A badger desperately hunting for food during the harsh winter of 2021, when Storm Filomena dumped snow across the Iberian Peninsula, stumbled upon a significant cache of Roman coins in a cave movement in northern Spain. The cave is located in Berció, a parish in the municipality of Grado, in the Spanish province of Asturias, El Pais newspaper reported.
Three archaeologists excavate the site where a treasure trove of Roman coins was unearthed, first by a badger. (Consejería de Cultura del Principado de Asturias)
Largest archive of Roman coins on record
The 209 coins unearthed by researchers following the “discovery” of the badger constitute the largest cache of Roman coins found to date in northern Spain. The full report on the discovery, accessible on Academia.edu, has been published in the Handbook of Prehistory and Archeology of the Autonomous University of Madrid.
Researchers believe they are part of an even larger hoard of Roman coins, the rest of which may no longer exist due to natural erosion. Roman-era coins date from the third to fifth centuries AD and originated in places as far away as the ancient cities of Antioch and Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) in Turkey, Thessaloniki in Greece, London in England and Lyon in France. They were minted between the reigns of Emperor Carus (282 to 283 AD) and Emperor Valentinian III (425 to 55 AD).
The Roman coins are believed to have been deposited by people who sought refuge in Spanish caves before the 409 AD invasion of the Suebi, a Germanic people known for their warfare, the Daily Mail reported. infantry techniques and ambushes.
Roman coin warehouse before being excavated and taken out of the Asturias cave. (Consejería de Cultura del Principado de Asturias)
An intriguing theory about Roman coin hoarding
The coins were found near the mouth of the badger cave by local resident Robert Garcia, who then called in a team of archaeologists, including excavation team leader Alfonso Fanjul. But how did the Roman coin hoard come about in the first place?
Fanjul believes that a badger was hunting for food or digging itself a new nest when it entered a crack in a rock in the cave. Afterwards, it must have picked up the coins which it then abandoned in front of its lair due to lack of interest. “When we arrived, we found the hole leading to the badger’s nest and the ground around it was full of coins,” Fanjul explained when speaking to CNN.
Fanjul added that more than 90 coins were dug up by the badger. “In April 2021, the [Roman coin cache] was located and rescued through a small emergency archaeological intervention funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Principality of Asturias,” the team said. , is by far the largest Roman cave treasure in northern Spain.” reported by Daily Mail said.
The excavation team then discovered a larger cache of 209 coins dating from 200 to 400 AD, corresponding to the Late Roman period and the arrival of the Suebi in the Iberian Peninsula. “We think it’s a reflection of the political and social instability that occurred with the fall of Rome and the emergence of barbarian groups in northern Spain,” Fanjul told CNN.
El Pais reports that the set of coins unearthed by the badger was very old, “except for the issues of the highest quality, such as the oriental products, and in particular one of the three coins found [coin from ancient Rome introduced by Emperor Diocletian around 294”. It is a piece of copper, weighing 8 to 10 grams, containing about 4% silver, taken from the London mint.”
Investigation team at the badger cave treasure area in Grado, Asturias, Spain. (Consejería de Cultura del Principado de Asturias)
History of the Roman coin hoard in Grado
While this may be the largest hoard of Roman coins found in the area, it is not the first. Other treasures have been discovered in the Grado forest. The BBC reported that in the 1930s, 14 gold coins dating from the time of Constantine I, who ruled from 306 to 337 AD, were also found in the area. This discovery is known as Chapipi’s treasure and also includes a gold ring.
“The accumulation of these important findings, with caution, can respond to the context of intense conflict in the border territory,” Fanjul told El Pais. During previous unstable times, when invaders approached, people often hid valuable assets in unexpected places, hoping to get them back when the danger passed. However, this has not always been the case and has led to many archaeological discoveries in many eras and continents. This particular badger treasure appears to be one such example.
Once cleaned, the coins will be placed at the Asturias Archaeological Museum. Further excavations are planned at the site this year. “We have withdrawn the first deposit, but we think there are many more to withdraw,” Fanjul told CNN.
“It was a unique moment that you dream about since you were a child,” Fanjul said when talking about finding the Roman coin archive on CNN. Fanjul believes that excavations planned for 2022 will enhance understanding of the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of medieval kingdoms in northern Spain.
