Curmsun Disc

• 1. The Hidden Hoard

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  A 12-year-old boy named Heinrich Boldt played near a construction site in 1841. He accidentally found the entrance to a crypt beneath a ruined chapel in Groß Weckow, Prussia. Inside lay five objects including a silver coin and a small gold disc. The group left these items inside the dark cellar for over a century. Major Stefan Sielski of the Polish Land Forces entered the crypt in 1945 during the chaos of war. He took the remaining artifacts home and placed the gold disc into a box filled with old buttons. The object remained hidden until 2014 when Michał Sielski's great-granddaughter showed it to her history teacher. Press reports emerged on the 5th of December 2014 regarding this rediscovered treasure.

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• 2. Latin Inscriptions

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  Researchers read the text on the front side as plus ARALD CVRMSVN plus REX AD TANER plus SCON plus JVMN plus CIV ALDIN plus. This sequence represents a transliteration from spoken Old Norse using runes into the Medieval Latin alphabet. The name CVRMSVN translates directly to Gormson in modern English. Similar coin inscriptions from York in the tenth century show king written as CVNVNC. A full translation reads Harald Gormson king of Danes Scania Jomsborg town Aldinburg. An octagonal ridge runs around the edge of the reverse side. Four dots surround a Latin cross in the center of that ridge. These markings resemble common features found on coins from the late 900s.

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• 3. Authenticity Wars

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  Danish anthropologist Karen Schousboe conjectured in 2014 that the disc might be a talisman created after 963. She stated in 2021 that the object was authentic based on research by Sven Rosborn. Historians and Wojtek Jezierski argue it is impossible to estimate the age of the disc. They claim it resembles no other known artifact from the Viking age. Numismatist Mateusz Bogucki believes the disc is a counterfeit made by antiquity enthusiasts in the 18th or 19th centuries. Several Danish professors including Jens Ulriksen remain highly critical of Rosborn's arguments. Archeologist Wojciech Filipowiak notes no publications have proven the Curmsun disc genuine as of 2022.

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• 4. Alloy Evidence

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  Electron microscopic analysis occurred at Lund University in Sweden. The results showed a non-homogeneous alloy with gold content ranging between 83.3 and 92.8 percent. Surface and alloy characteristics matched typical artifacts from the latest part of the Early Middle Ages. No traces of modern processes or chemicals appeared during testing. Gemologist Jonny Westling appointed by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce examined the surface. He found natural inclusions and patination consistent with age. Lloyd's/Brookfield Underwriting also reviewed the findings for insurance purposes.

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• 5. Historical Contexts

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  Swedish archeologist Sven Rosborn suggests the inscription was created by a Frankish monk around 986. This timing coincides with Harald Bluetooth's death according to Adam of Bremen. Rosborn argues Harald died in Jumne but his body may have been buried temporarily in Wiejkowo. The disc could have been placed near that burial site. Polish researcher Marek Kryda challenges this theory claiming Harald lies in a pagan mound seen on satellite imagery. Danish archivist Steffen Harpsøe proposes priests created the object between 1050 and 1125. His hypothesis relies on missionaries potentially canonizing Harald Bluetooth during that period.

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