A rare, priceless, 11th-century gold earring found by a metal detectorist in Denmark has unearthed a fascinating history. The earring is believed by experts to have been gifted to a Viking chief by the emperor of Byzantium some 1,000 years ago, attesting to the Vikings’ far-reaching connections.
It is the only known earring of its kind in the whole of Scandinavia.
The discovery was made by metal detectorist Frants Fugl Vestergaard, 54, in a field near Bøvling, West Jutland. Vestergaard, who had frequented the field in search of treasures for some time, crushed a lump of soil in his hand after his detector sounded and was shocked when the falling dirt yielded gold.
“It’s like getting a text from the past,” he added. “You always yearn to find something beautiful, a ’top find,' and then you suddenly have it in your hands. It is completely inconceivable.”
The earring features a crescent-shaped gold plate with a gold frame, decorated with ribbons and loops made of the precious yellow metal. The plate is set with colored glass and melted metal enamel in the shape of two birds and a plant symbolizing the tree of life.
Museum Inspector Peter Pentz of Denmark’s National Museum said the unusual earring differs from finds like the thousands of silver coins typically brought home by Vikings from their travels. The piece originates either from Byzantium or Egypt, emulating the same style and craftsmanship as the famous Dagmar Cross, a Byzantine relic found in a queen’s grave in Ringsted, Denmark, in 1683.
A second matching earring was never found, although the Museum stated that it may, rather, have been one of two dangling pendants of a headband.
“It is completely unique to us,” Pentz said. “We only know of 10 to 12 other specimens in the whole world, and we have never found one in Scandinavia before. ... We had expected to find such a fine and invaluable piece of jewelry like this together with a large gold treasure, or in a royal tomb, and not on a random field in Bøvling.”
On Dec. 6, 2021, the gold earring went on display in a secure case as part of the Museum’s Viking exhibit “Togtet,” showcasing the Vikings’ exploits into the Middle East.
Such rich adornments, first thought not to have been traded, was, rather, gifted by kings and emperors to those who served them. Since many Vikings went into war service as bodyguards for the Byzantine emperor, it is conceivable, the Museum states, for the gold earring to have been a gift from the emperor to a trusted Viking in his service.
Another guess is that a pilgrim returned home with the jewelry piece, which may have belonged to Danish King Erik Ejegod who died en route to Jerusalem with his wife, Boedil.
Archaeologist and museum inspector Astrid Toftdal Jensen at Holstebro Museum commended Vestergaard for his handling of the rare relic. His find “confirms that West Jutland has always had strong connections around the world,” she said.
Jensen hopes for the opportunity to display the earring at the art museum in the future, close to the area where it was found.
Vestergaard said, “I am proud and happy to have found it, also in relation to local history, because it shows that we up here from the outskirts can also suffer.”
“Even 1,000 years ago,” he added, “where there must have been some in this area who had influence and status. I will probably never finish thinking about that.”
