A discovery in the British city of Durham could change the history of the United Kingdom. late last month during an investigationPolice found 44 silver coins minted by the Vikings in the 9th century, valued at around £800,000 (almost R$5 million).
The find may be what is known about the relationship between Alfred the Great (AD 848 AD 899), King of Wessex, and Ceolwulf II (died AD 879), King of Mercia , rewrite. Alfred became known as a heroic leader who fought against Viking invasions, while Ceolwulf went down in UK history as the Viking “puppet”. However, the coins show Ceolwulf and Alfred side by side. Historians have interpreted the image of both as friends.
Gareth Williams, curator of the British Museum’s Department of Medieval Coins and Viking Collections, said the hoard showed a political alliance between the two. “Together, the two kings undertook a major overhaul of coinage and introduced highquality silver coins, with the design of the two emperors symbolizing this alliance, followed by a second joint coinage,” Williams reported. “Until then, both were considered enemies.”
Coins from a Viking hoard recovered during an extensive survey have changed the shape of British history.
Worth around £766,000, the coins change our understanding of the relationship between Alfred the Great and Ceolwulf II.
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—Durham Constabulary (@DurhamPolice) April 27, 2023
How Viking coins were found that could change British history
According to Galileo magazine, the treasure ended up on the black market and was sold to several buyers. In 2018, Ronald Blue, a coin collector and radiologist at the University of Michigan, was offered a share. However, the scientist had doubts about the originality of the artifacts.
Blue contacted a UK specialist who launched an investigation. The discussion even reached the British Museum, where experts debated the historical value of the coins. The find was classified as a treasure under the Treasury Act 1996, which sets out protocols that treasure hunters must follow when they find anything of historical and monetary importance.
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