Infopanel 23

Byzantine coin turned into a pendant

Found: Lilla Klintegårde, Väskinde Parish (Gotland) 
Part of a hoard find

Coins survive well archaeologically, but what matters here is how they were used. This object documents a deliberate shift from money to ornament: a Byzantine silver coin selected, altered, and worn, so its imagery could be displayed on the body. Whether carried as adornment, amulet, or prestige marker, the pendant form signals that value in the Viking world could be social and symbolic - not only economic.