Study Finds Viking Pennies Used Over 50% Melted Islamic Silver in 9th Century
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 15
Study Finds Viking Pennies Used Over 50% Melted Islamic Silver in 9th Century
1 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 15
Summary
More than half the silver in some of the earliest Viking pennies came from melted Islamic dirhams, according to a new Archaeometry study of the Damhus hoard in Denmark.
X-ray fluorescence and isotope analysis of 25 coins dated to A.D. 830-850 traced the metal to recycled silver ingots, confirming long-distance trade links between Ribe and the Islamic world.
The hoard contains 226 well-preserved coins, and die changes across the series show at least 30 dies were used, suggesting a single Ribe mint produced hundreds of thousands of similar pennies.
Those coins were struck at a turning point when Islamic silver was becoming common in Scandinavia, indicating imported bullion was already feeding large-scale Viking-age coin production.