so with the use of coins and monetary economies. This is very much a topic of current
development as a consequence of the many ongoing excavations and projects concerning
marketplaces, productive sites and urban settlements in the Viking world. Also, the
application of new technology has been very important and enriched Viking Age
numismatics beyond measure during the past decades ( Jensen 1994 : 237 – 41 ). Metal-
detectorists have discovered abundant numbers of single finds and archaeologists have
improved their record in finding coins in excavations (Östergren 1989 ). Scholars who
Figure 10. 1 Kufic dirhams found in a small hoard in Vestfold in south Norway.
(Courtesy of Museum of Cultural History, Oslo.)Figure 10. 2 The silver penny was the main coin in Europe from c. 800 to the thirteenth century. Small
change was created by cutting pennies in halves or quarters. These cut pennies are all of Anglo-Saxon
origin found in the Viking world. (Courtesy of Museum of Cultural History, Oslo.)
–– Svein H. Gullbekk––