Amateur archaeologists have discovered Viking treasures on the island of Rügen (Germany) in the Baltic Sea, which belonged to King Harald I Bluetooth. This is reported by Science Alert.
The discovery was made by a 13-year-old boy Luca Malaschnitschenko and his teacher René Schön, volunteers at the State Center for Archeology. With the help of metal detectors, they discovered a silver coin, which, as professionals later established, belonged to the Danish Viking trading city of Hedeby, located in the German region of Schleswig-Flensburg.
Officials asked the enthusiasts not to disclose the find to anyone until the archaeological excavations were completed. In three months, an area of 400 square meters was studied. Researchers have found necklaces, pearls, brooches, bracelets, rings and about 600 coins. The oldest coins are dated to 714 AD, and the newest ones are from the reign of the Danish king Harald I Bluetooth (Harald Gormsson), who lived in 910-987 AD.
Scientists believe that the lost treasure was in the hands of the king at the time he fled to Pomerania, the northeastern part of Germany by the Baltic Sea. According to one of the versions of historians, he was forced to leave his country due to the uprising of his son Sven I Forkbeard, who took the throne of Denmark in 985. Harald died about a year after his escape. The found treasure confirms the reliability of this information.
Under Harald I, Denmark adopted Christianity, which was politically advantageous and helped to improve relations with the Holy Roman Empire. In addition, the king was able to unite the scattered Danish tribes into a single kingdom. In honor of his diplomatic successes, the Bluetooth technology (from English - "blue-toothed") was named. The very nickname Harald received for a dark front tooth.