Archaeologists in France have discovered three ancient storage jars brimming with tens of thousands of Roman coins. The vessels were buried in pits 1,700 years ago in the house floor of an ancient settlement, possibly as a type of safe or piggy bank.
These three jugs, known as amphorae, were uncovered during excavations run by the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) in the village of Senon in northeastern France, and may contain a total of more than 40,000 Roman coins.
The first hoard held an estimated 83 pounds (38 kilograms) of coins, which “corresponds to approximately 23,000 to 24,000 coins,” Vincent Geneviève, a numismatist with INRAP who is analyzing the hoards, told Live Science in an email.
The second jug and its coins weighed about 110 pounds (50 kg), “and, based on the 400 coins recovered from the neck, which was broken at the time of discovery, it could contain 18,000 to 19,000 coins,” Geneviève said. The third jug was retrieved in ancient times and only three coins were left in the pit where the vessel once sat.
Around 30 coin hoards are already known in this area, so the real significance of this find lies not in the sheer number of coins but in the detailed information about where the hoards were found.
“Contrary to what one might think at first look, it is not certain that these are ‘treasures’ that were hidden during a period of insecurity,” according to a Nov. 26 translated statement from INRAP. Experts believe based on the dates on the coins that the amphoras were buried between A.D. 280 and 310.
Among the hoard are coins that feature busts of the emperors Victorinus, Tetricus I, and his son Tetricus II, the emperors of the so-called Gallic Empire, which ruled Gaul and the surrounding provinces independently of the rest of the Roman Empire from 260 to 274, until it was reintegrated by emperor Aurelian in 274.
Hastily hidden treasures or long-term savings?
The coin-stuffed amphoras had been carefully sunk into well-constructed pits within the living room of a residence. The jugs’ openings were level with the ground and therefore easily accessible as a kind of ancient piggy-bank.
“In two cases, the presence of a few coins found stuck to the rim of the jar clearly indicate that they were deposited after the vase was buried, when the pit had not yet been filled with sediment,” according to the statement.
The accessible jars suggest the owners were using them as a long-term savings vehicle rather than a hastily hidden hoard. Within this residential district were stone buildings with underfloor heating, basements and workshops with stoves. There was also a Roman fortification nearby.
At the beginning of the fourth century, a large fire destroyed the settlement. Although the settlement was re-established before a second fire led to its permanent abandonment, the coin deposits were lost for nearly two millennia.
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