Extraordinary discovery in Sardinia: huge treasure trove of well-preserved Roman coins

Outstanding archaeological discovery in Sardinia: in fact, a rich deposit of follis, ancient bronze coins introduced around 294 with the monetary reform of Emperor Diocletian, dating back to the first half of the fourth century AD, has been discovered in the sea on the northeast coast of the island, in the municipality of Arzachena. According to an initial estimate, made on the basis of the total weight of the find, the number of large bronze coins would be between 30,000 and 50,000. Many more, therefore, than those found in 2013 in the United Kingdom, in Seaton, when 22,888 follis resurfaced. In addition to the latter, walls of amphorae of African production and, in smaller numbers, of eastern production were also identified.

Discovering the finds at sea was a private citizen who, during a dive, noticed metal remains at a shallow depth, not far from the coast, and promptly reported the discovery. The next day, the Underwater Archaeological Unit of the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Sassari and Nuoro together with the Carabinieri of the Sardinia Cultural Heritage Protection Unit and the Sardinia Underwater Carabinieri Unit carried out an initial reconnaissance in the affected stretch of sea, with the collaboration of the Cagliari Carabinieri Divers Unit and the Sassari Fire Brigade Unit, together with the State Police, the Guardia di Finanza and the Port Authorities. The experts’ dives revealed the existence of two macro-areas of dispersal of follis in a large sandy clearing between the beach and the posidonia: the latter, due to the position and morphology of the seabed, could preserve conspicuous remains of a wreck.

All the coins taken are in an exceptional and rare state of preservation. Only 4 pieces are found to be damaged, although still legible. The chronological context of the coins can be found in a time frame between 324 (coinage of Licinius) and 340 AD. The dating, the superintendence points out, is confirmed by the presence of Constantine the Great’s coinage and that of all other family members present as caesars, but above all by the absence of centenionales, minted from AD 346 onward. The group of recovered follis comes from almost all the mints of the empire active in that period except Antioch, Alexandria, and Carthage. Restoration and preservation of the recovered coins and materials will allow for a broader and deeper understanding of the context of the finds from which a great deal of information can still come.

“The treasure found in the waters of Arzachena,” says Luigi La Rocca, director general of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape, “represents one of the most important discoveries of numismatic finds in recent years and once again highlights the richness and importance of the archaeological heritage that the seabed of our seas, traversed by men and goods since the earliest times, still holds and preserves. An extraordinary heritage but also very fragile, constantly threatened by natural phenomena and human action, on the protection of which the Ministry, through the action of its central and peripheral structures, has developed methodologies and techniques of recovery and conservation of extraordinary effectiveness and fielded innovative strategies of valorization.”

The coins discovered in

The

Extraordinary discovery in Sardinia: huge treasure trove of well-preserved Roman coins

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.