A man searching for fishing worms stumbled upon a medieval treasure in Sweden that stunned archaeologists. While digging near his summer cottage in Stockholm County, the unidentified individual uncovered a cauldron filled with thousands of silver coins, rings, and pendants — one of the largest hoards ever found in the region.
Authorities from the County Administrative Board of Stockholm confirmed the discovery in a statement released in mid-September. “The finder reported the discovery to the County Administrative Board, and archaeologists are now investigating the site and examining the coins, beads, rings and pendants that make up the hoard,” the statement said.
The cauldron weighed roughly six kilograms, or about 13¼ pounds, and contained up to 20,000 coins dating back to the early Middle Ages. Sofia Andersson, an antiquarian with the County Administrative Board, called the find “one of the largest silver hoards from the early Middle Ages ever found in Sweden.”
Among the artifacts were rare coins, including one inscribed with the name of King Knut Eriksson and another from Gotland depicting a church. Several coins featured bishops, part of what archaeologists call “bishop’s coins,” minted under church authority during the Middle Ages.
The state will now determine whether to redeem the treasure, compensating the finder according to Swedish law. “The finder did exactly the right thing by contacting us at the County Administrative Board,” Andersson said, noting the requirement for citizens to surrender ancient artifacts for payment.
This remarkable discovery joins a growing list of Northern European treasure finds — proof that history often hides just beneath the surface.
