400-year-old treasure stash unearthed in search for lost part in Poland. Take a look
Scanning a field looking for a lost mechanical part, a man in Poland uncovered something entirely different.
A family member of Michał Łotys asked for help finding a lost part from a piece of agricultural equipment, the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments said in a March 2 news release. With a newly-purchased metal detector, Łotys set out to search for the lost part in a field behind a farm building in Zaniówka.
When something set off the metal detector, he unearthed buried treasure. A partially-broken jar contained hundreds of rusted coins, photos show.
Łotys reported his find to the local archaeological authorities who came out to look at the items, the release said.
Archaeologists estimated the stash contained about 1,000 coins. The coins included 17th century Lithuanian shillings and crowns, officials said. The treasure was wrapped in fabric, placed in the jar and buried.
The 400-year-old pottery container had been damaged over time, spilling some coins into the surrounding soil. Photos show a few fragments of the jar and the coins which developed a blue-green color.
The treasure was initially found on Feb. 26 and will be sent to the Archaeology Department of the Museum of Southern Podlasie in Biała Podlaska, officials said.
Zaniówka is in the Lublin region, about 100 miles southeast of Warsaw and near the Poland-Belarus-Ukraine border.
Facebook Translate and Google Translate were used to translate the news release from the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments.
This story was originally published March 6, 2023 at 1:18 PM with the headline "400-year-old treasure stash unearthed in search for lost part in Poland. Take a look."
