Recently, archaeologists in Scotland made an intriguing discovery: an Anglo-Saxon coin, which is about 1,000 years old, minted during the reign of a king known as “the Unready.”
This coin was found while digging in Nesting, a coastal area in the eastern Shetland Islands, according to reports.
The images reveal the coin’s surface is covered with a thick, greenish-brown patina, yet some of its original designs can still be seen.
Initially, the excavation aimed to look into prehistoric structures that were at risk due to coastal erosion, as mentioned by Archaeology Shetland.
They also investigated nearby Iron Age sites.
The coin itself was minted sometime between 991 and 997 A.D., and it shows the likeness of King Ethelred the Unready, who ruled England from 978 to 1013 A.D.
Ethelred is perhaps most remembered for his unsuccessful efforts to stop Viking invasions and was eventually ousted by the Danish King Swein Forkbeard.
He managed to reclaim the throne in 1014 and continued to rule until his death in 1016, making him the longest-serving Anglo-Saxon king.
Elinor Graham, an archaeologist from the University of Aberdeen, was on holiday in Shetland when she took part in the excavation.
Graham shared, “This is exactly how I wanted to spend my holiday.”
She noted, “The inscriptions on the coin are still quite sharp, and we recognized right away that it’s extremely rare, perhaps unique, in this context.”
This find could shed light on ancient trade routes between Shetland, controlled by the Vikings, and Anglo-Saxon England, although it’s possible the coin was seized during a Norse raid.
Graham added that a different Anglo-Saxon coin had previously been discovered at Old Scatness, a site located in southern Shetland; however, this latest find is noteworthy as the northernmost of its kind.
Scotland’s Treasure Trove Unit will evaluate whether the artifact should be placed in a museum.
Graham expressed her hope that the coin would eventually enhance the collections at the Shetland Museum and Archives.
She suggested that this discovery points to a potentially “well-connected cosmopolitan community” in the area, with trading links back to Anglo-Saxon England.
“There’s an incredible amount of history in this area, stretching from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age, through the early medieval period, and into the Viking era,” she stated.
This ancient coin is among several significant finds across the UK lately.
Earlier this year, a 1,750-year-old Roman coin was uncovered during railway construction work in England.
In Scotland, a metal detectorist stumbled upon a 900-year-old coin, believed to be the oldest ever minted in the country.
