Cache of Thousands of Ancient Roman Silver Coins Found in River [View all]

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