Experts analyzing the coins believe the discovery uncovers treasure buried between 280 and 310 AD, based on the dates on the coins.
Excavations in France recently uncovered three ancient storage jars filled with thousands of Roman coins dating back to 1,700 years ago, Live Science reported last week.
Archaeologists found the vessels buried in what was once the living room floor of a settlement house and intended to serve as a safer or piggy bank.
The jars, known as amphorae, were unearthed by a team from the National Institute for Preventive Archeology (INRAP) during excavations in Senon, northeastern France.
According to Live Science Plus, the three jars contained more than 40,000 Roman coins. Calculus is based on weight.
The first round resulted in 83 pounds (38 kilograms), “equivalent to approximately 23,000 to 24,000 coins,” Vincent Geneviève, an IRAP numismatist who is analyzing the hoard, told Live Science in an email.
A researcher is excavating one of the 1,700-year-old coin troves. (Source: Lino Mocci, Inrap)
A second round of weighings removed 100 pounds (50 kilograms) from the jar’s interior, plus 400 coins recovered from the object’s broken neck, for a total of 18,000 to 19,000 coins, according to INRAP.
The last jar was not found at the excavation site; only its imprint remained in the ground. By the time of discovery, only three coins had been found.
Ancient Roman treasure?
According to a translated statement from INRAP on November 26, “Contrary to what one might think at first glance, there is no certainty that these are ‘treasures’ hidden in times of insecurity.”
Experts analyzing the coins believe the discovery unearthed the treasure between 280 and 310 AD, based on the printing date. These coins were made during the reigns of the Gallic emperors Vitorinus, Tetricus I, and his son Tetricus II.
According to the INRAP statement, “In two cases, some coins were found stuck to the rims of the jars, which clearly indicates that they were deposited after the vases were buried, before the pits were filled with sediment”.
Given that the jars were located in the ground and easy to use, experts concluded that they were used as long-term savings tools.
