141 Roman gold coins discovered in Luxembourg – History Blog

A special deposit was unearthed near Holztum in northern Luxembourg, containing 141 Roman gold coins dating back to the late 4th century. These coins were gold coins minted during the reigns of nine emperors who ruled from 364 to 408 AD

3 of the 141 Sulidic coins were issued by Emperor Eugenius, these coins are extremely rare as he only reigned for two years (392-394 AD) and were never issued by the Eastern Emperor Theodore Xi recognized him as Emperor of the West. Arbogast, a powerful general of Frankish descent, appointed Eugenius king after the previous emperor Valentinian II was found mysteriously hanged in Eugenian’s chamber. Theodosius appointed Arbogast Valentinian II as guardian, who was suspicious of death and the mischief of his successors.

When Eugenius fired all of Theodosius’s hand-picked palace administrators, used public funds to repair the Senate’s Altar of Victory to appease the dwindling but outspoken ranks of pagan senators and resumed relations with the Franks and Alemannic He seemed even more skeptical when he came to the Nepalese alliance. , recruiting them to join his army. Theodosius refused the ambassador sent by Eugenius to request formal recognition of him as Augustus of the West, and instead declared his eight-year-old son Honorius Augustus of the West. Two years after his accession, Eugenius encountered Theodosius’s army at the Battle of the Frigidus River on the border of modern Italy and Slovenia and was routed. Eugenius was captured and executed, and his head was displayed. Abrogaster committed suicide.

(I should point out that these events do not make Eugenius a usurper, despite the claims made in the press release about gold solidity. If a Roman emperor was appointed a usurper by a powerful military leader, then that would almost There would not have been a legitimate emperor in my opinion if anyone had usurped the throne of the West and it was Theodosius who gave his puppet the title).

Luxembourg was part of the Roman province of Bergica in Gaul when Sulidy was attacked in the late 4th century AD, but the Franks moved in in large numbers and wrested control from the older Gallic tribes. The Roman army left the territory in AD 406, coinciding with the release of the last coin. This coin deposit is unique in Luxembourg’s archaeological record.

The first gold coins were discovered in September 2019 by two amateur archaeologists. They scoured the fields for pottery shards, as they had done many times before. One of them took a break and wandered into a neighboring field, where a golden flash caught his attention. This is a Roman coin, almost intact and completely exposed to the surface of the soil. They scanned the scene with metal detectors and found nearly 40 coins in just an hour.

Thank God they didn’t dig them up. Instead, they informed the authorities and the Luxembourg National Archaeological Institute (INRA) that professional excavations were carried out at the site between 2020 and 2024. The two original discoverers were invited to join the excavation team, much to their delight. The findings were only made public last month to prevent looters from targeting the site.

Excavations were carried out with great care and continued for several years to ensure that all buried items were discovered. These operations must also take into account the specific dangers in the area, due to the presence of large quantities of World War II-era munitions and explosive devices. For this purpose, archaeologists collaborated with the Luxembourg Army Mine Action Service (SEDAL).

In addition to the coin deposits, the excavations also revealed the remains of a late Roman castle, a small defensive watchtower most commonly found on the Germanic frontiers of the empire in the 4th century, with several surrounding tombs.

The coins are in excellent condition, and because they contain very rare coins, INRA experts have assessed the value of the coins at €308,600, or approximately $322,000 USD. The Ministry of Culture has paid the estimated amount to the landowner as a finder’s fee and acquired the coins for the state. The ministry is working with INRA to plan when and where they will be publicly displayed once they have been fully processed, preserved and studied.