Italian Culture Ministry
Posted on 11/06/2023 8:45:16 AM PST by SunkenCiv
A diver who spotted something metallic not far from Sardinia's coast has led to the discovery of tens of thousands of ancient bronze coins.
Italy's culture ministry said Saturday that the diver alerted authorities, who sent divers assigned to an art protection squad along with others from the ministry's undersea archaeology department. The ministry posted images and video of the stunning discovery.
The coins dating from the first half of the fourth century were found in sea grass, not far from the northeast shore of the Mediterranean island. The ministry didn't say exactly when the first diver caught a glimpse of something metallic just off shore Sardinia, not far from the town of Arzachena.
Officials said presence of coinage from Constantine the Great confirmed that the treasure could be dated between 324 and 340 AD.
Exactly how many coins have been retrieved hasn't been determined yet, as they are being sorted. A ministry statement estimated that there are at least about 30,000 and possibly as many as 50,000, given their collective weight.
"All the coins were in an exceptional and rare state of preservation," the ministry said. The few coins that were damaged still had legible inscriptions, it said...
The coins were mainly found in a wide area of sand between the underwater seagrass and the beach, the ministry said. Given the location and shape of the seabed, there could be remains of ship wreckage nearby, the ministry said.
The discovery comes just weeks after officials announced that Roman coins dating to about the same time were found in Wales.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Maybe somebody needed them for a payphone.
“Your time is up. Please deposit 10,000 more coins.”
Thanks Red Badger.
Another ‘tragic boating accident’................
What do you think happened? Seems to small to be a Treasury shipment to pay Legionnaires. Maybe shipping coins to a remote outpost on the Med or further away? Maybe somebody transporting his own personal wealth?
A picture made available by the Italian Culture Minister showing some of the discovered ancient bronze coins.
here’s hoping the call wasn’t completed as dialed and he gets his 10,000 coins back.
Do i see a Canadian quarter?
> Italy’s culture ministry said Saturday that the diver alerted authorities… <
That might turn out to be a mistake. I wonder how much the diver will be allowed to keep. All of it? Half of it? Or will he just get a nice certificate of appreciation?
Kaboomed into a rock, most likely. Generally, the risk is greater the nearer one is to land.
It would be nice to see what other cargo was aboard. A pile of coins that big suggests it was a big ‘un, maybe one of the Roman grain haulers. THAT would be excellent.
Lionel Casson wrote that travelers in the know back then, if on a long Mediterranean journey, would pay for their passage aboard one of those. They were much more roomy, offered more privacy, and were much safer as well.
That’s why making a call in a Roman-era chinese restaurant was just as much of a pain as it was in the 1990s.
Those dang sneaky Canadians!............
I hope the diver kept a couple hand fulls for himself
50,000 coins from Constantine?
He did pay off many of his enemies and still tried to keep the peace with the Roman pope.
The article does not seem to say if the finder is entitled to anything.
“Roman grain haulers.”
So that might have been payment for a delivered load of grain?
Well, maybe, but based on the weight of the coins alone, it must have been quite a ship.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
