Strolling through your fruit garden, and then coming across a treasure hoard full of coins! Well this time around, the scenario is not that of a role-playing game. A Swiss farmer had the very same real experience while he was inspecting his cherry orchard in Ueken, in the canton of Aargau. The incredible discovery was actually made in July of this year, when the man managed to spot some greenish-hued yet somewhat glistening coins embedded on a mole hill. As for the treasure trove in question, the hoard boasted over a whopping 4,000 bronze and silver coins that weighed around 33 lbs (or 15 kg). All of these specimens were later analysed and identified as being around 1,700 years old, with their origins being from Ancient Roman Empire.
Interestingly, only a few months earlier to July, archaeologists had unearthed a Roman settlement in the nearby town of Frick. Fortunately for the experts, the farmer remembered this occasion, and already deduced that he may have come across a bunch of Romans coins. Consequently, like a model citizen, he contacted the local archaeological organization about his find; and after some months his deduction was found to be correct. To that end, the researchers were able to identify a total of exactly 4,166 coins – with their dates ranging from the period between 270 to 294 AD.
As for the historical side of affairs, the orchard site on which the coins were discovered, was never an infrastructural area. Simply put, it had always been used for farming. The original owner who stashed away the treasure, took advantage of this secluded land, and periodically hid his coins over a stretch of time. Some of the coin specimens oddly demonstrating high sliver content (over 5 percent) were further kept in leather pouches. Now the archaeologists have still not uncovered the reason regarding why this unidentified person never took out his treasured possession after the year of 294 AD.
Lastly, concerning the actual value of this treasure, the historians are bit wary of the estimation, given the mercurial levels of inflation in our ancient world. However, a rough estimation would surely put the valuation’s worth at around of two years of conventional wages in the Roman era. As for its current value, the experts have declined to speak on the matter by stating that all of it belongs to the public, in accordance with Swiss law. In that regard, the Swiss farmer will mostly likely get a finder’s fee for his incredible discovery.
Source: DiscoveryNews