Part of the Näsby hoard, Taxinge parish, Södermanland, deposited after 969

Silver could take any form when weight-based payments were made. The silver content was the most important aspect. At the same time, there was a need to cut up larger silver items in order to obtain the exact amount of silver needed. These small pieces of silver are called “bitsilver” or “hacksilver” in Swedish.

The pieces of silver found in the Näsby hoard are made up of one part of a bangle, two parts of a neck ring and a few broken silver rods. Many small pieces of silver in a hoard indicate that the silver was circulated intensively before it was buried.

Image rights: Jens Mohr, Historiska museet/SHM (CC BY 4.0)

Object number: 851367_HST

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