Six years of savings buried in the ground – nearly 2,000 years no one found them

An amateur archaeologist uncovered a hoard of 934 Roman silver coins from the reign of Emperor Hadrian in southern Germany, weighing 3.1 kg. Researchers estimate this represents six years of savings for a legionary soldier, and that the coins were intentionally buried in the second century AD. The owner never returned to retrieve them.

Oliver Riedel, an amateur archaeologist, used a metal detector to uncover a treasure of 934 Roman silver coins near the town of Wesseling, south of Cologne, Germany. The hoard, weighing 3.1 kg, is the largest from the reign of Emperor Hadrian ever discovered on German soil. Researchers believe the coins were intentionally buried in the second quarter of the second century AD, and that their owner never returned to retrieve them, likely due to death. The treasure's value was estimated based on legionary soldiers' pay: a Roman soldier earned about 300 denarii per year, but roughly half was deducted for food and equipment, so it would take about six years of full savings from disposable income to amass this fortune. The area around Cologne was under Roman control for about 500 years. The hoard was displayed at the LVR Museum in Bonn. The article links the period to the Bar Kokhba revolt in the Land of Israel, describing Hadrian's decrees and the suppression of the revolt.

Six years of savings buried in the ground – nearly 2,000 years no one found them