The Trier Gold Hoard is a
hoard
A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...
of 2516
(or 2518)
gold coins with a weight of 18.5 kg found in
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
, Germany, in September 1993 during construction works. It is described as the largest preserved Roman gold hoard worldwide.
The hoard is on exhibition at the
Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier
The ''Rheinische Landesmuseum Trier'' is an archaeological museum in Trier, Germany. The collection stretches from prehistory through the Roman period, the Middle Ages to the Baroque era with a strong emphasis on the Roman past of Augusta Trevero ...
.
Discovery and excavation
On 9 September 1993, an excavator unearthed and ripped apart a bronze cauldron during excavations for an underground parking garage. Part of the cauldron and some coins went to a dump site, initially unnoticed. After the first coins were detected at the excavation site, treasure hunters also began to search the earth at the dump site.
An amateur archaeologist, Erich Eixner went back to the excavation site at night and found the larger part of the bronze cauldron, containing 560 coins and an additional lump of 1500 coins,
using his metal detector. He informed the authorities of his discovery and received about 20,000
DM, a fraction of the estimated worth.
Historical context
The hoard was hidden for the first time in 167 AD, probably because of the
Antonine Plague.
The last time it was probably buried while ''Augusta Treverorum'' was beleaguered by
Clodius Albinus
Decimus Clodius Albinus ( 150 – 19 February 197) was a Roman imperial pretender between 193 and 197. He was proclaimed emperor by the legions in Britain and Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, comprising modern Spain and Portugal) after the murder ...
, since the latest coins were struck 196 AD under
Septimius Severus
Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa (Roman province), Africa. As a young man he advanced thro ...
.
Coins
The earliest coins in the hoard were minted 63 AD, during the reign of
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
.
99% of the coins were minted before 167 AD. Only six coins were struck between 193 and 196 AD. The coins weigh between 5.8 and 7.6 gram.
40 Roman emperors and their relatives are depicted on the coins.
The total number of coins originally in the bronze cauldron is estimated to be 2650.
See also
*
Hoxne Hoard
The Hoxne Hoard ( ) is the largest hoard of late Roman silver and gold discovered in Britain, and the largest collection of gold and silver coins of the fourth and fifth centuries found anywhere within the former Roman Empire. It was found by ...
*
Lava Treasure
The Lava treasure is the Roman currency, Roman treasure of coins and the gold plate that was discovered underwater in the small Gulf of Lava (part of the ), southern Corsica, France, probably in 1958. Also known as the “Corsica hoard”, or ...
Bibliography
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trier Gold Hoard
Treasure troves in Germany
Treasure troves of classical antiquity
1993 archaeological discoveries