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Scottish archaeologists recently discovered a 1,000-year-old Anglo-Saxon coin that was minted under a king known as ‘The Unready’.
The piece was discovered during an excavation in Nesting, a coastal community in the eastern Shetland Islands of Scotland, according to Jam Press.
Images show a thick greenish-brown patina covering its surface, although some of the original markings remain visible.
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The excavations were initially carried out to study prehistoric structures threatened by coastal erosion, according to Archeology Shetland.
The archaeological investigation included an examination of nearby Iron Age structures.
Scottish archaeologists have discovered a rare 1,000-year-old Anglo-Saxon coin during excavations in Nesting, a coastal community in the Shetland Islands. A thick greenish-brown patina covers the surface of the piece. (Jam Press/Shetland Archaeology/Valerie Ward/Dr Elinor Graham)
The artifact was minted between 991 and 997 AD, Jam Press noted.
The face of the coin depicts King Ethelred the Unready, who ruled England from 978 to 1013 AD.
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Ethelred, best known for his unsuccessful attempts to repel Viking invasions, was eventually driven from the throne by the Danish king Swein Forkbeard.
The ancient coin, minted between 991 and 997 AD, depicts King Ethelred the Unready, a depiction of whom can be seen on the left. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Jam Press/Archaeology Shetland/Valerie Ward/Dr Elinor Graham)
He returned to power in 1014 and reigned until his death in 1016, making him the longest-reigning Anglo-Saxon monarch.
Elinor Graham, an archaeologist from the University of Aberdeen, was on vacation in Shetland when she took part in the excavation, according to Jam Press.
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“This is exactly how I wanted to spend my vacation,” Graham said.
“The writing on the coin is as crisp as ever, and we immediately knew it was extremely rare, if not unique, in this context.”
“We knew right away that this was extremely rare, even unique, in this context.”
The find could offer clues to ancient trade routes between Viking-controlled Shetland and Anglo-Saxon England, although researchers have not ruled out the possibility that the piece was taken during a Norse raid.
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Graham said another Anglo-Saxon coin had already been discovered at Old Scatness, an archaeological site in south Shetland; the latest discovery, however, marks the northernmost discovery of its type.
Researchers believe the rare coin may have reached Shetland through trade with Anglo-Saxon England or as loot taken during a Viking raid. (Jam Press/Shetland Archaeology/Valerie Ward/Dr Elinor Graham)
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Scotland’s Treasure Trove Unit will determine whether the artifact should be donated to a museum.
Graham said she hoped the piece would eventually be added to the collections of the Shetland Museum and Archives, Jam Press reported.
She said the discovery suggests the area may once have been home to a “well-connected cosmopolitan community” with trade links to Anglo-Saxon England.
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“It’s an area with a huge history through the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the early medieval period and the Norse Viking period,” Graham said.
Nesting’s archaeological excavations originally focused on prehistoric structures threatened by coastal erosion. (Jam Press/Shetland Archaeology/Valerie Ward/Dr Elinor Graham)
The ancient coin is one of many that have surfaced in the UK.
Earlier this year, archaeologists discovered a nearly 1,750-year-old Roman coin during a railway construction project in England.
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In Scotland, a metal detector discovered a 900-year-old coin, believed to be the oldest ever minted in the country.
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