EUROPE, Vikings (?)
Circa 9th - 11th Century AD
AR 'Hacksilver' Ingot. 4.28g, 14.2 x 8.8 x 8.2mm
Amorphous agglomeration, possibly a byproduct of silver smelting.

NOTES:
The Viking origin of this piece is suggested by its reported find spot in south eastern Europe, as well as the observation that the composition of the group it was found in being similar to that of Viking hoards such as the Cuerdale Hoard. Commerce to this region from the north came via the Varangian trade routes along the Dnieper and Dniestr, and hoards with hacksilver have been found in countries such as Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine.
 
ABOUT HACKSILVER:
Hacksilver (or hacksilber) was used in ancient bullion based economies where an assortment of silver pieces - ingots of various shapes and sizes, cut pieces or fragments of coins, jewellery and metalwork - would be exchanged by weight for goods and services. They first occurred in the Levant in the Iron Age, and then amongst Celtic tribes in Iberia between the 5th to 1st centuries BC. In the Middle Ages, their use in trade by the Vikings can be attested to by numerous hoards that have been found in Scandinavia, Britain and Europe that have included hacksilver items.