Why silver coins dug up in a small Slovak town surprised everyone
The discovery may be related to the construction of the local castle.
A unique find was discovered during a new construction in the town of Veľký Šariš in eastern Slovakia: a treasure full of 13th century silver coins.
It is the largest find of coins from the reign of Béla IV of Hungary on the territory of Slovakia. He ruled Hungary and Croatia between 1235 and 1270.
"There are more than 500 individual silver coins that await professional treatment and processing," said the head of archaeological research, Zuzana Kasenčáková.
Stone Age object found as well
Research in Veľký Šariš was carried out by the Archeo company in two stages.
"Twenty six archaeological objects were found in the southern two-thirds of the investigated area, which were dated to the Early Modern Period (late 15th to 17th century - Ed. note), and one architectural object was from the Early Stone Age from the Bükk culture (5,000 to 4,700 BCE - Ed. note)," said archaeologists Zuzana Kasenčáková and Mário Comisso.
The foundations of farm buildings were also uncovered.
Archaeologists expected similar finds, however those in the northern third of the investigated area surprised them, as these are the most interesting in terms of research uncovering the history of the Šariš region, eastern Slovakia.
"In the 13th century building, which can be tentatively classified as a half-buried house, a truly unique find - a deposit of coins - was uncovered," the archaeologists confirmed the unique find involving silver coins from the 13th century.
According to the experts, it was to be expected that some coins from the given period would be found, but such a massive find surprised them.
These coins still await further examination and analysis. They automatically became the property of the state by law.
The treasure is not the only valuable result of the archaeological research. Mediaeval residential units were also discovered, which bear the signs of urban planning.
"The uniqueness of the find lies in its complexity," said the archaeologists, adding that the greater part of the floor plans of the houses were captured intact.
Archaeologist: It is extraordinary
The amount of coins could be related to the construction of the castle. However, there were several discoveries in the given location: a chopping weapon, a stirrup and a carpenter's ax were found as well. However, the treasure trove of silver coins is unique.
"It is unique because the troves from the period of King Béla IV are not represented in such numbers in Slovakia. And not at all on archaeological sites, because mostly those troves are found by chance. Someone digs in the garden and accidentally finds something. Well, finding the exact place where it was stored is a rarity," Comisso said.
He confirmed that even according to his colleagues who specialise in numismatics, coins like these are usually found in just small amounts. "Not in the hundreds," he noted.
It is also interesting that they were discovered within a residential building. Given that it is an exceptional discovery, he did not specify the next steps and the immediate fate of the treasure.
©Korzár
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