A 15-Year-Old Found a 1,300-Year-Old Viking Treasure Hoard in His Backyard

In January 2018, Luca Malaschnitschenko, a 13-year-old amateur archaeologist, was scanning a field on the German Baltic island of Rügen with his teacher René Schön. They were sweeping with a metal detector when they got a strong reading. They dug — and found a piece of foil that they assumed was modern aluminum.

It turned out to be a piece of 1,300-year-old Arabic silver.

Professional archaeologists arrived and uncovered a massive trove: over 600 silver coins, plus rings, pearls, brooches, and a Thor's hammer pendant. Most of the coins date from the reign of Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson — the Viking king who unified Denmark and Norway, and after whom the Bluetooth wireless protocol was named.

What the Hoard Contained

• Over 600 silver coins (mostly Arabic, German, and Danish)
• Bracelets, brooches, and gilded ornaments
• A Thor's hammer pendant
• The earliest known Saxon coin from the era of King Otto I
• Likely buried around 980 CE, hidden during turbulent battles

What Happens Now

By German law, treasure finds are split between the finder, the landowner, and the state. The hoard is now part of the permanent collection of the State Museum of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Luca received a significant finder's fee — and is reportedly continuing his archaeological studies.

Archaeologists believe the hoard provides direct evidence that Harald Bluetooth fled to this region after losing the Battle of the Helgeå — possibly after burying his personal treasure.