Archaeologists uncover silver treasure on German island

An archaeologist holds an ancient Danish coin which was minted under King Harald Bluetooth after a medieval silver treasure had been found near Schaprdoe on the northern German island of Ruegen in the Baltic Sea. (Stefan Sauer/dpa via AP)

Medieval Saxonian, Ottoman, Danish and Byzantine coins after a medieval silver treasure had been found near Schaprode on the northern German island of Ruegen in the Baltic Sea. (Stefan Sauer/dpa via AP)

Medieval jewelry and coins are displayed on a table after a medieval silver treasure had been found near Schaprode on the northern German island of Ruegen in the Baltic Sea. (Stefan Sauer/dpa via AP)

BERLIN: Archaeologists on the German Baltic island of Ruegen have uncovered hundreds of 1,000-year-old silver coins, rings, pearls and bracelets that are linked to the era of the Danish King Harald Gormsson.
The German news agency dpa reported Monday a single coin was first found by two amateur archaeologists, one of them a 13-year-old boy, in a field near the village of Schaprode in January. The state’s archaeology office then became involved and the entire treasure was recovered by experts last weekend.
Archaeologists said that some 100 silver coins are probably from the reign of Harald Gormsson, better known as “Harry Bluetooth,” who lived in the tenth century and introduced Christianity to Denmark.
He was the king of what is now Denmark, northern Germany, southern Sweden and parts of Norway.