Sensational Silver Discovery on Visingsö Alters Medieval Coin History

In an extraordinary archaeological find, at a medieval graveyard at Brahekyrkan on Visingsö island, Sweden, has yielded around 170 silver coins dating back to the mid-12th century, casting new light on the region’s medieval history. This discovery, made during a geothermal installation project at the church, not only enriches our understanding of the period but also challenges existing notions of burial customs and coin circulation in medieval Götland.

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Unearthing History Beneath the Church

The team from Jönköping County Museum, led by archaeologists Anna Ödéen and Kristina Jansson, found the coins while monitoring the installation process. The initial excavation revealed two skeletons, and as the team cleared the area, the first few silver coins emerged near one of the skeleton’s left feet.

Anna Ödéen, project manager described the moment of the find in a Jönköping County Museum statement:

“On the very first day, my colleague Kristina Jansson and I found two skeletons in the shaft where the wires were to be laid. We cleaned out the bones from the buried to get an idea of ​​what the graves looked like. All of a sudden three silver coins appeared! We soon realized that many more were lying close to the buried person’s left foot”