The newfound Roman coin in Hungary features a bearded Emperor Volusianus on one side and Libertas, the personification of freedom, on the other.Image credit: Krisztián Balla
Posted on 06/21/2022 9:21:14 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Excavators in Hungary have discovered a "very rare" gold Roman coin that features the face of a murdered Roman emperor.
The third-century coin depicts Emperor Volusianus, who co-ruled the Roman Empire for about two years with his father, until the emperor was assassinated at age 22 by his own soldiers. Because of Volusianus' short reign, coins bearing his face are rare. What's more, the coin's denomination is rare, as is finding gold coins from the Roman period in Hungary, said Máté Varga, an archaeologist at the University of Szeged in Hungary and head of the excavation.
Despite their luck in finding this rare treasure, however, the excavators have no idea who owned the currency. But because it was the only gold coin unearthed at the site, "it is likely a stray that someone lost," Varga told Live Science in an email. "It must have been a great loss for the former owner to lose this valuable coin."
The coin was unearthed by a museologist of the Rippl-Rónai Museum in Kaposvár, along with museum volunteers in early 2022. The group was excavating a Roman settlement in Somogy County in southwestern Hungary, but Varga declined to elaborate on the site's whereabouts.
The excavators found the 0.2-ounce (5.6 grams) gold coin — known as an aureus — during a metal detector survey of the site, Varga noted. The coin was minted during the rule of Volusianus, or between A.D. 251 and 253.
One side of the coin features a portrait of the bearded emperor with a crown of rays on his head, while the other side depicts Libertas, the personification of freedom, Varga said.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
The newfound Roman coin in Hungary features a bearded Emperor Volusianus on one side and Libertas, the personification of freedom, on the other.Image credit: Krisztián Balla
Au coins are underrated.
Interesting. I have a Roman coin I bought at a coin show (not gold) that looks very similar, but of a different emperor, Postumus, who declared himself Emperor of what was Western Europe and Brittania. He was killed by his own troops.Nice guy…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postumus
Aproos name for him.
Just here for the Biggus Dickus jokes.
;^)
What have the Romans ever done for us?
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