Sandur hoard
Encyclopedia
The Sandur hoard of the Faroe Islands
was found in Sandur
in 1863 and consists of 98 silver coin
s, which were probably buried between 1070 and 1080. The hoard
is the oldest coin hoard found on the archipelago
.
The coin hoard from Sandur is interesting not only due to the age of the coins, but also due to their origin, because it indicates with which countries the Faroers already traded in the 11th century. It is generally assumed the Viking
period ended on the Faroe Islands in 1035. In the following time period, the Faroe Islands came increasingly under the influence of Norway
, which then led to the actual monetary system of the Faroe Islands.
Today the coins are located at the Faroese National Museum (Føroya Fornminnissavn) in Tórshavn
and are among the main attractions there.
s were digging a grave in the cemetery of Sandur, which had to be particularly deep in order to bury the bodies of two plague
victims.
The find location was at the spot where the altar
of the first church of Sandur (the second church ever on the Faroe Island) stood. Today historians conjecture that this church was the private church of a wealthy farmer, since in the immediate neighborhood a Viking cemetery was excavated. It could be that this treasure belonged to the wealthy farmer and not to the church.
If the coins were from a wealthy farmer, the large number of coins from Germany point towards the export of Faroese wool there and/or to middlemen
, who traded with these coins.
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
was found in Sandur
Sandur
A sandur is a glacial outwash plain formed of sediments deposited by meltwater at the terminus of a glacier.- Formation :Sandar are found in glaciated areas, such as Svalbard, Kerguelen Islands, and Iceland...
in 1863 and consists of 98 silver coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
s, which were probably buried between 1070 and 1080. The hoard
Hoard
In archaeology, a hoard is a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground. This would usually be with the intention of later recovery by the hoarder; hoarders sometimes died before retrieving the hoard, and these surviving hoards may be uncovered by...
is the oldest coin hoard found on the archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
.
The coin hoard from Sandur is interesting not only due to the age of the coins, but also due to their origin, because it indicates with which countries the Faroers already traded in the 11th century. It is generally assumed the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
period ended on the Faroe Islands in 1035. In the following time period, the Faroe Islands came increasingly under the influence of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, which then led to the actual monetary system of the Faroe Islands.
Today the coins are located at the Faroese National Museum (Føroya Fornminnissavn) in Tórshavn
Tórshavn
Tórshavn is the capital and largest town of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the north west of the town lies the high mountain Húsareyn, and to the southwest, the high Kirkjubøreyn...
and are among the main attractions there.
Find location and owner
The coins were found in 1863 purely by accident. GravediggerGravedigger
A gravedigger is a cemetery worker responsible for digging graves used in the process of burial.-Fossors:Fossor or Fossarius , from the Latin verb fodere 'to dig', referred to grave diggers in the Roman catacombs in the first three centuries of the Christian Era...
s were digging a grave in the cemetery of Sandur, which had to be particularly deep in order to bury the bodies of two plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
victims.
The find location was at the spot where the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
of the first church of Sandur (the second church ever on the Faroe Island) stood. Today historians conjecture that this church was the private church of a wealthy farmer, since in the immediate neighborhood a Viking cemetery was excavated. It could be that this treasure belonged to the wealthy farmer and not to the church.
If the coins were from a wealthy farmer, the large number of coins from Germany point towards the export of Faroese wool there and/or to middlemen
Reseller
A reseller is a company or individual that purchases goods or services with the intention of reselling them rather than consuming or using them. This is usually done for profit...
, who traded with these coins.
Index of the coins
- The following coins came from EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
:- 3 from Ethelred II (978 - 1013 and 1014–1016)
- 9 from Canute the GreatCanute the GreatCnut the Great , also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death of his heirs within a decade of his own and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history, historian Norman F...
(1016–1035), one of which was counterfeit - 3 from Harold HarefootHarold HarefootHarold Harefoot was King of England from 1037 to 1040. His cognomen "Harefoot" referred to his speed, and the skill of his huntsmanship. He was the son of Cnut the Great, king of England, Denmark, and Norway by Ælfgifu of Northampton...
(1035–1040) - 8 from Edward the ConfessorEdward the ConfessorEdward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
(1042–1066) - 1 not further identifiable counterfeit
- One coin from IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
which couldn't be exactly dated, but is from ca. 1050 - From DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
:- 2 from Canute IIIHarthacanuteHarthacnut was King of Denmark from 1035 to 1042 and King of England from 1040 to 1042.He was the son of King Cnut the Great, who ruled Denmark, Norway, and England, and Emma of Normandy. When Cnut died in 1035, Harthacnut struggled to retain his father's possessions...
(1035–1042) - 1 from the period between 1050 and 1095
- 2 counterfeits
- 2 from Canute III
- 17 coins were of Norwegian origin :
- 1 from the co-reign of Magnus IMagnus I of NorwayMagnus I , known as the Good or the Noble, was the King of Norway from 1035 to 1047 and the King of Denmark from 1042 to 1047. He was an illegitimate son of king Olaf II of Norway, but fled with his mother in 1028 when his father was dethroned. In 1035 he returned to Norway and was crowned king at...
and Harald III (1046–1047) - 2 from the time of Harald III (1047–1066)
- 4 from the co-reign from Magnus IIMagnus II of NorwayMagnus II Haraldsson was King of Norway from 1066 to 1069, jointly with his brother Olaf Kyrre from 1067.-Background:Magnus was a son of King Harald III of Norway...
and Olaf IIIOlaf III of NorwayOlaf Kyrre , or Olaf III Haraldsson, was King of Norway from 1067 to 1093. He was present at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in England in 1066 where his father, Harald Hardrada, saw defeat and was killed in action...
(1066–1069) - 10 not further datable coins, either from the above co-reign, or from the time of Olaf III (1069–1093)
- 1 from the co-reign of Magnus I
- 50 coin originated from GermanyHoly Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
:- 1 from Conrad II (1024–1039)
- 2 from Bruno III of Brunswick (1038–1057)
- 1 from Teoderik of Lorraine (959 - 1032)
- 1 from Bishop Eberhard I of Augsburg (1029–1047) with the likeness of Conrad II
- 1 from Bishop Bernold von Utrecht (1027–1054)
- 1 coin of uncertain origin of the same type, as the above named coin from UtrechtUtrecht (city)Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
(today the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) - 1 from BreisachBreisachBreisach is a town with approximately 16,500 inhabitants, situated along the Rhine in the Rhine Valley, in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about halfway between Freiburg and Colmar — 20 kilometres away from each — and about 60 kilometres north of Basel near the...
- 1 from CelleCelleCelle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000...
- 1 from DeventerDeventerDeventer is a municipality and city in the Salland region of the Dutch province of Overijssel. Deventer is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, but also has a small part of its territory on the west bank. In 2005 the municipality of Bathmen Deventer is a municipality and city in...
(today the Netherlands) - 1 from DuisburgDuisburg- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
- 1 from GoslarGoslarGoslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-Geography:Goslar is situated at the...
- 1 from HoyaHoya, GermanyHoya is a town in the District of Nienburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the left and right bank of the Weser, approx. 20 km north of Nienburg, and 15 km southwest of Verden....
- 1 from MagdeburgMagdeburgMagdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
- 1 from RemagenRemagenRemagen is a town in Germany in Rhineland-Palatinate, in the district of Ahrweiler. It is about a one hour drive from Cologne , just south of Bonn, the former West German capital. It is situated on the River Rhine. There is a ferry across the Rhine from Remagen every 10–15 minutes in the summer...
- 1 from SpeyerSpeyerSpeyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...
- 1 from TielTiel' is a municipality and a town in the middle of the Netherlands.The town is enclosed by the Waal river and the Linge river on the south and the north side, and the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal on the east side. The city was founded in the 5th century AD....
(today the Netherlands) - 1 from WürzburgWürzburgWürzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
- 29 others, which could not be classified (as of 1979)
- As well as one coin from HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
from the time of Stephen I (997 - 1038)
Literature
- G.V.C. Young: From the Vikings to the Reformation. A Chronicle of the Faroe Islands up to 1538. Isle of Man: Shearwater Press, 1979
- ibid: Færøerne. Fra vikingetiden til reformationen. Kopenhagen: Rosenkilde og Bakker, 1982 (Danish translation, basis for the original German version of this article)
External links
- Natmus.fo Faroese National Museum (only in Faroese, no images of the coins)
- The Empress - Faroe Islands 2004 (travel report from an American woman captivated by the coin hoard)