26 April 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

“Secret” Excavations in Luxembourg Reveal 141 Roman Gold Coins from Nine Roman Emperors

Archaeologists uncovered a Roman gold coin hoard of 141 Roman gold coins dating to the second half of the 4th century AD, near Holzthum, located north of Luxembourg.

This impressive discovery was announced on the official website of the National Institute for Archaeological Research (INRA). The coins are gold solidi struck during the reigns of nine emperors who reigned between 364 and 408 A.D.

Eight emperors are depicted on the coins, but three of them featured an unexpected monarch: Eugenius, the Western Roman Empire’s illegitimate emperor who ruled for just two years (392 to 394).

Eugenius briefly ruled as the emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 392 to 394 AD. He came to power with the support of the powerful general Arbogast, who was a Frank. Eugenius is notable for his attempts to restore pagan practices and traditions when Christianity was becoming increasingly dominant in the empire. His reign was marked by political instability and conflict, particularly with the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Ultimately, Eugenius was defeated by Theodosius in the Battle of the Frigidus in 394 AD, leading to his execution and the consolidation of Christian authority in the empire. Coins bearing his image are exceedingly rare.

One of three gold coins featuring Eugenius that was found in a Roman-era hoard in Luxembourg. Credit: C. Nosbusch/INRA
One of three gold coins featuring Eugenius that was found in a Roman-era hoard in Luxembourg. Credit: C. Nosbusch/INRA

Excavating under INRA’s supervision from 2020 to 2024, the discovery was kept under wraps for nearly four years. The Luxembourg Army Mine Action Service (SEDAL) assisted with the dig because of the dangerous conditions the team faced due to the numerous World War II explosives and munitions buried nearby.

“This is a major archaeological discovery, as it is extremely rare to be able to study an entire ancient monetary deposit in its archaeological context,” researchers wrote in a translated statement from the National Institute for Archaeological Research (INRA) in Luxembourg.

The gold solidi are in excellent condition and because they include very rare examples, INRA experts have evaluated the value of the coins at 308,600 euros, approximately $322,000.

In addition to the coin deposit, the excavations uncovered the remains of a late Roman burgus, a small fortified observational tower commonly found on the Empire’s Germanic borders in the fourth century, as well as several graves surrounding it.

National Institute for Archaeological Research (INRA)

Cover Image credit: C. Nosbusch / INRA

Related Articles

Anatolia’s largest olive oil factory unearthed

14 January 2022

14 January 2022

A Roman-era olive oil factory has been unearthed during excavations in the İskenderun district of Hatay. It has been reported...

Glazed Bricks with Bull and Dragon Motifs Discovered at Persepolis

17 December 2021

17 December 2021

A team of Iranian and Italian archaeologists recently unearthed some glazed bricks bearing bull and dragon motifs in the ancient...

Ritualistic Dog Burials Associated with the Goddess Gula Unearthed at the Harran Archaeological Site in Southeastern Türkiye

15 December 2024

15 December 2024

Excavations at the Harran archaeological site in Şanlıurfa, one of the world’s oldest settlements and listed on UNESCO’s Temporary World...

New study reveals Dog ancestry can be traced back to two separate wolf populations

30 June 2022

30 June 2022

An international group of geneticists and archaeologists with participation of the University of Potsdam have found that the ancestry of...

A 4,000-year-old treasure map of France’s

17 October 2023

17 October 2023 1

Overlooked for millennia, a rock fragment adorned with enigmatic inscriptions has emerged as a valuable “treasure map” for archaeologists. After...

4000-year-old sword found in Finland

12 October 2021

12 October 2021

A Bronze Age sword dating back as far as 1700 B.C.was discovered broken in items in Finland this previous summer...

People may have been cooking curries in South-East Asia for at least 2000 years

22 July 2023

22 July 2023

Archaeologists have found remnants of eight spices on a sandstone slab from an archaeological site in Vietnam, showing the early...

The Error That Caused II.Ramses to Lose the Battle of Kadesh

5 February 2021

5 February 2021

The Battle of Kadesh between the Hittites and Egyptians in Anatolia, the two superpowers of the Bronze Age period, has...

Grain Barns dating back 6,000 years unearthed in China

15 December 2022

15 December 2022

Chinese archaeologists have revealed a cluster of 16 ancient granaries that traced back to the mid-late period of the Yangshao...

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Celebrates 151th Anniversary of Its Establishment

13 April 2021

13 April 2021

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the few museums in the world, celebrates the 151st anniversary of its establishment....

Female pharaoh’s temple reveals teamwork of Egypt’s ‘ancient masters’

18 November 2021

18 November 2021

Despite the widely acknowledged monumentality and durability of ancient Egyptian sculpture, carved reliefs, and paintings the makers of these works...

A 7,500-year-old settlement has been discovered in Turkey’s Domuztepe Mound

11 September 2021

11 September 2021

During the most recent excavations at Domuztepe Mound in the Türkoğlu district of southern Turkey’s Kahramanmaraş province, a settlement and...

Ancient reliefs become target of treasure hunters

7 January 2024

7 January 2024

An academic has cautioned that urgent protection is required for the historic Adamkayalar (Men of Rock) reliefs in the southern...

Scotland’s oldest tartan discovered in Highlands bog

1 April 2023

1 April 2023

According to new research, a piece of fabric discovered in a bog in the Scottish Highlands may be the oldest...

An opulent 2,000-year-old ‘city hall’ has been discovered near the Western Wall in Israel

8 July 2021

8 July 2021

An important 2,000-year-old public building has been unearthed near the wailing wall in Israel. Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority...