Roman coins discovery in The Hague

The Roman treasure found in The Hague

Translated from NOS TV in the Netherlands:

Roman coin treasure found in The Hague

Friday, November 21, 2014, 18:26

Archaeologists have found a great treasure in The Hague. More than a hundred silver coins, bracelets and fibulae were found in a Roman pot. Also found: glass beads that may have been used to make a necklace.

The discovery was made at the place where people work on the new link between Ypenburg and the Hague Centre ring road, Rotterdamsebaan. The remains of a house from Roman times had been found there already.

Lump

The silver had been compressed in the course of centuries into a big lump, but archaeologists were able to loosen the money and the jewelry again. There coins turned out to include specimens from the time of Emperor Nero, Marcus Aurelius and Otho. That last emperor reigned in the year 69, for only three months.

According to The Hague local authorities the discovery is not only special because it involves so many coins, but also because it is silver, while copper money was more common in those days. Moreover, it is remarkable that there was so much money available in the then rural area.

Hidden

The coins were, according to archaeologists, already old when they were buried and must have been deliberately hidden at the time. Why that happened will always remain a mystery; maybe because of a threat of raids, but it may also be a religious offering.

The coin treasure can be seen from next Tuesday in the exhibition Archaeology behind the dunes in the The Hague City Hall.