The Viking Treasure on Granholmen
Take a trip to Granholmen in Lundeåne in the center of Egersund. In this area Ole Aaberg found Norway’s largest coin treasure from the Viking Age.
Text: Arnt Olav Klippenberg
In 1836, the Haugean Ole Aaberg found Norway’s largest coin treasure from the Viking Age. 1,849 coins and a number of other objects appeared behind Aaberg’s mill. The Viking treasure is dated to around the year 1030. In 1028, the greatest of all Viking kings, Knut the Great, was in Eikundasund (Egersund) to negotiate the distribution of power in Norway with the chieftain Erling Skjalgsson from Sola. King Knut had seized great wealth in England through threats.He used the money to buy influence. One theory is that the enormous Viking treasure originates from Knut the Great. The treasure is all the more intriguing because it can be connected to the year 1030, the Battle of Stiklestad, and King Olaf Haraldsson, who was canonized in 1031.
Norway’s largest coin treasure. Screenshot from a UiO film. Watch the film further down in the article.
Ole S. Aaberg’s mill, built in the early 1800s. Screenshot from a UiO film. Photo by Dalane Folkemuseum. Watch the film further down in the article.
Click to view the map. The map opens in a new window/map app.
