Vikings

The Vikings did business over great distances and had, as early as the 6th century, already had contact with the Arabs of the Middle East, via Russian river routes. Fur, honey, weapons and slaves were exchanged for Arabian silver. The Vikings had no currency of their own. For the purposes of trade, silver was used as payment. It made little difference to the Vikings whether the silver came in bars, coins, or jewelry. To obtain the required amount of silver, they simply broke off a piece of jewelry, or cut up a coin.

As you can see from the map above, many Arabian coins have been found, particulary in the Baltic Sea region. In recent years, however, the number of Arabian coins found in Wieringen has been important for northwest Europe.
 
 

Last updated: 19-3-2002