An extraordinary hoard of nearly 3,000 Roman-era coins has been unearthed near Herschbach, Germany, miles beyond the ancient frontiers of the Roman Empire. The discovery was made by licensed metal detectorist Paul Capewell, who immediately reported his findings to government archaeologists in Koblenz. A subsequent excavation by the authorities exhumed approximately 2,940 coins and over 200 thin silver fragments decorated with geometric designs, all buried inside a broken ceramic vessel hidden between two rocks.
The location of the hoard is remarkable, as it lies 18 kilometers beyond the Upper Germanic Limes, the defensive line marking the Roman Empire's border with Germanic peoples. The area was not home to any known Germanic settlements, raising questions about how such an enormous treasure ended up there. Experts are puzzled by the discovery, especially given the lack of other archaeological evidence in the mountainous terrain near Herschbach, Rhineland-Palatinate.
The artifacts are poorly preserved, making the identification process challenging and time-consuming. So far, only 100 coins have been properly identified. Most of the identified coins are antoniniani, the official silver coin in the Roman Empire during the third century CE, although they mostly consisted of bronze with a thin layer of silver. "Most of the coins are the so-called Antoniniani, which were the official silver coin in the Roman Empire in the 3rd century CE, but they mostly consisted of bronze with a thin layer of silver," explained archaeologist Timo Lang.
The oldest identified coins depict Roman Emperor Gordian III, who ruled from 238 to 244 CE. The most recent coins represent the Gallic Emperor Victorinus, who reigned between 269 and 271 CE. Archaeologists have dated the coins between 241 and 271 CE, suggesting they were most likely buried in the early 270s. The reverse of the coins features images such as the deities Hercules and Mars, along with typical figures of imperial propaganda. Most identified coins show the portrait of a Roman or Gallic emperor on one side.
The majority of the coins were minted in Cologne, which at that time was part of the Gallic Empire—a breakaway state from the Roman Empire that existed from approximately 260 to 274 CE and included present-day France, Belgium, Spain, and parts of Germany and Italy. Some of the coins were minted in Rome. The region where the treasure was discovered did not belong to the Gallic Empire, further deepening the mystery of how the coins ended up so far from the imperial borders.
The discovery poses intriguing questions about their presence in enemy territory. One possibility is that the Gallic Empire attempted to bribe Germanic elites to prevent them from attacking or to encourage them to attack the Roman Empire. Another possibility is that a Germanic soldier could have stolen the coins from the other side of the frontier and then hidden them there. Among the possible explanations is that "the coins may have been brought by trade or by Roman soldiers on a mission."
"Usually, treasures of coins outside the Roman Empire consist of a few dozen or perhaps a few hundred coins," stated Lang. "But the newfound hoard is significantly larger." He added that he knows of only one hoard from outside the empire that had more coins from this period—a stash of coins found in Poland. Roman coins from the third century are frequently discovered within the borders of the Roman Empire, but finding such a large treasure outside its former lands is exceedingly rare.
Alongside the coins, over 200 decorative silver fragments were found, though archaeologists are not yet sure of their original purpose. The silver fragments were buried in the same ceramic pot as the coins. The pot's shape is consistent with third-century CE Roman ceramic traditions. Lang's team hopes to analyze the silver fragments with a CT scanner to digitally reconstruct their original shape.
The artifacts were buried inside a now-broken ceramic vessel hidden between two rocks, which had broken over time. The pot was lodged between two rocks, and the fact that it had broken suggests it had been there for a considerable period.
The discovery was made during a period of political instability in the Roman Empire. The Gallic Empire had separated from the Roman Empire, existing independently from approximately 260 to 274 CE. This context adds to the intrigue surrounding the hoard's burial.
Researchers are hopeful that further identification of the coins will lead to stronger insights into their origins and the circumstances surrounding their burial. The extraordinary discovery inspires more questions than it currently answers, particularly regarding its burial during a tumultuous time in history.
The presence of such a significant treasure in a region not associated with the Roman or Gallic Empires challenges existing understandings of ancient trade and settlement patterns. The discovery may shed light on interactions between the Roman world and the Germanic peoples beyond its borders.
As the analysis continues, archaeologists remain intrigued by the hoard's origins and the stories it may reveal about the movements of people and wealth during a turbulent era in European history.
Live Science, La Vanguardia, Archaeology Magazine, HuffPost Spain, My Modern Met, Mirror, and Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on the finding, among other websites.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq