Vikings were captivated by silver – our new analysis of their precious loot reveals how far they traveled to get it

Ready for the Campaign (The Varangian Sea) (1910), by Nicholas Roerich, depicts Viking-era Scandinavian traders on the banks of the Dnieper River in eastern Europe. Heritage Image Partnership/Alamy – By Jane Kershaw, Gad Rausing Associate Professor of Viking Age Archaeology, University of Oxford …