Viking Age Hoards and Socio-Political Changes in the Slågarp Area, Scania

Results and Interpretations Based on the Archaeological Excavation in Stora Slågarp

Abstract

In 1881 a Viking Age coin hoard was found in the parish of Stora Slågarp, Scania. The coins were dispersed and the location of the exact find spot was forgotten. In 1999 the site was located and it was excavated in 2000. This paper presents the results ofthe excavation of the Stora Slågarp hoard, where a total of 53 coins were found. The coins have a unique composition for south Scandinavia, dominated by Cnut's latest Anglo-Saxon coin rype, Short Cross. The hoard consists of at least two parcels of coins. The main part is likely to have been acquired in England, and a smaller part in Scandinavia. The paper also sets out to examine the local context of the Stora Slågarp hoard by comparing it to another Viking Age silver hoard found in the village of Villie in the neighbouring parish of Lilla Slågarp.The Stora Slågarp and Villie hoards are interpreted as indicating a change in the local topographical hierarchy in the Slågarp area in the Late Viking Age and Early Middle Ages.