An amateur archaeologist who discovered several Roman silver coins in a field in western Germany realized he had stumbled upon something bigger when his metal detector kept beeping.
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detector → discover → something
Oliver Riedl called the authorities for help, and a group of experts who began digging immediately discovered a total of 934 Roman silver denarii.
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who → call → denarii
It is the biggest coin treasure ever found in Germany from the time of Roman Emperor Hadrian, the local office in charge of archaeological monuments said Tuesday.
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office → find → monuments
"It was clear to me that there was something bigger buried here," Riedl said, describing how his metal detector continued signaling even after he had found several coins near Wesseling, south of Cologne a year ago.
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he → be → Cologne
The hoard of coins, which weighs 3.1 kilograms (6.8 pounds), went on display at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn on Tuesday.
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which → weigh → Tuesday
The majority of the coins date from the time of the Flavian emperors (A.D. 69–96), and the oldest one was minted in 148 B.C., the museum said in a news release.
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museum → date → release
The collection of coins was probably buried deliberately in the second quarter of the second century A.D., according to the LVR Office for the Preservation of Archaeological Monuments in the Rhineland.
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collection → bury → Rhineland
"Of course, we can only speculate about the motives, but it's very likely that someone wanted to keep this money safe.
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someone → speculate → money
After all, banks didn't exist back then," Erich Classen, state archaeologist and the director of the office, said in a statement.
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Classen → exist → statement
Classen said it wasn't clear why the treasure was never recovered before, adding that "perhaps the owner died before that could happen, without being able to pass on the knowledge about the coins.
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that → say → coins
However, few from the second century are as extensive as the one found in Wesseling, the archaeological office said, adding that it was difficult to estimate the coins' value at the time.
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it → find → time
However, the pay of Roman legionaries, which is well documented in written sources, provides a point of reference.
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which → document → reference
"At that time, an ordinary soldier in the legion earned 300 denarii a year.
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soldier → earn → denarii
However, about half of that was withheld for food and equipment," said Rahel Otte, a research associate at the archaeological office.
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Otte → withhold → office
"A legionary would therefore have had to save all of his disposable income for about six years to amass the Wesseling hoard," Otte said.
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Otte → have → hoard
She added that it remains unclear exactly who ultimately amassed this considerable fortune.
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who → add → fortune
The Romans established a presence in the region under General Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa to secure their empire's border along the Rhine River, setting up a military outpost which later became Colonia Agrippina - today's Cologne.
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which → establish → outpost
Treasures from the Roman era have been found across Europe in recent years.
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Treasures → find → years
In February,
found two lead ingots that date back to the Roman era, the first of their kind to be found in the region.
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that → find → region
In 2024, a
worth over $125,000 was found during a construction project in central England.
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worth → find → England
Also in 2024, a collection of ancient silver Roman coins was
on a small island in the Mediterranean Sea, officials said this week.
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officials → say → Sea
The Aporia
