Treasure of Helgö: Viking Trade Once Reached That Far

A number of items found in Helgö during an archaeological excavation revealed that the Viking went to great miles to do business and they also worked with a community full of cultures. 

The location of Helgö island in the map (Cre: Wikipedia)

Helgö is an island in Stockholm County, Sweden. This place once was a hectic trading town of the Vikings. Being known for its past, this place has become a favorite archaeological site. During one excavation, the archaeologists found out some items that did not originate themselves in Scandinavia but buried there. Those included a Buddha statue, an Irish crosier, and one Egyptian Coptic scoop. 

Three items from the archaeological site of Helgö 

First off, the Buddha statue is the most favorite and attracts the most attention from the public. The fame is so great that the Swedish Post decided to depict the Buddha statue from Helgö into their stamp to honor the Viking age. 

Indeed, the Viking Buddha statue was believed to originate from the 6th century somewhere in North India (?). The original birthplace of it is still in dispute. When revealed from the earth, a leather strap covered the neck and the wrist of Buddha statue, suggesting that the latest owner (Viking) of it must have valued it as kind of a talisman. 

Viking Buddha Statue dating back to the 6th century

The Buddha statue depicts Buddha sitting in the meditation pose on a lotus throne. His face was subtly decorated with clean lines and curves. In the middle of his forehead was a popular golden dot which is a common feature of any Buddha statue. The ears of His had very long lobes. The coat covered the entirety of his body and there was only one hole in the neck. Buddha statue showed a hand gesture of offering and helping: He offered his hand out to help the miserable humanity to his holy land. 

Like the Buddha statue, the Irish Helgo Crosier was also a careful artwork with subtle and beautiful decoration. It still remains a mystery that the crosier came to the hand of the Vikings through a raid or exchanged in a trade. The design of the crosier suggested the well-known legend of Jonah trapped in the mouth of an enormous whale. 

The Irish crosier found in Helgo archaeological site 

The Coptic Ladle was also among the items of the Helgö treasure. However, not much is known about this scoop. What we know is its original place was in somewhere in North Africa. 

Little is known about the ladle of North Africa