sonder_wikinger.en.pdf

Special exhibit

___________________________________________________________________________

The money of the Vikings

“ Lord, deliver us from the fury of the Norsemen! ” – this ninth-century supplication has

played a crucial role in shaping our perception of the Vikings right up to the present day. The

Vikings were undoubtedly fierce and ruthless when they sailed on raiding and pillaging forays

and when their large, fast ships suddenly appeared on the coast or on the riverbank of major

towns such as Cologne or Paris. The Viking attack on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, off the coast

of Northumbria, England, on 8 June 793 is generally regarded as marking the start of the

roughly

The Bayeux Tapestry from the late 11th century depicts typical Viking ships

three-hundred-year Viking era. It is likely that accounts of such barbaric rampaging were

sometimes exaggerated by Christian chroniclers, even though the most bloodthirsty among the

invaders are said to have “howled like dogs, bit into the edges of their shields and walked

barefoot through burning fire”. Archaeological finds modify this image of terror to some extent

by documenting the Vikings’ peaceful side as farmers and traders. It was not only pillaging and

ransacking but also the search for new areas for settlement and the extension of trade relations

that led the Vikings to cover such large distances. Their trading ships were just as likely to show

up in Icelandic ports as they were to appear in Constantinople and on the Caspian Sea.

There is some doubt about the exact origin and meaning of the term “Vikings”. It does

not refer to a clearly defined ethnic group but rather to a large number of different peoples,

principally from the area of present-day Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The “Swedish” Vikings

who emigrated south-eastwards are known by the names of Varangians and Rus, from which

the name “Russia” is derived.

Given this situation, there is no such thing as unform “Viking money”. The many

different pieces made by Nordic tribes, often imitating existing coin types, are therefore known

collectively as “Viking-era coins”.

Solidus of Louis the Pious

minted between 814-840 AD

Frisian replica

from the period around 830-850 AD

One particular fearure of trade in the Viking era

between the ninth and 11th centuries is “hack-

silver”. It was only the metal that was important,

not its shape or form. Silver objects of all kinds,

such as pieces of jewellery or parts of vessels as

well as coins that had been hacked into pieces

were placed as goods on the scales. The silver

was exchanged for goods such as fur, hides,

amber, honey and slaves and piled up into

prestigious hoards weighing up to 10kg.

These were displayed by their owners to selected

guests.

Hack-silver find from the 11th century

[The depicted find may be seen in the permanent exhibition

(third elevator display case from the left in the vault). ]

One major trading centre of the “Danish” Vikings was Hedeby on

the Schlei inlet south of present-day Schleswig. Hedeby was created

around 800 AD through the merger of three earlier merchant

settlements located on easily navigable waterways and was a main

loading and reloading point for trade between the North Sea and

the Baltic; a mint was in operation there Denar of the Danish king Hardeknud

as early as the ninth century. The early Hedeby coins, of which (1035-1042) from the Hedeby mint

only a few dozen are known to still exist, are based, albeit in a heavily modified form, on a large

number of west European models.

_________________________________________________________________________

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: