Archaeologists found more than 1,000 silver coins in a Viking-era treasure found by chance on the Swedish island of Gotland. "The treasure, believed to have been buried in the 10th century, also included several silver bracelets and weighed about 7 pounds," local curator Majvor Ostergren told.

The coins were found by two teen aged brothers as they were helping a neighbor with some yard work on his property on the island of Gotland. Edvin Svanborg, age 20 - who plans to become an archaeologist - told that he knew he and his 17-year-old brother, Arvid, had discovered something remarkable when he found the coins. "By coincidence, I happened to find an Arabic silver coin that's about 1,100 years old," Edvin Sandborg told.

The brothers dug up more than 100 coins and, after that, contacted a local museum which sent archeologists to dig more. Dozens of silver hoards have already been uncovered on Gotland, the largest island in the Baltic Sea, which was a major trade center for the Vikings. The largest treasure trove found till now on Gotland contained about 143 pounds of silver and 44 pounds of bronze.

On the other hand, Norwegian archaeologists from Trondheim have found a Viking farmer buried with horse, sword, spear and shield in a nearby location. Preben Ronne of the Science Museum said that the body seems to have been burnt before being buried with grave notes. "It indicates that the man we have found had quite high status. If one can afford to bury the man, slaughter his horse and bury it with the owner and all his possessions, then he was a man of means," Ronne said.

"This is a sensational find in local terms. It isn't the Oseberg Ship, but it tells what a local chieftain took with him to his burial."

The Vikings were ship-borne explorers, traders, and warriors from Scandinavia who raided the European coasts from the late 8th century to the 11th century. The term "Viking" denotes also the entire populations of Viking Age Scandinavia and their settlements elsewhere.

Photo credit: Tobias Wallstrom