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Viking Silver Economy

Type Object Region Northern Europe Time 800–1100

The Viking silver economy refers to the trade and tribute systems of 8th–11th century Scandinavia and the Viking expansion networks that used silver …

Timeline

  1. 800–900Volga–Baltic trade route · RussiaAbbasid dirham silver coins reached the Baltic coast through Volga River trade and Viking merchants; large numbers of Islamic silver coins have been excavated from hoards in Sweden and elsewhere, showing that Northern Europe was already embedded in the Eurasian silver circulation network.
  2. 1021–1030Trade emporium on Gotland · SwedenIn the early 11th century, Northern Europe commonly cut and melted silver coins into hacksilver and paid tribute, ransoms, and commodity transactions by weight on scales; silver served both as a store of wealth and as a means of payment for political alliances.
  3. 900–1000Danelaw in England · British IslesViking plunder and tributes such as the Danegeld were settled in silver; large numbers of silver hoards reflect the chieftain class's control over liquid wealth, driving the concentration of power in the early kingdoms of Scandinavia.
  4. 1000–1100Christian kingdoms of Scandinavia · DenmarkWith Christianization and the introduction of royal coinage laws, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden began minting local coins; hacksilver circulation gradually declined, and the Viking Age economic model centered on imported silver came to an end.

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