Eeva Jonsson

The Edånger hoard is a Viking-Age hoard including five Islamic coins and one German coin from the Ottonian period (936–1002), all with a suspension loop. In addition, it includes a fragment of a neck ring and a silver bracteate pendant. The hoard was found in 1832 in Vibyggerå parish, Ångermanland province in southern Norrland. The hoard  belongs to the early phase in the importation of German coins to Sweden and is therefore regarded as one of the key hoards of the period. It has been estimated that the hoard could have been deposited ca 950 at the earliest. The northern Edånger hoard is geographically isolated from other Scandinavian hoards of the period. The traditional dating to ca 950 is probably too early and a later date to the 970s or later is suggested here. In the course of time, the coins in the Edånger hoard have lost their provenance. Four of the Islamic coins have recently been identified in the systematic collection at the Economy Museum – Royal Coin Cabinet, Stockholm. The identified coins have a bronze loop of Estonian type, which is extremely rare in a Swedish context. It is suggested here that the Edånger hoard should be connected to Estonia.

[Sancta Cologne imitations struck on square flans - some thoughts and a new find from Roes, Grötlingbo parish, Island of Gotland, Sweden]. Sancta Cologne imitations are very common, but rarely struck on square flans. The latter have often been described as "Nordic" but more closely where and by whom they have been struck has not been suggested. The new specimen presented here was found in 2009 as part of a hoard.

[Metal Detecting and the new Viking-Age Coin Hoards found in Sweden in 2005-2017 - An Overview.] The aim of the paper is to list the Viking-Age coin hoards found in Sweden in 2005-2017, including more than five coins. The list consists of a total of 31 hoards comprising 15 179 coins. Of these, 12 227 are from the island of Gotland (table 1) and 2952 are from the mainland and the island of Öland (table 2).

De nya vikingatida myntfynden från f.d. finska Karelen under senaste åren belyser bilden av den allra sista fasen av myntimporten från Tyskland och även kontakterna mellan Karelen och Tavastland efter ca 1075. En viktig gemensam nämnare bland fynden är avsaknaden av låghaltiga frisiska mynt från perioden ca 1050˗1075, som i de äldre karelska skatterna är ett mycket karakteristiskt drag. Omständigheterna stödjer en nyare teori om hur handeln mellan Friesland/Gotland och Ryssland (och även i f.d. finska Karelen) fungerade ca 1050˗1075/80 och efter den frisiska perioden. Frågan diskuteras här.

In this paper a Chinese cash from 976-997 found at the site of the later Väskinde church, Gotland 1953 has been discussed. It is probable that the cash-coin derives from a Viking-Age context. The possibility that it belongs to a later context cannot, however, be excluded.

Jomala church is a rural church dating to the thirteenth century. It is the only church in Finland representing the Romanesque period. An archaeological excavation of the medieval nave and the choir was carried out in 1961. It yielded a total of 594 coins of which at least 134 are medieval. The impact of the Lutheran Reformation on church doctrine and practice, and the effects on liturgy and the church interior in relation to the use of money, form the central questions of the chapter. After the Lutheran Reformation in 1527, individual communion through the mediation of the saints was gradually superseded by the celebration of the Eucharist. However, it is evident that coin offerings around the altar dedicated to the Virgin Mary continued in Jomala after the Reformation. A second issue that is addressed in the study is the continuation of offerings into the Early Modern period. The post-Reformation offering practices described in Finnish written sources reflect the Catholic faith in the miracle of transsubstantio, when the entire substance of the bread and wine are changed into the substance of the body and blood of Christ. This was seen as the most sacred moment during the divine service, and also the most suitable moment to give coin offerings. A post-Reformation coin offering put on the altar cloth during the Eucharist can be described as a kind of a ceremonial payment. This habit lasted at least until the period of the Great Wrath in Finland. It has been emphasised that 'altar cloth offerings' clearly continued after the period of the Great Wrath (1713-1721) in Jomala.

This paper presents a study of Viking-Age hoards in Finland Proper collected during the life of a family or during two or more generations. The family hoards represent coins in circulation while the generation hoards represent capital inherited by one generation on from another. Two hoards from Finland Proper have been analysed, Nikkilä from Nousiainen parish (t.p.q. 1045) and Anttila from Lieto parish (t.p.q. 1060).

In the present study, the silver content of 155 Viking-Age coins was analyzed. The aim was to re-exam the traditional interpretations of the silver content of different coinages during the Viking Age, and to offer an overview on the subject. The main question is what level of silver purity was considered as fine silver in everyday transactions in the Northern Lands and what variation was tolerated? The second aim of the study was to find possible inconsistencies in the silver content.

Roma Kungsgård, som ligger mitt på ön Gotland är en unik plats för den gotländska vikingatiden och medeltiden där flera trådar löper samman. Där fungerade Gutnaltinget (gutna althingi), dvs. Gutarnas allting, som var öns gemensamma styrande och rättskipande institution. Vid undersökningar har påträffats ett speciellt fyndmaterial med ett stort antal viktlod och silvermynt. Platsen har tolkats som någon form av marknadsplats i anslutning till alltinget.

Vuonna 2017 tuli kuluneeksi 40 vuotta niin kutsutun kätkölöytöprojektin (ruots. skattfyndsprojektet) käynnistämisestä Gotlannissa. Gotlannilla on ollut Pohjoismaissa pioneerin rooli metallinpaljastimen avulla suoritettavissa arkeologisissa tarkastuksissa. Projekti on yhä käynnissä.