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Man's metal detector wouldn't stop beeping, leading to record-breaking trove of ancient Roman coins
CBS News • • world
Key Points:
- An amateur archaeologist in western Germany discovered 934 Roman silver coins, the largest hoard from Emperor Hadrian's time ever found in the country, near Wesseling south of Cologne.
- The coins, mostly from the Flavian emperors (A.D. 69–96) with the oldest dating to 148 B.C., were likely buried deliberately in the second quarter of the second century A.D., possibly to keep the money safe.
- The hoard weighs 3.1 kilograms and is now on display at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn; experts speculate the owner may have died before recovering the treasure.
- The value of the hoard was significant, equivalent to about six years' disposable income for a Roman legionary, though the exact owner remains unknown.
- The find adds to recent discoveries of Roman-era treasures across Europe, including recent coin hoards in Wales, England, and Poland.
