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left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)
Mon Nov 29, 2021, 07:36 AM Nov 2021

Cache of Thousands of Ancient Roman Silver Coins Found in River

A hoard of 5,600 silver coins from the Roman Empire dating back nearly 2,000 years has been found in Germany. The Augsburg Art Collections and Museum said in a statement the discovery was the largest such find in the southern German state of Bavaria. The silver coins minted in the denarii Roman currency were discovered in an old, gravel riverbed near the location of what was once an early military base.

The coins, which weigh 33 pounds in total, were discovered during excavation work after floods in the small town of Wertach flushed them out. The statement said that the oldest of the coins were minted under Emperor Nero (A.D. 54–68) and the most recently minted under Septimius Severus, shortly after A.D. 200.

"A soldier earned between 375 and 500 denarii in the early 3rd century. The treasure, therefore, is the equivalent of about 11 to 15 annual salaries," said Sebastian Gairhos, the head of city archeology in Augsburg.

Archeologists also discovered coins from the eras of Emperors Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius as well as coins from the era of Didius Iulianus, who was only emperor for nine weeks before being murdered in A.D. 193.

https://www.newsweek.com/cache-thousands-ancient-roman-silver-coins-found-river-1653112

18 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Cache of Thousands of Ancient Roman Silver Coins Found in River (Original Post) left-of-center2012 Nov 2021 OP
Being a Roman officer, 3Hotdogs Nov 2021 #1
I have no idea what that means left-of-center2012 Nov 2021 #2
Biggus Dickus --- reference to dialog in Monty Python's 3Hotdogs Nov 2021 #3
No thanks left-of-center2012 Nov 2021 #6
Well. you know I just HAD to post it packman Nov 2021 #9
Thanks 3auld6phart Nov 2021 #12
Fond memories of when I wore a younger man's clothes 3Hotdogs Nov 2021 #18
Life of Brian modrepub Nov 2021 #4
More likely, a Germanic tribe fought and overran a Roman military outpost and killed... machoneman Nov 2021 #7
"chief, i don't think the guys we've been torturing know where it is...." certainot Nov 2021 #10
Always Fun To Speculate modrepub Nov 2021 #13
According to the article........ Fla Dem Nov 2021 #8
imagine if we still had coins from the 1870's in circulation Blues Heron Nov 2021 #5
utube video of the find . AllaN01Bear Nov 2021 #11
A bit annoying that there was not even an approximate modern value placed on them. BobTheSubgenius Nov 2021 #14
AD 9 Germans ambushed Roman troops and slaughtered them Marthe48 Nov 2021 #15
"I noticed the coins were dated to about the same time ... AD 9" left-of-center2012 Nov 2021 #16
Sorry, I'll fix Marthe48 Nov 2021 #17

3Hotdogs

(13,560 posts)
3. Biggus Dickus --- reference to dialog in Monty Python's
Mon Nov 29, 2021, 08:09 AM
Nov 2021

"Life of Brian."


IF you ain't seen it, stop whatever you are doing....

modrepub

(3,639 posts)
4. Life of Brian
Mon Nov 29, 2021, 08:11 AM
Nov 2021

Pilate: I have a vewy gweat fwiend in Wome called 'Biggus Dickus'.

I suspect the Cache was the garrison's payroll that was somehow thrown or dropped into the river. Way too much money for one soldier to have.

machoneman

(4,128 posts)
7. More likely, a Germanic tribe fought and overran a Roman military outpost and killed...
Mon Nov 29, 2021, 09:18 AM
Nov 2021

all who would know of the post's hiding place for soldier pay.

modrepub

(3,639 posts)
13. Always Fun To Speculate
Mon Nov 29, 2021, 10:56 AM
Nov 2021

After all we'll probably never know how the coins were deposited where they were found.

Frontier garrisons were rarely over run. The were basically placed there to keep an eye on things and project Rome's power and eventually became trading posts and gateways between Roman and barbarian culture.

Within a few centuries, most of Rome's military had adopted German forms of dress; trousers, large brooches, sword belt and scabbard. German tribes that had developed friendly relations with the Romans were tapped for troops when needed (foederati). By the 4th and 5th centuries Germans often headed large contingents of Roman troops (magister militum or patricius). Not that the cultural exchanges were one way, but the 5th century most German nobles were nominally christians, though they practiced a non-Catholic version which would create further divisions.

I'd liken this situation to our southern border with Mexico. Over time the US has developed an appreciation for meso-American cultural items (food for instance) and those south of the border seemed to have developed western consumption practices.

Fla Dem

(25,869 posts)
8. According to the article........
Mon Nov 29, 2021, 09:31 AM
Nov 2021
"A soldier earned between 375 and 500 denarii in the early 3rd century. The treasure, therefore, is the equivalent of about 11 to 15 annual salaries," said Sebastian Gairhos, the head of city archeology in Augsburg.

Blues Heron

(6,228 posts)
5. imagine if we still had coins from the 1870's in circulation
Mon Nov 29, 2021, 08:23 AM
Nov 2021

about the same time span as 55 to 200 AD

Marthe48

(19,321 posts)
15. AD 9 Germans ambushed Roman troops and slaughtered them
Mon Nov 29, 2021, 07:16 PM
Nov 2021

I saw a documentary last spring. Reading about the coins being found reminded me of the documentary.

left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)
16. "I noticed the coins were dated to about the same time ... AD 9"
Mon Nov 29, 2021, 07:21 PM
Nov 2021

From the OP:
"the most recently minted under Septimius Severus, shortly after A.D. 200" -- two centuries later.

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