Augsburg is the second oldest city in Germany after Trier: Its founding date goes back to the year 15 BC. At that time it was still an army camp of the Roman Empire, but over the centuries it developed into one of the most important cities in the region. People from all over the Roman Empire came here in transit, to trade or for strategic reasons. The city developed into a “financial metropolis”, says Augsburg city archaeologist Sebastian Gairhos. Treasures from this period are found in the city again and again. It was not until June of this year that various pieces of antique jewelry, crockery and containers were found in Augsburg’s oldest district of Oberhausen. The largest silver find in Bavarian history has now been made just a few hundred meters away: More than 5500 silver coins, i.e. 15 kilos of silver, were seized in a gravel bed on a construction site. There have so far been fewer than ten comparable discoveries of this type in Germany, said Gairhos at the presentation of the find on Wednesday.
The coins were not found in a treasure chest – as was the case with Indiana Jones – they were lying around freely in the gravel floor. It was noticeable that most of the coins came to light in one place, which, according to archaeologist Gairhos, indicates that the coins were buried there with a purpose. For example, as a savings investment – banks or Bitcoin did not exist back then – or as a means of transaction for business. Something like this was common at the time, but this number of coins was “something very special”, says Gairhos. Among other things, this is due to the value of the coins at the time: an average legionnaire earned an annual salary of 400 to 500 silver coins in the Roman Empire, so the silver found corresponded to eleven to 13 annual salaries for a soldier.
The mayor spoke of a “spectacular find”
Augsburg’s Lord Mayor Eva Weber also spoke of a “spectacular find” at the presentation of the coins, which went hand in hand with an obligation to “make the Roman tangible”. The Augsburg cultural advisor Jürgen Enninger said that an exhibition was already planned from December 17, 2021 to January 9, 2022 in the Roman camp of the Augsburg armory. In addition to the silver coins, the sensational find also brought the debate about a Roman museum in the city back to the surface. For almost ten years now, Augsburg’s numerous Roman exhibits have been presented in temporary solutions such as the armory, an own museum has long been planned, but it fails because of the location, said Enninger.
The further scientific analysis of the coins is now carried out in connection with a doctorate at the University of Tübingen. Over the next two to three years, the coins will be cleaned and finally determined there. The almost 2000 year old coins have long since lost their shine due to wear and tear and erosion, and maybe in a few years they will shine again in their old splendor. If a place for the Roman Museum Augsburg has been found by then, they would have their own place to shine.