28 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A rare Byzantine gold coin discovered in Norway, probably brought from Constantinople

A metal detectorist exploring the mountains in the municipality of Vestre Slidre in southern Norway discovered a rare histamenon nomisma (literally standard coin), a Byzantine solid gold coin minted in Constantinople around 960 AD, depicting Jesus Christ.

The coin has been exceptionally well-preserved given its appearance. It is the only one of its kind ever found in Norway.

The Innlandet County Municipality said in a news release. “It has held up exceptionally well. The coin appears largely unchanged from when it was lost, perhaps a thousand years ago,”.

The ancient coin was introduced in the Byzantine Empire, also called the Eastern Roman Empire, and likely was minted in Constantinople, the Byzantine capital that is Istanbul today.

The coin was minted on one side, it depicts Christ holding the Bible, and on the other, probably the emperors Basil II (left) and Constantine VIII (right). Both were brothers and co-reigned. That means the artifact would have traveled more than 1,600 miles from its origin site to the spot where it was found.

It was minted in the late reign of Basil II and Constantine VIII, sometime between 977 and 1025 AD, as indicated by the triple dotted border surrounding the coin.

The emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII are likely depicted on the other side of the coin. Photo: MARTINE KASPERSEN/INNLANDET COUNTY MUNICIPALITY
The emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII are likely depicted on the other side of the coin. Photo: MARTINE KASPERSEN/INNLANDET COUNTY MUNICIPALITY

The gold coin has written inscriptions, too. One, written in Latin by the stamp of Christ, says, “Jesus Christ, King of those who reign.” The other, written in Greek on the coin’s opposite side, says, “Basil and Constantine, emperors of the Romans,” according to the county.

Archaeologists speculate that the rare and valuable coin might have made its way to Norway with the heavy booty the future King Harald III, aka Harald Hardrada, carried home with him after a decade spent in the Varangian Guard of the Byzantine Empire.

“At that time it was customary for the guards to be given the right to loot the palace and take all the valuables they could find when the emperor died. During Harald’s time in Byzantium, three emperors had died,” officials said. So, the former king could have acquired the gold coin in Constantinople and taken it back with him to Norway.

The gold coin could have also made its way into Norway’s early salt trade, which had transport routes that ran perpendicular from western Norway across the country.

Because the metal detectorist found the coin so late in the fall season, the spot where it was discovered will not be investigated further until next year.

Innlandet County Municipality

Cover Photo: Christ is depicted on one side of the coin. MARTINE KASPERSEN/INNLANDET COUNTY MUNICIPALITY

Related Articles

Bronze age settlement found under in Swiss lake

23 April 2021

23 April 2021

For the first time, archaeologists discovered traces of a Bronze Age lakeside village beneath the surface of Lake Lucerne. The...

The famous archaeologist says he will announce the discovery of the mummy of Queen Nefertiti, one of Egyptology’s main riddles, next month

14 September 2022

14 September 2022

On December 9, 2021, Egypt’s archaeological mission, headed by renowned Egyptologist and former Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass, resumed its search...

3,000-Year-Old leather Shoe discovered On A Beach In Kent, UK

26 February 2023

26 February 2023

A Bronze Age relic found on a Kent beach is believed to be the oldest shoe ever found in the...

Stonehenge could be a solar calendar, according to a new study

2 March 2022

2 March 2022

A new study posits that the Stonehenge circles served as a calendar that tracks the solar year of 365.25 days,...

Archaeologists find Viking Age shipyard in Swedish island

15 June 2022

15 June 2022

Archaeologists from Stockholm University have discovered a Viking Age shipyard at Birka on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren,...

Explore 1,400-year-old ruins, submerged in Eastern China – Atlantis of China

10 June 2023

10 June 2023

Deep in Qiandao Lake, between China’s Five Lion Mountains, lie the mysterious ruins of two ancient cities, dating back to...

Ancient tombs discovered at Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral

15 March 2022

15 March 2022

Archaeologists discovered several graves and a leaden sarcophagus possibly dating from the 14th century at Paris’ Notre Dame church, France’s...

Anchorage’s Indigenous History: A 1000-Year-Old Dene Cache Found Near Cook Inlet

24 January 2025

24 January 2025

In June 2024, archaeologists from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) and Northern Land Use Research Alaska discovered a birch bark-lined cache...

A stunning fresco depicting Helen of Troy is revealed during excavations at the ancient Roman city

11 April 2024

11 April 2024

Archeologists have uncovered remarkably preserved ‘fresco’ paintings on a wall in the banqueting room of a large house along Via...

Artifacts for sale offered at a Dutch auction house returned to Peru

9 July 2021

9 July 2021

The Dutch government announced in a press release today that the artifacts that were put up for sale at an...

“Land of the Thousand Temples” Kancheepuram in India

20 May 2021

20 May 2021

Kancheepuram, one of the most sacred and religious Hindu pilgrim centers in India is also called the ‘Land of the...

A 2,500-year-old celestial map carved on the surface of a circular stone found in Italy

25 December 2023

25 December 2023

Two circular stones measuring 50 centimeters in diameter have been discovered in Castelliere di Rupinpiccolo, an ancient hilltop fortress in...

Europe’s earliest cities had a predominantly vegetarian diet

27 December 2023

27 December 2023

The population of the Copper Age mega-sites in what is now Ukraine and Moldova had a predominantly vegetarian diet. In...

Military veterans uncovered ‘richest grave this year’ on final dig at Anglo-Saxon Cemetery

19 July 2023

19 July 2023

During excavations at an Anglo-Saxon cemetery on military training lands on Salisbury Plain, military veterans have unearthed the richest tomb...

Archaeologists conducting excavations at the Roman Fort of Apsaros in Georgia, found evidence of the Legion X Fretensis

27 May 2023

27 May 2023

Polish scientists discovered that Legion X Fretensis, known for its brutal suppression of Jewish uprisings, was stationed in the early...