Rare Roman Gold Coins Were Found Near An Ancient Fort In Luxembourg, And They’re Worth $322,000
A hoard of rare gold Roman coins dating back to the 4th century has been found near a small ancient fort in northern Luxembourg. They include the marks of nine emperors who ruled between 364 and 408 A.D.
The coins were excavated near the base of a burgus, or late Roman fortified tower, that was used for military observation. During the 4th century, the watchtowers were built along the edge of the Roman Empire. Multiple graves surrounded the structure.
Excavators discovered a total of 141 gold coins that were manufactured under the reign of several emperors in Holzthum, a village in northern Luxembourg.
“This represents a huge amount of personal wealth for the individual or group of individuals who had collected these items,” said Rebecca Usherwood, an assistant professor of Late Antique and Early Byzantine Studies at Trinity College Dublin.
“Each gold solidus weighed around 4.5 g and was extremely pure, so we’re talking over 6 kg of pure gold. The majority of people living in the Roman Empire would have rarely seen a single gold coin, let alone a collection of this many.”
The coins were too valuable to be in common circulation, so they were most likely gifts or payments to soldiers from emperors.
The high value of the coins suggests that they belonged to important military officers rather than common soldiers.
The most notable coins were three that featured the portrait of Eugenius, an illegitimate emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
He ruled for only two years, from 392 to 394. During that time, he tried to resurrect some Roman pagan traditions.
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Eugenius was a rhetoric teacher and a court official. Months after the emperor Valentinian II was found hanged under mysterious circumstances, a powerful military officer named Arbogast pronounced Eugenius as the new emperor of the West.
However, Theodosius I, the Christian emperor in the East, disapproved of Eugenius’ rise to the throne and refused to recognize him.
This led to the Battle of Frigidus in 394 A.D. when Eugenius was defeated by Theodosius I. Since Eugenius’ reign was so short, coins bearing his image are especially rare.
The discovery of the coins was kept secret for almost four years due to their historical significance. Excavations were conducted between 2020 and 2024 with the help of the Luxembourg Army Mine Action Service because of the danger from explosives and munitions from World War II buried nearby.
The coins are in “excellent condition” and are said to be worth $322,000. According to Luxembourg law, this sum is reserved for those who have legal rights over the find.
The political and military climate of the time prompted the owner of the treasure to bury it for safekeeping. Coins are easy to transport for anyone who needs to make a run for it. So, their burial suggests that the owner was not in a position to do this.
It will take some time to process the findings. The researchers plan to examine the hoard further to enhance their understanding of what went on during the last century of the Western Roman Empire.
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