Penning, Sigtuna, Olof Skötkonung, circa 1000–1020

Some of the coins made in Sigtuna under the reign of king Olof Skötkonung bear the inscriptions “ETHELRED REX”, which means “King Ethelred”, and “REX ANCOL”, which means “King of the English”. Ethelred II was King of England between 978 and 1016.

The engravers in Sigtuna were probably unable to read the Latin alphabet and copied the inscriptions on English coins without understanding what they meant.

Image rights: Helena Bonnevier, Ekonomiska museet - Kungliga myntkabinettet/SHM (CC BY 4.0)

Object number: 119527_KMK

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