Construction workers in Spain stumbled upon something that is not your typical find on a construction site. They were digging a ditch in order to install a new waterline in Tomares near Seville when they found something quite unexpected.
The construction workers found a huge hall of ancient Roman coins.
All told, they found 19 storage jars of coins weighing more than 1300 pounds. It’s a discovery that is baffling archaeologists the world over.
Primeras imágenes del hallazgo de monedas romanas de Tomares en el #MuseoArqueologico de Sevilla pic.twitter.com/5aK5fovNjj
— Cultura Junta de Andalucía (@CulturaAND) April 28, 2016
19 storage jars of Roman coins found.
Tomares urban councilor, Lola Vallejo, spoke with the media following the discovery.
“The machines hit against something that wasn’t normal for this soil,” Vallejo said. “The workers immediately stopped, and soon discovered that there were many coins there, inside broken amphoras.”
The coins are dated as far back as just the 3rd Century. Many of them appear to have minimal wear and tear on them as well, suggesting that they may have never been placed into circulation.
Ahora en @cuatro la directora del #MuseoArqueologico de Sevilla habla del hallazgo de monedas romanas pic.twitter.com/Vu4B4yjiJO
— Cultura Junta de Andalucía (@CulturaAND) April 28, 2016
A unique collection.
Ana Navarro spoke to the media about the discovery. She is the head of Seville’s archaeology museum and noted that the coins likely carry a value of over “several million euros.”
“It is a unique collection and there are very few similar cases,” Navarro said to the Guardian.
“The majority were newly minted and some of them probably were bathed in silver, not just bronze,” she continued.
What were these coins for?
Experts are left to only guess as to what the purpose of the coins was for. One theory is that they were being used to pay taxes to the Roman Empire. Another is that they were to be used by the Roman Empire to pay Roman soldiers.
“What is incredible is a discovery of this size – there are 19 amphoras, all complete, and I can assure you that they can’t be moved by one person alone, because they weigh so much due to the coins inside,” Navarro said.
“Ten of (the jugs) were broken while they were digging up the trench, and the others, as you can see, we have here, whole and full of this set of coins,” she continued.
Roman emperors Maximian and Constantine are featured inscriptions on the coins.
How much are the coins worth?
While it is believed that the coins carry a significant financial value, experts were cautious about putting a firm number on it due to the historical significance of the find.
“I could not give you an economic value, because the value they really have is historical and you can’t calculate that,” said Navarrro.
Why were these coins there?
What experts can’t seem to put together is why so many coins would be in the same place like this.
“What is incredible is a discovery of this size — there are 19 amphoras, all complete, and I can assure you that they can’t be moved by one person alone, because they weigh so much due to the coins inside,” said Navarro in an interview with CNN.
After the discovery, the construction project was halted. That new waterline would just have to wait. A full archaeological excavation of the area was then ordered.
After all, why wouldn’t there be? It’s not every day you stumble upon a discovery that holds so much historical significance, to say nothing of the untold physical value.
Learn more about this amazing discovery of ancient Roman coins in the video below!
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