Metal detectorists stumble on rare ancient Roman treasure in Poland. Take a look
In a field in southern Poland, several metal detectorists searched the ground until they heard a telltale beep. What they found — a rare ancient Roman treasure and several other artifacts — surprised officials.
A group of metal detectorists led by Janusz Szabat and Piotr Magoch searched multiple nearby fields in Księżpol this spring, the Lublin Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments said in a July 26 Facebook post. They probably didn’t expect to find much because the area had no known archaeological sites.
But while searching the fields, the metal detectorists stumbled upon coin after coin.
The group, known as the Tarnogród Regional Society Explorers Group, took their finds to officials who identified the coins as ancient Roman artifacts.
In total, the group found seven ancient Roman silver coins, or denarii, officials said. The oldest coin was minted in 141, and the newest was minted in 251. Photos show a few of the treasures.
The finds included a rare Roman coin with the face of an ancient empress, Herennia Cupressenia Etruscilla, officials said. Only a quarter of the coin remains, but originally it would have been twice the size of a typical denarius.
Two Roman coins, including the rare one, had been cut into fragments at some point, most likely during a trade.
Metal detectorists also uncovered ancient Roman pins, knives and tools as well as dozens of medieval coins, officials said. Experts were surprised by the age and quantity of these artifacts.
Officials shared photos of the ancient Roman pins, or fibulae, in a July 31 Facebook post. These bronze items were decorative and hooked to shirts, coats or dresses.
Photos shared by the Lublin Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments on July 29 show some of these medieval artifacts. The coins were identified as Lithuanian copper shillings minted between 1660 and 1668.
Archaeologists did follow-up excavation of the fields and uncovered several pottery fragments from the Roman era as well as more recent pottery artifacts.
The metal detectorists’ finds revealed a previously unknown and very valuable archaeological site, officials said.
Księżpol is a village in southwestern Poland, a roughly 170-mile drive southwest from Warsaw and near the border with Ukraine.
Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook posts from the Lublin Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments.
This story was originally published July 29, 2024 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Metal detectorists stumble on rare ancient Roman treasure in Poland. Take a look."
