Luxembourg officials recently announced that an “extremely rare” hoard of gold coins from the fourth century AD has recently been discovered, ending an excavation project that was four years in the making.
In a statement released by the National Institute for Archaeological Research (INRA) in Luxembourg, officials said a total of 141 coins were found. The excavations “were carried out with the utmost care and extended over several years,” the statement said, due to World War II landmines in the area.
“These operations should also take into account the specific risks of the region, due to the presence of numerous munitions and explosive devices dating back to the Second World War,” INRA said in a statement. “For this reason, the archaeologists have collaborated with the Mine Clearance Service of the Luxembourg Army (SEDAL).
The coins include depictions of nine Roman emperors who ruled between AD 364 and 408. Among the pile is Eugenius, a notorious illegitimate ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire.
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Ancient Roman coins, including one of the illegitimate ruler Eugenius, were recently found in Luxembourg. (iStock | INRA)
Eugenius controlled the Western Roman Empire from 392 to 394, but he was never considered a legitimate ruler by the Byzantines. He was captured and executed at the Battle of Frigidus in 394.
The coins found were “solidi”, meaning they were made of pure gold, and INRA noted that the Luxembourg government had given 308,600 euros to “beneficiaries” of the coin hoard, equivalent to nearly $318,000.
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“This value has been established after independent numismatic expertise has taken into account the excellent state of preservation of solid and the presence of some rare copies, in particular three issues of the usurping emperor Eugenius, who ruled for only two years (392-394),” INRA explained.
Hundreds of coins were recovered in total, officials said. (C. Nosbusch/INRA)
Archaeologists remain baffled as to why such a valuable treasure was buried in the first place, and experts are currently investigating the reason behind it.
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“This is a major archaeological discovery because it is extremely rare to be able to fully study an ancient monetary deposit in its archaeological context,” the statement said. “His examination will allow (us to understand) the motives that led to his burial.”
The latest find is one of many discoveries of ancient treasure in Europe in recent months. Last week, English officials announced that they discovered a hoard of 1,000-year-old coins in Suffolk, England, at the site of a proposed nuclear power plant.
Sketches of coins minted under the reign of Flavius Eugenius (Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Last fall, archaeologists from Norway discovered Viking graves filled with coins, jewelry and other treasures.
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