A metal detectorist in Finland unearthed a massive Viking Age silver hoard estimated to contain more than 4,000 coins — the largest discovery of its kind ever found in the country.The hoard, uncovered by metal detectorist Kalle Lappinen, was found near the village center of Sysmä, a town about 105 miles northeast of Helsinki.Lappinen discovered the hoard on Sept.3 and promptly reported it to authorities.
Archaeologists from Lahti Museums began recovering the silver the very next day.PUZZLING SOUND IN BACKYARD LEADS HOMEOWNER TO MASSIVE 1,000-YEAR-OLD TREASUREThe hoard consists of "thousands of silver coins, hack silver, a silver bracelet, a mount and a bead," according to a museum release.The hoard includes coins from present-day Sweden, Britain and Germany, as well as dirhams originating from areas that are now part of Turkey and Iran.A massive Viking Age silver hoard discovered near Sysmä, Finland, is estimated to contain more than 4,000 coins.(Esko Tikkala/Lahti Museums)The recovered coins weigh approximately 10 pounds in total and are believed to date to between 1000 and 1050 A.D., as Lahti Museums archaeologist Esko Tikkala told Fox News Digital.Tikkala oversaw the hoard's recovery.
He said the dating remains preliminary and will be refined after the coins have been cleaned and thoroughly studied.MYSTERIOUS 3,000-YEAR-OLD HOARD WITH VIOLENTLY SMASHED SWORD EMERGES DURING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTWhile Tikkala has excavated other Late Iron Age hoards in the region, he said the sheer size of the Sysmä discovery surprised him."Instead of the tens or few hundreds of coins we usually encounter, this find contains thousands," he said.Researchers are studying thousands of coins from the Sysmä hoard to learn more about their origins and the silver economy of the period.(Esko Tikkala/Lahti Museums)Even at this preliminary stage, Tikkala said the discovery adds to evidence that Sysmä was an important hub during the Late Iron Age, with trade connections extending in ...