There have been ancient accounts of encounters between Norse Vikings and early Muslims. These stories have been difficult to confirm. The most recent evidence discovered to establish the fact that contact did occur between these two different groups is something that can be taken into consideration to solidify these accounts though it does not prove that a great deal of contact had taken place.
According to researchers, a ring made of colored glass uncovered from a Swedish grave dating to ninth century, bearing the inscription "for Allah" in Arabic script, can put light on the encounters between the Norse Warriors and the early Muslims.
Consisting of pink colored stone with an inscription on top that reads "for Allah" the silver ring was discovered when excavations were being conducted in 1872-1895 of grave fields at a Viking era trading center of Birka, which is 15.5 miles west of Stockholm.
The ring was recovered from a wooden coffin along which also contained jewelry, brooches and remains of clothing. The skeleton was completely decomposed, but the objects indicated it was a female burial dating to about 850 A.D.
The ring has been added to the catalog of the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm as a signet ring made of gilded silver set with an amethyst inscribed with the word "Allah" in Arabic Kufic writing.
The ring attracted the attention of a team of researchers led by biophysicist Sebastian Wärmländer of Stockholm University.
"It's the only ring with an Arabic inscription found in Scandinavia. We have a few other Arabic-style rings, but without inscriptions," Wärmländer told Discovery News.
Wärmländer and his colleagues also wrote in the journal Scanning that the ring is made of high quality gilded silver set with a colored stone of soda lime glass, with an Arabic inscription depicting some version of Allah written on it.
The Viking Sagas and Chronicles speak of expeditions to the Black and Caspian seas and there are similar tales written about Vikings by Muslims, but actual evidence of these meetings is scarce and these stories are hard to prove. Either way, the ring does constitute as evidence for direct contact between the Norse Men and the Islamic world.