Bedale Hoard Reveals Viking Trade Links from Yorkshire to the Islamic World!
When metal detectorists unearthed the Bedale Hoard in North Yorkshire back in 2012, it was immediately recognised as a spectacular Viking Age treasure. But over a decade later, new research has shown it’s more than just a stunning collection of silver, it’s a window into a vast trading network that stretched from England to the heart of the Islamic world.
Led by Dr Jane Kershaw, Associate Professor of Viking Age Archaeology at the University of Oxford, and in collaboration with the British Geological Survey, the study analysed 29 silver ingots and several ornate neck-rings from the hoard. Using geochemical techniques such as lead isotope and trace element analysis, the team pinpointed three main sources for the silver: Western European coinage, Islamic dirhams, and blends of the two.
Photo Credit: York Museums Trust / CC BY-SA 4.0
While much of the silver likely came from Anglo-Saxon and Carolingian coins—possibly seized through raiding or ransom, almost a third could be directly linked to Islamic coins minted in what is now Iran and Iraq. These dirhams had travelled thousands of miles along the Vikings’ eastern trade route, the Austrvegr, before reaching England.
Dr Kershaw notes that this challenges the common stereotype of Vikings as little more than monastery-plundering warriors. While raiding was certainly part of their economy, they were also deeply involved in far-reaching trade networks that brought eastern silver to their English settlements.
Photo Credit: Portable Antiquities Scheme / CC BY 2.0
Dating from the late ninth or early tenth century, the Bedale Hoard also includes an Anglo-Saxon sword pommel. At that time, Scandinavian wealth was often stored as bullion rather than coins. Silver, whether in coins, ingots, or jewellery, was valued by weight, with foreign currency frequently melted down and recast into standardised forms for circulation.
One standout piece, a thick, multi-strand twisted neck-ring, was made from a mix of eastern and western silver, and may have been produced in northern England. The research also found evidence that Viking smiths sometimes refined silver with locally sourced lead, probably from the North Pennines, proof of advanced craftsmanship and local production.
Alongside their military exploits, the Vikings ran an economy that blended plunder, tribute, and trade. Their connections reached across Europe, deep into Central Asia, and far into the Middle East.
Published in Archaeometry, this study adds to a growing body of evidence that Viking wealth was not solely the spoils of war. The Bedale Hoard stands as powerful proof that they were key players in an interconnected medieval world, traders as well as raiders.