Ancient Roman treasure trove of 27 rare silver coins unearthed likely by heavy rains on Sicilian island
A handout image depicts one of the 27 silver Roman coins, dating from 94 to 74 BC, found in a treasure trove on the remote island of Pantelleria, Sicily, Italy. (Ufficio Stampa Regione Sicilia/Handout)
Archaeologists have made a significant discovery on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria.
A trove of 27 silver Roman coins, dating back to the 1st century BC, has been unearthed during restoration work at the Acropolis of San Marco and Santa Teresa, according to the Sicilian government.
Some were exposed by recent rains, while others were hidden beneath a boulder, as archaeologists Thomas Schäfer from Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany, recently discovered.
Schäfer, who has been excavating the site for 25 years, described it as "a wonderful site, fortunately intact … (and) never been touched over the centuries."
The coins, minted between 94 and 74 BC, have now been cleaned and cataloged, Schäfer adds. He believes they were likely hidden during a pirate attack, a common occurrence along the Sicilian coast at the time.
According to Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, the Sicilian Councilor for Cultural Heritage and Identity, the discovery offers crucial information for understanding the commercial contacts, political relations and events that shaped the Mediterranean during the Roman Republic.
In recent years, the Sicilian government has reported the discovery of other significant Roman artifacts at the same site, including 107 silver denarii unearthed in 2010 and the renowned imperial heads of Julius Caesar, Agrippina the Elder and Titus Flavius Vespasian.