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Posted on 02/06/2026 8:24:52 AM PST by SunkenCiv
Eight emperors are shown on the coins. However, three of the coins featured an unexpected ruler -- Eugenius, who only ruled the Western Roman Empire from 392 to 394 CE. Eugenius came to power partially due to the support of a powerful general Arbogast. Arbogast was a Frank -- the Germanic-speaking peoples who invaded the Western Roman Empire during the Fifth Century.
When Christianity was becoming increasingly dominant in the Roman Empire, Eugenius attempted to restore pagan practices and traditions. His brief reign was marked by conflict and political instability. Eugenius primary opponent -- Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius I -- eventually defeated Eugenius during the Battle of the Frigidus in 394 AD. Eugenis was then executed and Christian authority in the empire began to consolidate...
The gold solidi -- the Latin word for gold coins like these -- were uncovered in the ruins of a Roman fort in the village of Holzthum during excavations from 2020 to 2024. The find was kept secret for almost four years. Additionally, the Luxembourg Army Mine Action Service helped with the dig due to the danger posed from several World War II-era explosives and munitions that are buried nearby.
The coins are said to be in excellent conditions and have an estimated value of roughly $322,000 (308,600 Euros). In accordance with the legal provisions on cultural heritage in Luxembourg, "this sum is reserved for those who have legal rights, such as property holders, over the find."
The excavation also uncovered the remains of a small fortified observational tower. These watchtowers were commonly built along the Roman Empire's Germanic borders during the 4th Century. There were also several graves surrounding it.
(Excerpt) Read more at popsci.com ...
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Several of the Roman gold coins that were stuck during the reign of nine different emperors.C. Nosbusch/INRA
Amazing! They look brand new!
I knew a guy named Frank Arbogast in elementary school.
Roman coins are remarkable for many reasons - first is the fine quality. You can trace civilization’s decline by comparing Roman coins to later European coins. It took a thousand years before anything compared in quality. Then you can trace the reach of Roman civilization beyond its borders. There is evidence that ancient Vietnam, of all places, traded goods using Roman coinage. And then there have been a couple cases where an emperor’s reign has been dated due to discovery of new coins.
Another interesting post from SunkenCiv. Thanks.
They’re also a nice break from all the political fussing.
👍
I saw an interesting video recently where someone talks about the decline in coin quality after Roman times. He concentrates on the lettering: the Romans had individual dies for each letter, whereas people making coin dies in medieval times used just a handful of dies to make letters as composites of simpler shapes. That technique allowed for not just less dies but also lower-skilled workers, and it shows.
Now, here’s something to blow your mind. If the Romans had made many duplicates of those letter dies, standardized their size and made them stackable into grids, what do you get?
The printing press. They were that close.
What a set!
I came for the politics and stayed for the archeology.
That’s Pope Eugene III, elected in 1145.
Eugenius himself was a Christian, but he was supported by the pagans. The River Frigidus is in Slovenia near the Italian border.
Makes sense now. I thought it was kind of odd that a pagan emperor would be wearing clothes with crosses on them.
There is a reason we have the phrase “As good as gold!”. Does not rust or corrode under normal conditions, you can pull an almost two thousand year old gold coin out of the ground and it is like brand new other than any wear it may have received due to the soil grinding against it.
The B. stands for Beatus--Eugene III was beatified but never canonized, so is considered "Blessed."
Gold does not corrode like the copper in pennies. Maybe pennies would be more popular if they were made of gold.
Roman technology is a riddle. You have the very sophisticated minting techniques, the Roman steam engine, the Roman use of water power on an industrial level and Roman cement. So many precursors to much more advanced technology like the printing press. Some of the historical programs veer into fictional alternate history timelines of a Roman Industrial Revolution. And yet, it didn’t happen. What could have been . . . .
They should make pennies out of cardboard.
featured an unexpected ruler — Eugenius,
“I wasn’t expecting the ruler Eugenius.”
“NOBODY expects the ruler Eugenius!”
No kidding! Look like they were struck yesterday! Gorgeous. What a find.
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