During 2021, the cyclone Filomena covered a good portion of Spain in a blanket of snow. While it’s not unusual for it to snow in Spain, the cyclone brought record-breaking snowfall to the country. No wonder, then, that a hungry badger had great difficulties finding any berries, earthworms or insects to eat. Not giving up on finding a tasty snack, though, he started digging right next to its burrow inside the cave of La Cuesta.
Unfortunately for the badger, he didn’t dig up anything to chew on, besides a few shiny coins, which he left scattered around the cave. Little did he know, that he actually stumbled upon the largest collection of Roman-era coins ever found in the region.
A local resident, Roberto García, was the first to notice the coins lying around in front of the cave. He notified a team of archeologists who began excavations with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Principality of Asturias.
Alfonso Fanjul, who was overseeing the research, said that when his team arrived at the cave, the ground was full of coins. Although the badger himself was nowhere to be found, they identified his nest, and that he had dug up approximately 90 coins. The team ultimately unearthed a total number of 209 pieces of Roman coins from between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD.
The incredible find mostly consists of coins made from copper and bronze. Sadly, the pieces have seen better days; most of them are in quite worn condition, but there are exceptions, such as one of the three follises found, for example, which is in fairly good condition. It is a bronze coin, weighing between 8 and 10 grams and containing around 4% silver. The follis was introduced around 294 by Emperor Diocletian, and this particular piece was minted in Roman London, or Londinium. All in all, however, they had been originated from the far reaches of the Roman Empire, including Thessaloniki, London, Constantinople (now Istanbul), and Rome.
The coins date back to 430 A.D., when a group of Germanic people, called the Suebi, invaded, and pushed the Romans out of Spain. They later established the Kingdom of the Suebi in the area of northwestern Spain and Portugal. Therefore, the archeologists believe that the coins were hidden intentionally, in order to keep them safe during these times of “political instability”.
It’s almost impossible to know who placed the coins there, or what happened to them, but further excavation of the cave may give us some insight into what could have happened there centuries ago.
Furthermore, according to Fanjul and his team, there may be an even higher number of coins in the cave, and the recent finding is just a small part of a much larger stash. As a matter of fact, researchers found 14 gold coins from the time of Constantine, who reigned between 306 and 337, in the same forest during the 1930s. The area is also well known among so-called treasure hunters, who make their mark on the region from time to time.
“To date, this is the largest treasure trove of Roman coins found in a cave in northern Spain (…) We’ve taken out the first deposit, but we think there is a lot more to take out” said Fanjul. “It’s a unique moment that you dream about from a young age. An exceptional moment that you never think you will have as an archaeologist.”
All the coins that were discovered, thanks to the badger, have been cleaned and now are on display at the Archaeological Museum of Asturias. Fanjul and his team of archeologists are planning their return to the site to examine what other coins they can discover.
We eagerly await to learn more about this truly one-of-a kind discovery.
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