Penning, Sigtuna, Olof Skötkonung, circa 1000–1020

Sigtuna is the oldest preserved town in Sweden. It was founded in the late 10th century AD. Archaeological research has shown that the city was built right from the beginning according to a predetermined plan of streets and plots.

The name of the town is abbreviated in different ways on coins, but if we combine the various versions we can see they all use variations on the spelling SIHTVNE. This coin says SIDEI, which is sometimes interpreted as “Situne Dei”. In English, this means “God’s Sigtuna”.

Image rights: Helena Bonnevier, Ekonomiska museet - Kungliga myntkabinettet/SHM (CC BY 4.0)

Object number: 100131_KMK

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