4 December 2023 The Future is the Product of the Past

Amateur divers discover ‘enormously valuable’ hoard of Roman coins

Two amateur free divers have found one of the largest collections of Roman coins in Europe off the east coast of Spain.

Luis Lens and César Gimeno were diving off the island of Portitxol in Xàbiaon on August 24 when they found eight coins, before further dives by archaeologists returned another 45 coins, according to a press release from the University of Alicante on Tuesday.

Scientists from the university’s Institute in Archaeology and Historical Heritage then analyzed the perfectly preserved coins, dating them to between the end of the 4th century and the beginning of the 5th century.

The coins were in such good condition that the inscriptions were legible, allowing the team to identify coins from the reign of a number of Roman emperors.

Three dates from Valentinian I, seven from Valentinian II, 15 from Theodosius I, 17 from Arcadius, 10 from Honorius and there is one unidentified coin.

Alongside the coins, divers found three nails, likely made from copper, as well as lead remains which could be from a severely deteriorated sea chest.

Jaime Molina Vidal, professor of ancient history at the University of Alicante and leader of the team of underwater archaeologists, said this was one of the largest sets of Roman gold coins found in Europe.

For 1,500 years, the seabed of the island of Portitxol in Xàbia has sheltered one of the largest collections of Roman gold coins found in Spain and Europe.
For 1,500 years, the seabed of the island of Portitxol in Xàbia has sheltered one of the largest collections of Roman gold coins found in Spain and Europe. Photo: The University of Alicante

“It’s very significant,” Molina Vidal told CNN on Thursday“It’s enormously valuable.”

The coins were likely hidden by a wealthy local landowner who wanted to protect some of their money from barbarians, who were invading and looting the western Roman Empire at the time, he added.

“We are in the presence of a fantastic archaeological document from the time when, in this case, the Alans arrived,” said Molina Vidal.

The Alans, Suevi, and Vandals invaded the area in the final phase of the fall of the Western Empire, and the political power of the Romans in the Iberian peninsula ended in 409 AD, the press release adds.

Whoever hid the coins likely died before they were able to collect them, said Molina Vidal, leaving them undiscovered for about 1,500 years.

Despite their age they are remarkably well preserved.

“It’s like they were made yesterday,” said Molina Vidal, who explained that only one coin is unidentifiable as its inscription has been scratched.

The coins will be restored and then exhibited at the Soler Blasco Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum in Xàbia. Further archaeological exploration in the area will be funded by the Valencia local government, which has allocated 17,800 euros ($21,000) to the team.

The bay of Portitxol is a well-known archaeological site where anchors, amphorae, ceramic remains and other artifacts have been discovered.

Molina Vidal and his team plan to carry out further excavations at the site in the next few weeks to determine whether there are sunken ships nearby.

CNN – JACK GUY

Related Articles

A 1,300-year-old necklace is the ‘richest of its type ever uncovered in Britain’

6 December 2022

6 December 2022

Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) archaeologists have found a “once-in-a-lifetime” 1,300-year-old gold and gemstone necklace dating back to 630-670 AD...

A new study reveals more than one person was buried in a tomb where the famous Nestor’s Cup was found

6 October 2021

6 October 2021

The Tomb of Nestor’s Cup, a burial that contained one of the oldest known Greek inscriptions, was more crowded than...

Hundreds of silver coins have been found near the castle of Lukov in Moravia

4 September 2021

4 September 2021

In the forest near the Southern Moravian Fortress Lukov, two members of the Society of Friends of the Lukov Fortress...

Ancient tombs discovered at Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral

15 March 2022

15 March 2022

Archaeologists discovered several graves and a leaden sarcophagus possibly dating from the 14th century at Paris’ Notre Dame church, France’s...

1800-year-old marble inscription found in Turkey’s Aigai excavations deciphered

2 October 2022

2 October 2022

The 1800-year-old inscription, consisting of 3 pieces of marble, found in the excavations in the ancient city of Aigai in...

Theater of Perinthos Ancient City to be unearthed

9 August 2021

9 August 2021

The theater area in the Ancient City of Perinthos, whose history dates back to 600 BC, will be unearthed during...

Roman girl adorned with 1800-year-old jewelry found in a lead coffin on Mount Scopus

9 April 2023

9 April 2023

“After the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple and the exodus of the Jewish population, late Roman Jerusalem—renamed Aelia Capitolina—had a...

Origin of Ivory Rings Found in Elite Anglo-Saxon Burials

2 July 2023

2 July 2023

An elite class of ancient Anglo-Saxon women were buried with hundreds of ivory rings, and the origin of these ivory...

The Oldest Known Neanderthal Engravings were Discovered in a French Cave

13 August 2023

13 August 2023

According to a recent study published, the oldest engravings made by Neanderthals have been discovered on a cave wall in...

Huge ancient stone murals discovered in central China: “It is an important discovery that enriches and rewrites the art history of the Song Dynasty”

10 October 2022

10 October 2022

Two stone murals from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) have been discovered in Henan Province, central China, and are the...

Young Maya Maize God’s Severed Head found in Palenque

4 June 2022

4 June 2022

Archaeologists from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH), an approximately 1,300-year-old sculpture of the head of the Young...

After 1,300 years, water to again flow from monumental fountain in the City of Gladiators in Turkey

30 December 2022

30 December 2022

The approximately 2,000-year-old monumental fountain in the ancient city of Kibyra in Golhisar, Burdur in southwestern Turkey will start flowing...

The ruins of a thousand-year-old Buddhist Temple will be opened to the public in Kyrgyzstan

13 September 2022

13 September 2022

The unearthed remains of an ancient Buddhist temple in Kyrgyzstan will open to the public in mid-September as part of...

An unexpected shipwreck was unearthed at the Tallinn construction site

18 April 2022

18 April 2022

During the construction of the office building on Lootsi Street in Tallinn, Estonia’s capital on the Baltic Sea, a shipwreck...

A Neolithic Ornate Necklace with Over 2,500 Stones found in a Child’s Grave

3 August 2023

3 August 2023

An ornate necklace found in a child’s grave in ancient Jordan about 9,000 years ago provides new insights into the...