Silver of the North – Coins of the Viking Age
This album presents a curated collection of genuine silver coins connected to the Viking Age (c. 8th–11th centuries AD), including an Abbasid dirham of the type discovered in countless Viking hoards across Scandinavia.
Historical Significance:
The Viking Age began dramatically with the raid on Lindisfarne monastery in AD 793, but the Norsemen were far more than seafaring raiders. They were also farmers, artisans, explorers, and—above all—merchants. Viking trade networks stretched from the icy fjords of Scandinavia to the markets of Constantinople (Byzantium), Baghdad, and even Central Asia.
For centuries the Vikings struck no coins of their own, instead valuing silver by weight. Arabic dirhams, like the Abbasid issue included in this set, became their most important form of currency. Thousands of such coins, often cut or bent to test purity, have been unearthed in Viking treasure hoards, proof of the Norsemen’s far-reaching economic connections.
The coins in this collection offer a tangible link to the world of the Vikings—a people whose legacy is as much about exploration, trade, and cultural exchange as it is about raids and warfare. They challenge the popular image of horned-helmeted warriors (a myth created centuries later) and instead highlight the true global reach of Viking civilization.
Silver of the North – Coins of the Viking Age
This album presents a curated collection of genuine silver coins connected to the Viking Age (c. 8th–11th centuries AD), including an Abbasid dirham of the type discovered in countless Viking hoards across Scandinavia.
Historical Significance:
The Viking Age began dramatically with the raid on Lindisfarne monastery in AD 793, but the Norsemen were far more than seafaring raiders. They were also farmers, artisans, explorers, and—above all—merchants. Viking trade networks stretched from the icy fjords of Scandinavia to the markets of Constantinople (Byzantium), Baghdad, and even Central Asia.
For centuries the Vikings struck no coins of their own, instead valuing silver by weight. Arabic dirhams, like the Abbasid issue included in this set, became their most important form of currency. Thousands of such coins, often cut or bent to test purity, have been unearthed in Viking treasure hoards, proof of the Norsemen’s far-reaching economic connections.
The coins in this collection offer a tangible link to the world of the Vikings—a people whose legacy is as much about exploration, trade, and cultural exchange as it is about raids and warfare. They challenge the popular image of horned-helmeted warriors (a myth created centuries later) and instead highlight the true global reach of Viking civilization.
