Fifth-Century Gold Artifacts Found at Ring Fort in Sweden

ÖLAND ISLAND, SWEDEN—Gold rings and a coin have been discovered at Sandby Borg, a ringfort on an island off Sweden’s southeastern coast, according to a report in The Local. The site is known for the large number of unburied bodies that have been uncovered there, suggesting a massacre occurred in the fifth century A.D. Archaeologists Clara Alfsdotter and Sophie Vallulv said the gold artifacts are evidence of a link to the Roman Empire. The coin was minted between A.D. 425 and 455, during the rule of Emperor Valentinian III, who is depicted on one side of the coin with his foot resting on the head of a barbarian. The size of the rings suggest they belonged to a woman. Roman glass unearthed in the area where the gold objects were found indicates a house once stood on the site. “It seems to have had a special purpose, and it may have been the house of a chieftain or a minor king,” said team leader Helena Victor. She now thinks robbery may have been the motive for the massacre. To read in-depth about the massacre at Sandby Borg, go to “Öland, Sweden. Spring, A.D. 480.”