A magnate’s farm in Rahu? A 12th-century silver hoard from Saaremaa

Abstract

In the summer of 2024, a hoard was found under the floor of a house during construction work at Põdra farm in Rahu village on Saaremaa. The composition of the finds (11th-12th century coins, an 11th-century silver brooch and a belt buckle made of the same material, part of a 12th-century sword hilt, 14th-15th-century coins, a silver brooch, and a late medieval or early modern weight) seems to indicate a household that was wealthier than average. The hoard found was probably the family's treasure trove, which was not hidden but kept inside the building, and the silver may have been used for daily bartering.