Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Contact    |    RSS icon Twitter icon Facebook icon  
Unexplained Mysteries
You are viewing: Home > News > Archaeology & History > News story
Welcome Guest ( Login or Register )  
All ▾
Search Submit

Archaeology & History

Huge pot of gold found under Italian theater

By T.K. Randall
September 12, 2018 · Comment icon 6 comments

The coins are thought to be worth millions of Euros. Image Credit: Twitter / MiBAC
Archaeologists in Italy have unearthed a broken soapstone amphora containing hundreds of gold coins.
The impressive haul was found during an excavation beneath the now-closed Cressoni Theater in Como - a city in the north of Italy.

The coins, which are today worth millions, are remarkably well preserved with their markings still clearly visible. A preliminary examination has revealed that they date back to the 5th century.

Due to the way the coins had been stored, coupled with the site's proximity to the city's forum where banks and merchants once did business, it is possible that the coins did not have a single, private owner but were instead a collective deposit that was gradually added to over time.
"We do not yet know in detail the historical and cultural significance of the find," said Alberto Bonisoli of Italy's Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities.

"But that area is proving to be a real treasure for our archaeology. A discovery that fills me with pride."



Source: Science Alert | Comments (6)




Other news and articles
Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Grandpa Greenman 6 years ago
I was wondering where I left those.  
Comment icon #2 Posted by pallidin 6 years ago
Given the invasion volatility during early times, I can only imagine the secreted (buried) wealth yet undiscovered. Gold, silver, jewels of very high value.  
Comment icon #3 Posted by Seti42 6 years ago
I was just thinking about that too. Some will never be found, ie: under modern structures that aren't going to be dug up/renovated anytime soon...If ever. Under private property, under water, etc. Hell, there could be a huge cache of gold just a few feet to the left of someone's freshly dug backyard pool. That might have been found, if they wanted a slightly larger pool! I wonder how much treasure of historical value was found, but not by anyone who gave a damn about history...I mean, it'd be tempting. If I found some gold that was clearly in the form of an historically important relic, I m... [More]
Comment icon #4 Posted by DieChecker 6 years ago
Coins worth millions. What would a hand carved soap stone amphora go for? Millions? As a former D&D player, the more valuable treasure isn't always the coins. Edit: I found ceramic amphora on sale for about $10k, but not carved soap stone ones.
Comment icon #5 Posted by hetrodoxly 6 years ago
Trying to sell such things on the open market would raise suspicion straight away and you'd be caught, you'd only get a 10th of it's worth for scrap value ie melted down, i declare everything i find to the my local museum it's known as 'portable antiquities scheme' they give you a written form stating what it is and it's age etc, in these days of sophisticated forgery this gives your find provenance if you wish to sell, if your find is deemed 'treasure trove' and the museum wish to purchase it you get full market value.
Comment icon #6 Posted by AllPossible 6 years ago
Crazy part is all those ship wrecks in the Carribean that are still on the ocean floor. My uncle lives in Florida & finds random things from shipwrecks usually after a hurricane stirs up the water & sand. There is so many undiscovered valuables that like you said will probably never be discovered


Please Login or Register to post a comment.


Our new book is out now!
Book cover

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

 AVAILABLE NOW 

Take a walk on the weird side with this compilation of some of the weirdest stories ever to grace the pages of a newspaper.

Click here to learn more

We need your help!
Patreon logo

Support us on Patreon

 BONUS CONTENT 

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can gain access to a wide range of exclusive perks including our popular 'Lost Ghost Stories' series.

Click here to learn more

Recent news and articles