The Spillings Hoard is one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries from the Viking Age, unearthed in 1999 on the island of Gotland, Sweden. It is the largest known Viking silver hoard ever found, offering invaluable insight into the wealth, trade, and craftsmanship of the Norse world.
The discovery was made by a local farmer during metal-detecting on his property near Spillings farm, close to Slite. What began as a routine search quickly turned into an extraordinary find as the detector signalled large amounts of metal beneath the soil. Archaeologists from Gotland’s Museum were called to the site, where they uncovered not one but three separate hoards buried within a few metres of each other. Together they contained over 67 kilograms of silver and bronze objects, including coins, ingots, jewellery, and fragments of ornaments, all dating from the 9th to 12th centuries.
The silver alone weighed more than 65 kilograms and included more than 14,000 coins. Many of these coins originated from regions far beyond Scandinavia, including the Middle East, England, and continental Europe. Islamic dirhams from the Abbasid Caliphate were especially common, providing direct evidence of long-distance trade routes that connected Viking merchants to markets stretching across Eurasia. The presence of English, German, and Frankish coins also reflects the Vikings’ extensive commercial and cultural networks.
Among the artefacts were intricately designed arm rings, necklaces, and silver bars used as bullion, which reveal the Vikings’ sophisticated system of trade and wealth exchange based on weight rather than minted currency. The hoard also contained melted fragments and hack silver – pieces deliberately cut for use in barter – highlighting how precious metals functioned as a flexible medium of exchange.
The reason for the hoard’s burial remains uncertain. It may have been hidden during a time of conflict or instability, perhaps intended to be retrieved later. Gotland, known for its independent farmers and powerful trading families, was a prosperous centre of commerce during the Viking Age. Many hoards found across the island suggest a pattern of wealth accumulation and concealment linked to its role as a hub in the Baltic trade network.
The Spillings Hoard stands as a testament to the global reach of Viking trade and the economic sophistication of Norse society. It demonstrates that the Vikings were not merely raiders but skilled merchants who dealt in silver, silk, spices, and slaves along routes that connected Scandinavia to Byzantium, the Islamic world, and beyond.
Today, the Spillings Hoard is preserved and displayed at Gotland Museum in Visby, where it continues to attract scholars and visitors from around the world. The find remains one of the most significant sources of evidence for Viking Age economy and trade, shedding light on how far-reaching and interconnected the world of the Norse truly was.