German Detectorist Unearths 934 Roman Silver Coins, Largest Hadrian-Era Hoard Found in Germany
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 11
German Detectorist Unearths 934 Roman Silver Coins, Largest Hadrian-Era Hoard Found in Germany
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 11
Summary
934 Roman silver denarii were found by licensed detectorist Oliver Riedl in a field near Wesseling, south of Cologne, in a hoard officials only recently announced.
6.8 pounds of coins were likely buried between A.D. 125 and 150, and archaeologists say the cache is the largest coin hoard from Emperor Hadrian’s reign ever found in Germany.
Johannes Wienand, a Roman historian not involved in the excavation, said the nearly 2,000-year-old stash may have been one person’s life savings, possibly linked to the nearby Rhine frontier and Roman military sites.
300 denarii was roughly a Roman legionary’s annual gross pay, suggesting the 934-coin hoard equaled about three years of salary and could have taken six to eight years to save.
The find is now on display at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn and has been cited by experts as a model of responsible metal detecting because Riedl alerted heritage authorities immediately.