Seven curled silver arm rings dating to the Viking era were found by an archaeology student earlier this year in Denmark, the Mosegaard Museum announced on Monday. The Danish institution called the find “stunning.”
The artifacts were unearthed south of Aarhus by the 22-year-old Dane Gustav Bruunsgaard, who had been searching the historical Viking settlement using a metal detector and a spade.
It’s estimated that the rings are from 800 CE, placing them within the early Viking era (793 CE–1066 CE). One is a known type of armband that originated in Viking settlements located in what are now Russia and Ukraine. The design was subsequently copied by people throughout the Nordic region.
The three others are common to what is likely Denmark in south Scandinavia for the period. The three additional armlets, which do not have any ornamentation, are considered rarities within Scandinavia and England.
The hoard weighs more than 500 grams total. Silver was highly valuable in the Viking Age and could be used for payment and transactions, as well as asserting wealth.
“The find emphasizes that Aarhus was a central hub in the Viking world,” Kasper H. Andersen, a historian at the museum, which is dedicated to archaeology and ethnography, told NBC.