A woman in the Czech Republic, during a routine walk, accidentally stumbled upon a medieval treasure – silver coins that had lain in the ground for about 900 years.
Silver coins (illustrative photo) / © livescience
In the Czech Republic, a woman discovered a medieval treasure by chance during a regular stroll. In the Kutná Hora region, she came across a ceramic pot filled with silver coins – denarii, approximately 900 years old.
This is reported by Popular Mechanics.
The ceramic vessel itself was nearly disintegrated, but the coins remained preserved as a dense collection. Specialists from the Archaeological Institute and the Czech Museum of Silver in Kutná Hora are examining the find.
Archaeologist Filip Velimský described the discovery as a genuine “lottery win.” According to him, the treasure was likely hidden in the first quarter of the 12th century, during a period of internal political instability.
“It was probably placed there in the first quarter of the 12th century, amidst internal political instability. At that time, disputes were ongoing within the country between members of the Přemyslid dynasty for the princely throne in Prague,” Velimský explained.
Experts suggest that the owner of the coins was a very wealthy individual. For an ordinary household at that time, such a sum was almost unattainable.
“For the turn of the 11th-12th centuries, we do not have precise data on the purchasing power of the coins of that era. However, it was a huge sum, unimaginable for an ordinary person. It can be compared to winning a million in the lottery,” noted the archaeologist.
The Kutná Hora region during that period was associated with power struggles, and the armies of feuding princes frequently passed through these territories. Therefore, researchers do not rule out the possibility that the coins could have been payment for soldiers or military spoils. However, these are currently only assumptions.
Preliminary analysis links the coins to three rulers of the Přemyslid dynasty – King Vratislaus II, as well as princes Bretislaus II and Bořivoj II. Most likely, the denarii were minted in Prague.
The coins are made of a silver alloy that also contained copper, lead, and traces of other metals. Scientists hope to determine the exact composition of the alloy to understand the origin of the silver.
The Czech Museum of Silver previously stated that the find would be registered, cleaned, and preserved. After this, the treasure may be displayed to the public.
We remind you that in the eastern part of Norway, archaeologists made one of the most significant discoveries in recent years – over 3000 silver coins from the Viking era.
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