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An amateur archaeologist and a 13-year-old student discovered a thousand-year-old treasure on an island in the Baltic Sea. The treasure might be tied to Harald Bluetooth, the famous king who united Denmark. (NPR)

Where else have citizen scientists discovered Viking treasure?

Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit.

Discussion Ideas

• Citizen scientists armed with metal detectors discovered a collection of silver treasure on Schaprode, an island off Germany’s Baltic coast. The hoard is associated with Harald Bluetooth. Who was Harald Bluetooth?
  • Harald Bluetooth was a king of Denmark who ruled between about 958 and 986. Harald played a key role in two important events.
    • He unified what we now think of as Denmark. This most notably includes Jutland (the large peninsula jutting into the Baltic and North Seas) and Zealand (the largest island in the straits bordering the Baltic Sea). Take a look at Jutland and Zealand (Sjoelland) on our outline map of Denmark here.
    • He introduced Christianity to Denmark. Previously, Danish Vikings practiced a pagan spirituality based on Norse mythology. Learn a little about the Vikings with our resources here.
  • Yes, Harald is the namesake of the technology you’re probably using to read this. An Intel developer “was reading about Vikings as the project developed. In his words, King Bluetooth ‘was famous for uniting Scandinavia just as we intended to unite the PC and cellular industries with a short-range wireless link.”
    • The Bluetooth logo is a combination (bind rune) of Harald’s initials: ᚼ (H) and ᛒ (B).
    • Harald’s nickname probably came from a rotten tooth that looked bluish-grey. (Not the worst royal nickname in history, said Archibald the Loser and Alfonso the Slobberer.)

• What did amateur and professional archaeologists find at the Schaprode site?
  • coins! The hundreds of coins, some with Christian crosses, comprise “the biggest single discovery of Bluetooth coins in the southern Baltic Sea region.”
    • Many of the coins are chipped. This is because Vikings had a “bullion economy,” in which the weight of metal was valued, not a specific form (such as a set-value coin.) Coins and metal jewelry were often chipped and weighed to make “change” for trade in goods or services.
  • braided necklaces
  • beads
  • pearls
  • brooches
  • rings
  • a Thor’s hammer. Thor’s hammers are symbolic, T-shaped amulets common in Viking-Age Scandinavia. The presence of a Thor’s hammer alongside coins with crosses reveals how Christianity did not suddenly replace pagan spirituality and symbolism.

• Why do archaeologists think the hoard may have belonged to Harald Bluetooth?
  • date. The youngest coins date to 983, and have Christian crosses stamped on them. Earlier coins have pagan symbolism. The presence of both symbols hints at the period in Danish history when both were recognized and valued.
  • place. By 983, Harald Bluetooth was no longer king. He had lost a battle with his son and been forced to flee the Danish empire. Archaeologists long suspected Harald fled to Baltic islands associated with the Kingdom of Germany and Holy Roman Empire, in what is today Germany.
    • “Similar types of coins have so far only been found in the territory of the Danish empire,” not the Holy Roman Empire. This really limits the treasure to around the time of Harald’s exile and death.
  • similar find. The Hiddensee treasure, also associated with Harald Bluetooth, is a Viking collection of gold ornaments discovered in the mid-19th century. The tiny island of Hiddensee is less than 8 kilometers (5 miles) from Schaprode.

TEACHERS TOOLKIT

NPR: Amateur Archaeologist And 13-Year-Old Student Discover Trove Tied To Danish King

The Guardian: Boy unearths treasure of the Danish king Bluetooth in Germany

Nat Geo: Vikings resources