Amphora full of Roman-era gold coins found in downtown Como

In the historic center of Como, under the former Cressoni Theater, an amphora filled with perfectly preserved gold coins from the Roman era, roughly the fifth century AD, thus from the late imperial period, has been found. For experts it is an unprecedented and unprecedented find, and it seems that this treasure was hidden in a crevice in the walls of a house to prevent its theft during the barbarian invasions. Reason for the excavation was to build a residential building in place of the theater, but who knows if plans will change after this discovery.

“The excavation was followed, we know we are very close to the heart of the Roman-era city of Como, the forum of Novum Comum, and important finds had already been made in the area,” Luca Rinaldi, superintendent of fine arts for western Lombardy, explained to Corriere. “The private owner of the area has always offered us full cooperation. It is clear that there is an ongoing project, but I believe that with all the parties involved we will evaluate the possibility of deepening the situation. There are clear signs of a wall structure, we have found an epigraph and other artifacts that it would be important to be able to investigate thoroughly. The vase was perfectly preserved during the excavation it was slightly damaged. A small gash from which gold coins can be seen. We have taken some of them for initial analysis, they are from the 5th century and there may be more in the amphora. These are finds with a value that is difficult to quantify but certainly very high.”

“This discovery,” Rinaldi later commented in an official note, “demonstrates the effectiveness of the action of protection, knowledge and enhancement carried out by the Ministry through the Superintendencies and encourages an even more concrete commitment to extending the practice of preventive archaeology even in contexts of private initiative interventions.”

Alberto Bonisoli, minister of Cultural Heritage, said, “We do not yet know in detail the historical and cultural significance of the find, but that area is proving to be a real treasure for our archaeology. A discovery that fills me with pride.”

The treasure has been transported to the Mibac restoration laboratory in Milan, where archaeologists, restorers and numismatists will study the find.A press conference to present the discovery and the analysis of the first 27 coins extracted will be held on Monday, September 10, at 11:30 a.m. at the Soprintendenza headquarters at 11 Via De Amicis in Milan. Present at the press meeting will be Superintendent Luca Rinaldi, head of theSoprintendenza’s Archaeology Functional Area Barbara Grassi, the Soprintendenza’s numismatic expert archaeologist M.Grazia Facchinetti and Capt. Francesco Provenza of the Carabinieri Tutela Unit in Monza.

Amphora full of Roman-era gold coins found in downtown Como

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