Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - The metal detectorist could hardly believe his eyes when he saw what he had found. He was looking at a magnificent Viking Age silver treasure. It seemed like a dream, but it was true!
Håvard Børvik, who works on a service boat in a farming company, is a passionate metal detectorist, and it seems he has just made the discovery of a lifetime.
The first three bracelets that Håvard Børvik and Einar-Arve Lagård found. Image credit: Private - Source NRK
In August this year, while being out with his friend Einar-Arve Lagård at Vinjen on Engeløya, an island in Steigen, he suddenly noticed something unusual in the ground. At first, he thought it was a gutter hook, but he was wrong. What he discovered were three silver bracelets!
"These are the kinds of finds you hope to find when you go looking. Finding such things from the Viking Age is a dream," Børvik told NRK Nordland in an interview.
As required by the law, when a discovery like this one happens, Børvik reported the find to the county council.
Børvik said they could still see at least four more bracelets further down in the ground. He was correct because more archaeological treasures were awaiting discovery in this area.
On Engeløya in Steigen, the historical monument is close by. Here lies Northern Norway's largest burial mound, a strange military facility, and a tall building from the Iron Age.
Upon hearing of Børvik's find, archaeologists hurried to the site and started digging, and they were certainly not disappointed with the finds.
Scientists could confirm several silver bracelets were buried in the soil. Everything indicated there was an ancient silver treasure buried behind a large boulder.
"So far, it looks like it is a depot. In other words, someone has left valuables in the field. Maybe because they would come back later and get it. Or to hide it away from someone who would get hold of it, archaeologist Anna Roth Niemi told NRK Norland.
Børvik saw more silver objects were hidden in the soil. Image credit: Private - Source NRK
Scientists need to examine the silver before they can determine the exact age of the artifacts, but there is no doubt the objects are from the Viking Age.
"We recognize the same decoration from other silver objects from the Viking Age. The Vikings were very interested in silver. It was sought after," Niemi said.
"We know that the Viking Age lasted from the year 800 until after the millennium. We hope to find more datable material at the discovery site, which means that we may be able to establish the time when this was put in the ground," Niemi added.
Archaeologists excavated and found more silver bracelets. Image credit: Lars-Bjørn Martinesen /NRK
It is a very large archaeological discovery never before encountered in Nordland. These ancient objects can help scientists to learn more about the Viking Age society in the area.
Archaeologists will investigate whether the bracelets were buried at the same time or over time.
"We are very interested in documenting the context in which the find is located. So that we understand what happened when the objects ended up in the ground," Tor-Kristian Storvik, an archaeologist at Nordland county council, said.
See also: More Archaeology News
The silver treasure will now be taken to the Cultural History Laboratory at Tromsø Museum. Here, the jewelry must be secured so that it is not exposed to degradation.
Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff
