Post by UKarchaeology on Nov 24, 2015 0:12:48 GMT
A Swiss farmer was tilling his orchard in Ueken, in the northern canton of Aargau, Switzerland, when he spotted something shiny on the ground. He had inadvertently stumbled across a treasure trove of Roman-era coins - 4,166 in all, some dating as back as 274 AD.
LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - The cache of coins is estimated to be more than 1,700 years old. "This is an exceptional discovery," Dr. George Matter, an archaeologist on the excavation said.
"In archeology, rarely more than 2,500 coins are found. This is a whole new category which is almost unique," he added.
Some of the coins go all the way back to Emperor Aurelian. Still others come from the time of Emperor Maximian in the year 294.
The question arises: Whom did the coins belong to? "We think that the treasure might have belonged to a tradesman or a landowner who lived in the area and put his savings aside for years. And for whatever reason he hid them in this hideout," Matter said.
Full story: www.catholic.org/news/international/europe/story.php?id=65485