In Germany, a metal detector came across a valuable find dated 1234

Now it is clear why fans of metal detectors have recently increased. In the north of Germany, a novice metal detector found a precious treasure.

Haithabu (Hedebu from Danish) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located on the land of Schleswig-Holstein, where the treasure was discovered. Although archaeologists have been exploring these places for many years, an amateur searcher has found a new find in a previously explored area. After which he informed the State Archaeological Department, and a group of archaeologists conducted excavations. The artifacts contained in this treasure are stunning.

The city was large and important for the Vikings in the VIII-XI centuries. Somewhere from 1066, Haithab was abandoned due to destruction. This time marked the beginning of the decline of the Viking Age in this region. Strangely enough, a century or two later, someone buried a bag of valuables near the city.

The director of the Schleswig-Holstein State Archaeological Department (ALSH) says: "The treasure consisted of two very high quality gold earrings with semi-precious stones, a gold-plated pseudo-coin brooch, two gold-plated rings with stones, a ring fragment, a small previously gold-plated perforated disc, a ring brooch and about 30 silver coins minted during the reign of the Danish king Waldemar II, some of them are highly fragmented." The earrings date back to 1100 and were probably made by Byzantine jewelers. The pseudo-coin turned out to be a forgery of the gold dinar of the Almohads (Muslim dynasty of rulers).

Experts suggest that the coins and jewelry could have been part of the tribute, and got into the territory thanks to trade routes or through robbery.