Silver Needle Dismissed As Trash Was Part Of A Stunning Viking Treasure Found By Farmer On Gotland

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Sometimes one should think twice before throwing away objects that may appear to have no value.

About 40 years ago, farmer Håkan Linder discovered something unusual while plowing a field on Gotland in Sweden. On the ground, he found a needle. He thought it was made of tin and he really had no idea what he had just come across.

Håkan Linder holding the needle he found 40 years ago on his farm. Credit: SVT

Linder asked experts who told him he could throw it away. It was just trash, nothing of value at all. However, Linder went home, took a small box, and placed the needle inside it. He decided to keep it and that’s excellent news.

Majvor Östergren, an archaeologist who is investigating the old sites accidentally learned about this discovery and decided to investigate it further.

“It’s a funny coincidence. For the last three years, I’ve been involved in a project at the University of Stockholm and our mission is to investigate old sites.

I had received tips that ancient coins had been found in this field, and now we would finally have the opportunity to follow up on that information,” Östergren told SVT, the Swedish Television.

Östergren contacted Linder and asked if she and her colleagues could examine his field using a metal detector. Linder gave the researchers permission and showed them the spot where he had found the silver needle.

Two large Viking treasures were found on Linder's field. Credit: SVT - Image compilation: AncientPages.com

The metal detector quickly alerted scientists something was hidden beneath the ground. They started digging and found several Arabic coins that date back to the Viking Age.

“I was surprised,” Östergren says.

Among the ancient coins were also other silver artifacts that were all part of a stunning Viking treasure.

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“We have discovered two silver treasures that were buried 50 meters apart from each other. One of them contains 100 coins and jewelry. We even found the ring to the silver needle Håkan Linder had found 40 years ago. The needle and the ring most likely belonged to a part of a male Viking suit,” Östergren explained.

“It’s unbelievable. I would never have thought that” Linder said delighted when he heard the news Viking treasures had once been hidden on his farm.

It's an amazing Viking Age discovery we can now admire thanks to Håkan Linder who decided to keep the needle that was wrongly dismissed as trash.

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com