Following the trail of a badger, Robert Garcia, a resident of Berció, Grado, Spain, discovered a spectacular treasure from the Roman period.
The 209 exquisite coins have become the largest hoard of ancient coins ever excavated in Spain, with unparalleled value. They date from the 3rd to 5th centuries BC and originate from places as far away as the ancient cities of Antioch and Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, in Turkey), Thessaloniki (Greece), London (UK) and Lyon (France).
Treasure of ancient coins dug up by a badger in Spain – Photo: Ministry of Culture of the Principality of Asturias
According to Ancient Origins, credit for the discovery belongs to Robert Garcia, a local resident. He followed a badger back to its den and discovered coins scattered near the mouth of the cave, so he reported it to archaeologists.
According to archaeological team leader Alfonso Fanjul from the Ministry of Culture of the Principality of Asturias (an autonomous region of Spain), it seems that the badger was looking for food or digging its own nest and accidentally unearthed this treasure and became king. scattered many coins in front of the cave.
Archaeologists at the scene – Photo: Ministry of Culture of the Principality of Asturias
The badger dug up a total of 90 coins and the rest were continued to be excavated by archaeologists in April 2021. The money was brought to the laboratory for analysis and it was judged to be an unparalleled treasure.
Some of the coins in the treasury are extremely rare, such as the three coins minted in 294 by Emperor Diocletian, which are pieces of bronze weighing 8-10 g, with about 4% silver, and are considered a work of art.
Research on the treasure has just been published in Prehistory and Archeology Notebooks of the Autonomous University of Madrid.
