 CET
A bout of torrential rain left a surprising legacy in the garden of one Swede: a Viking treasure trove.
Two coins were uncovered by the rain on the lawn of farmer Tage Pettersson, on the island of Gotland, in early August. He called in Gotland's archaeologists, who last week found a further 52 coins on the site.
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 Skötkonug, 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. One of the other coins is only the second of its kind to have been found.
Archaeologist Dan Carlsson told Svenska Dagbladet that the coins were "very well preserved, and come from a period about which we know little in terms of coin history."
The English coins are likely to have been paid to the Vikings as an incitement to let them live in peace, he said.
Gotland is one of the richest sources anywhere of buried Viking treasure. Discoveries of coins and other treasure are made on a regular basis.
Dang, the only treasures I find in my back yard
are from the German Shepard next door
Dane-geld
(A.D. 980-1016)
Rudyard Kipling
IT IS always a temptation to an armed and agile nation,
To call upon a neighbour and to say:—
“We invaded you last night—we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away.”
And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you’ve only to pay ’em the Dane-geld
And then you’ll get rid of the Dane!
It is always a temptation to a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say:—
“Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away.”
And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we’ve proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.
It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray,
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say:—
“We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that plays it is lost!”
“We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that plays it is lost!”
An old version of the Bush Doctrine!
Nice link. It would be interesting if they could find something that DNA could be extracted from to see if todays aboriginals are the same people or of it’s the DNA of people who moved on further into the Pacific.
Well since it was rain that uncovered the coins, perhaps they should be awarded to the “Weather Channel”.
I found treasure in my backyard when I tried to dig some postholes a few years ago. About 2.5 feet below the surface my entire property is nothing but old busted bricks and pottery. I mean every single posthole was the same thing. It was a real pain. Try digging through bricks. I asked around and found out that about 150 years ago or more the whole area was one huge brick factory. “Dobber Cris” is what the old timers called it. That means brick maker in some foreign language. Scandinavian I think.
Danegelt.
I am not disagreeing with you here, but it might be the law.
It is just scary that people are more accepting of bigger and bigger government these days. As many folks are finding out, powerful governments are the worst thing that can happen to you... In fact, you could say more people were killed by their own government in the 20th century... Be afraid...
I love to hunt for arrowheads in south Texas and have quite a collection.
Years ago we lived in Yorktown Va. and while digging a flower bed I found tons of pottery shards and the end of those clay pipes they used to smoke at the pub. I think that property must have been the dump. Also on the Yorktown battlefield I found a cannon ball. That’s treasure!
Neat! Thanks for posting this.
You probably already know or at least suspect the answer to your question. Should something like this ever happen to me, it would remain a deep dark secret.
Well, would it be ok to pay the jizza tax and make the Moslem go away:-(
The Brits paying it thought they all looked alike.
btt
The old Phil Harris radio show (boy, am I dating myself) had a hilarious bit about Phil and his boozy buddy Remley digging in Phil’s back yard, guided by an Indian “treasure map”(!)
Remley: “I just hit something!”
Harris (excitedly): “What is it? What is it?”
Remley(even more exciredly): “It’s big and round and is made out of silver! And there’s some writing on it!”
Harris (REALLY excited): “What does it say?”
Remley: “Pontiac.”
Viking treasure hoard yields astounding finds
China Daily | 06/24/2002 | Agencies via Xinhua
Posted on 06/28/2002 8:47:42 PM EDT by vannrox
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/707966/posts
Buddha statue from 6th c found in Viking hoard in Helgo, Sweden
Biblical Archaeology Review | March/April 2005 | “Worldwide” editor
Posted on 04/26/2005 11:26:07 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1391864/posts
Graves Hint At Contact With Romans (Sweden)
The Local | 11-8-2006
Posted on 11/09/2006 6:36:23 PM EST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1735865/posts
Crystal Amulet Poses Question On Early Christianity (Denmark - 100AD)
Denmark DK | 3-9-2007
Posted on 03/09/2007 2:37:30 PM EST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1798187/posts
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Gods |
Thanks Blam. All -- see the previous post for links to four related topics. |
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Excellent link! Hope that one turns up on a usable source.
ping
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