14 DAY TRIAL // Archaeologists digging at a site in the United Kingdom have recently announced the discovery of a rare coin that they say dates back to the time of the Roman Empire.
The coin, a photo of which is available above, is made of gold, and carries the image of Emperor Nero. By the looks of it, it was forged somewhere between the years 64 and 64 A.D, which makes it several dozen centuries old.
Information shared with the public says the coin was discovered by a volunteer named Marcel Albert at an archaeological site that is now known as Vindolanda, and that used to be a fort during Roman times.
The coin was recovered from a layer of sediments dating back to the 4th century, and Marcel Albert admits he was quite taken aback by his find. “It was just sitting there as I scraped back the soil, shining, as if someone had just dropped it,” he says.
Since the layer of sediments in which it was found buried is much younger than the coin itself, specialists say this can only mean that artifact must have remained in circulation for at least 300 years after it was forged.
Talking to the press, researcher Justin Blake, who is now the deputy director of excavations at this archaeological site in the United Kingdom, explains that, over the years, several hundred coins have been discovered at Violanda.
However, this coin unearthed by Marcel Albert is the first made of solid gold to have until now been discovered in this part of the United Kingdom. “It was an absolutely magical moment for the whole team,” Justin Blake says.
“My first find at Vindolanda nearly 20 years ago was a coin, but because of their scarcity, I didn't think for a moment that I would ever see a gold coin unearthed at the site,” the researcher goes on to comment on the importance of this find.
Just for the record, it need be said that, according to Justin Blake and fellow researchers, this gold coin was worth about half a years’ salary for a serving soldier during Roman times. Hence, one can only assume that whoever lost it probably spent the rest of their lives kicking themselves.
Apart from this very rare and very valuable gold coin, archaeologists exploring Vindolanda have until now stumbled upon beads, brooches, rings, leather shoes, arrowheads, and even pottery. Digging activities at this site are far from over, so chances are many other items will be discovered in the years to come.