Treasure trove of coins lay buried in England for 2,000 years — until now, officials say

A massive trove of Roman-era coins — dating back to the reign of Emperor Nero — was unearthed in England, prompting questions about its origins.

It was discovered late last year in Worcestershire, located about 140 miles northwest of London, according to a Dec. 2 news release from Museums Worcestershire.

The hoard is among the largest known assemblages of coins from the Roman Conquest period, which spanned from 43 to 84 A.D., and it’s the biggest assemblage from Nero’s reign ever to be unearthed in Britain.

It is considered “one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Worcestershire in the last 100 years,” according to the release.

The trove, which was found in a pot buried in the ground, is composed of 1,368 silver and gold coins.

The majority of the pieces are silver denarii, which were produced in Rome. The earliest date back to the Roman Republic, while the most recent date to the reign of Nero, which spanned from 54 to 68 A.D.

One such coin depicts a bust of Nero along with his mother, while the reverse side contains engravings of elephants pulling a chariot.

Only one gold coin was discovered in the trove. Known as an Iron Age stater, it was created for the Dobunni, a British tribe, sometime between 20 and 45 A.D.

While the exact origins of the coin horde are not clear, museum officials have strong suspicions.

“The coins almost certainly entered the region by means of the Roman army,” according to the release.

This is because the coins were buried around 55 A.D. — a year when Worcestershire was on the frontier of the growing empire.

It’s possible that the pieces were saved up by a farmer, who could have enriched himself by providing livestock and grain to the Roman army.

What’s clear, though — based on the immense size of the horde — is that it “would have represented a very considerable sum of cash at the time it was buried,” according to the release.

Today, the trove of coins is estimated to be worth at least £100,000 or about $128,000.

This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Treasure trove of coins lay buried in England for 2,000 years — until now, officials say."