A treasure trove containing ancient Roman coins, best known as follis, was found in the sea off the north-eastern coast of Sardinia. The find can be considered the largest in the practice of archaeologists.
The treasure was discovered by a diver who noticed a metallic sheen in the water off the coast of Sardinia, near the city of Arzachena. He informed the Italian authorities about his discovery, after which tens of thousands of bronze coins from the first half of the 4th century were raised to the surface. According to the initial estimate, archaeologists discovered from 30 to 50 thousand coins, but their equivalent amount in currency remains unknown.
The source recalls that the treasure found in Sardinia is twice as large as the one found in Great Britain in 2013.
“All follis are in a good state of preservation, and only four pieces were damaged, but still readable. The operation to restore and preserve the found coins and materials will expand and deepen knowledge about the context of the finds, from which a lot of information can still be obtained,” they noted at the Italian Ministry of Culture.
Based on the type of coinage, scientists attributed them to the period between 324 and 340 AD. The coins found come from almost all the mints of the empire operating during that period. In addition to the coins, at the site of the find, experts found the walls of vessels of African and Eastern production, but in a smaller volume.