Norway: 1000-Year-Old Byzantine Gold Coin with the Face of Christ Discovered on a Mountainside

A man with a metal detector accidentally discovered a rare 1,000-year-old gold coin with the face of Jesus Christ while exploring the mountains in Vestre Slidre in southern Norway, Live Science reports.

Known as the "nomisma histamenon" (i.e. "Standard Coin"), this type of small coin was first introduced into circulation in the Byzantine Empire around 960 AD. On one side it depicts the Savior holding the Bible, and on the other - Vasily II the Bulgarian Slayer (958-1025) and Constantine VII (960-1028), two brothers who ruled the Byzantine Empire.

One side of the gold coin depicts Jesus Christ. Photo: Martina Kaspersen

Archaeologists believe that the coin was minted between 977 and 1025, during the reigns of the brothers Basil and Constantine. Three dotted lines surround the edge of the coin - this was a common decorative element of that era.

The unique coin also contains two inscriptions. The first inscription in Latin reads: “Jesus Christ, King of Kings”; and the second, in Greek, reads: "Basilius and Constantine, Emperors of the Romans.

The other side of the coin depicts Basil II and Constantine VII, two brothers who ruled the Byzantine Empire. Photo: Martina Kaspersen

However, researchers do not yet know how this amazing coin ended up on a mountainside in Norway, far from the Byzantine Empire. They suggested that it may have belonged to King Harald III the Harsh, who ruled Norway from 1045 to 1066. Before becoming king, Harald III and his retinue were in the service of the Byzantine emperor and even took part in a palace coup, as a result of which Emperor Michael V was overthrown. It is quite possible that Harald plundered the imperial palace after this.

Perhaps this coin was part of the dowry for Harald III, who later married the daughter of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise, Elizabeth Yaroslavna (1022-1066). It is possible that the coin could also be used in trade.

Archaeologists plan to return to the site where the amazing find was discovered in 2024 to conduct further excavations.