Puzzling sound in backyard leads homeowner to massive 1,000-year-old treasure

Officials from North Jutland Museums in northern Denmark announced the discovery on Aug. 31.

The hoard was discovered by a private citizen who was preparing the ground for a new tiled terrace, according to a statement from the museum.

About half an hour into the work, the homeowner struck "something that made a strange sound."

The person added, "At first I thought it was old iron or fence wire as well as some potsherds, but when I started digging with my hands, I could suddenly fish one metal object after another out of the ground."

The find eclipses the previous record holder - a roughly 14-pound Terslev hoard - and weighs nearly three times as much.

Some 320 objects with a total weight of 14 pounds were still in the original clay vessel, while the rest were found in the ground around the site.

The homeowner will not keep the treasure. Under Danish law, the hoard belongs to the state - though the finder is eligible to receive a reward.

"We did not expect that the same area would also produce one of the largest Viking Age silver hoards ever found in Denmark."

He said the hoard "is remarkable because of both its size and its contents.

The owner of the hoard must have been "extremely wealthy and of very high social status," Sarauw noted, though the individual's identity is lost to time.

"The size of the hoard suggests access to extensive networks of trade, exchange and perhaps political power," the official said. 

"The discovery also indicates that Himmerland was home to a significant center of wealth during the Viking Age, something we are only beginning to understand."

Sarauw said hoards were typically buried to safeguard wealth during uncertain times. 

This treasure may be connected to another silver hoard found nearby several years ago.

"Someone who buried more than 18 kilograms [40 pounds] of silver was clearly concerned about losing it," he said.

There is additional significance, Sarauw said.

"This discovery is helping to change our understanding of northern Jutland during the Viking Age," he said.