- A collection of 53 perfectly preserved gold coins from the Roman Empire have been discovered by brothers-in-law Luis Lens and Csar Gimeno off the coast of Xbia, Spain
- After retrieving and examining the object, they noticed an inscription with an ancient Greek or Roman face and assumed it was jewelry, before discovering another seven coins.
- Researchers were able to identify the emperors on the coins, who include Valentinian I, Valentinian II, Todosio I, Arcadi and Honorius
MADRID, Spain: A collection of 53 perfectly preserved gold coins from the Roman Empire, one of the largest collections ever found in Europe, have been discovered by brothers-in-law Luis Lens and Csar Gimeno off the coast of Xbia, Spain.
According to The Associated Press, the two amateur divers were free-diving and removing trash in the Mediterranean Sea when they discovered a shiny object that resembled a “10-cent-coin,” quoted Spanish newspaper El Pais.
After retrieving and examining the object, they noticed an inscription with an ancient Greek or Roman face and assumed it was jewelry, before discovering another seven coins.
A team of scuba divers and archaeologists later found a total of 53 gold coins, three nails and what seemed to be the remains of a chest.
After the coins were analyzed by scientists from the University Institute for Research in Archeology and Historical Heritage, they were dated from the end of the 4th century to the start of the 5th century.
Lens told El Pais, “It is incredible. It is every child’s dream to find treasure.”
In a press release, Jaime Molina, head of the team of underwater archaeologists from the University of Alicante, said, “It is one of the largest sets of Roman gold coins to be found in Spain and Europe.”
The discovery could provide new information on the final phase of the fall of the Western Roman Empire, he added.
Researchers were able to identify the emperors on the coins, who include Valentinian I, Valentinian II, Todosio I, Arcadi and Honorius.
The coins could have been intentionally hidden to avoid looting and could shed light on the Roman Empire’s moments of insecurity with the arrival of barbarian peoples, such as the Suevi, Vandals, and Alans, which led to the empire’s eventual fall, historians said.
The University of Alicante said the coins will be restored and exhibited in the Soler Blasco Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum of Xbia.
