2,000-year-old hoard of Roмan coins may have been hidden by a soldier during a bloody civil war in Italy.

The discovery of a hoard of 175 silver coins in Tuscany, Italy, provides insight into a turbulent period in Roman history. These coins, believed to date back to 82 B.C., were possibly buried for safekeeping during a Roman civil war led by General Lucius Cornelius Sulla. The archaeologists investigating the hoard speculate that it may have been buried by a Roman soldier who subsequently lost his life in battle.

While some experts suggest that the coins were hidden by a soldier, historian Federico Santangelo proposes an alternative theory. He believes that a businessman seeking to protect his wealth during tumultuous times could have buried the coins. Santangelo emphasizes that during periods of crisis, individuals often buried their money, but due to various circumstances, were unable to retrieve it.

No other archaeological objects were found at the site where the coin hoard was discovered, although remains of a Roman-era farm were previously found nearby. The coins were unearthed in 2021 by a member of an archaeological group in a newly-cut area of forest in Tuscany. The earliest coins in the hoard are estimated to date back to 157 or 156 B.C., while the most recent ones are from 83 or 82 B.C.

Lorella Alderighi, an archaeologist with the provincial office for archaeology, suggests that the coins were deliberately hidden as a form of treasure or savings. Burying valuables underground, away from homes, was a common method of safeguarding them. It is speculated that the owner of the coins, possibly a Roman soldier returning from military service, buried them with the intention of using the sum to establish his own farm.

Similar coin hoards have been discovered in Italy, with many of them buried during times of war or upheaval. The period when the coins were buried coincided with a troubled era in Italian history. Italy had recently experienced the Social War between Rome and its Italian allies, and General Sulla had returned to confront his enemies in Rome. Sulla’s victory in 82 B.C. served as a blueprint for future Roman rulers, leading to a larger civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great, ultimately resulting in the rise of Augustus as the first Roman emperor in 27 B.C.

The discovery of these coins offers valuable insights into the historical context and the economic strategies employed during a time of conflict and political change in ancient Rome.

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