Rare Viking artifacts unearthed in Denmark

Seven ancient silver bracelets which show the staggering breadth of the Vikings' reach have been found in Denmark, a museum said Monday.

One of the bracelets -- which date from the ninth century -- was inspired by Russian or Ukrainian models while others were of a Scandinavian type that later influenced bangles in Ireland.

The hoard was found close to Aarhus, and showed how Denmark's second city was connected "to the East and the West", historian Kasper Andersen, of the city's Moesgaard Museum, told AFP.

"These are early specimens, and it helps us understand better how the Vikings in this part of Scandinavia operated in a global world, from western Asia to the North Atlantic," he added.

At their height, Viking trading networks stretched from Greenland and the fringes of North America to Turkey and Central Asia.

"It's the first time we have found a hoard of this kind so close to Aarhus so it's both uncommon and very interesting," Andersen said.

The pieces were both used as jewellery and as a form of currency with each adhering to a weight standard.

The discovery was made earlier this year by a 22-year-old archaeology student armed with a metal detector.

Gustav Bruunsgaard found a single bracelet on a site north of Aarhus before returning a few days later and discovering six more.

"We did an excavation on the site but didn't discover any other artefacts," Andersen said.

"The guess is that someone buried them to hide them and never picked them up," the historian added.