Seven ancient silver bracelets which show the staggering breadth of the Vikings' reach have been found in Denmark.
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 discovered by 22-year-old archaeology student Gustav Bruunsgaard, with a metal detector, near Aarhus.
The find shows how Denmark's second city was connected "to the east and the west", historian Kasper Andersen, of the city's Moesgaard Museum, said.
"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.
We need your consent to load this Facebook contentWe use Facebook to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
"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," Mr Andersen said.
The pieces were both used as jewellery and as a form of currency with each adhering to a weight standard.
Mr Bruunsgaard found a single bracelet on a site at Elsted, 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," Mr Andersen said.
"The guess is that someone buried them to hide them and never picked them up," the historian added.
