Gold coins dating back over 2,000 years have been found by metal detectors in Wales, making them the first Iron Age treasure of its kind to be discovered in the country.
The 15 coins, which were declared treasure, are known as staters. They were found on the Welsh Isle of Anglesey, off the northwest coast of the mainland.
Printed between 60 BC and 20 BC, the coins belonged to the Corieltavi group, who at the time inhabited the geographic area that is now England’s East Midlands, according to a press release from the National Museum Wales.
Precious metals were discovered by three metal detectors in a field between July 2021 and March 2022.
Lloyd Roberts, who claimed to have been a metal detectorist for 14 years, found the first coin.
“Finding a gold stater has always been number one on my wish list,” he said in the statement, adding, “That coin alone would have made my year.”
Roberts said his friend, Peter Cockton, found three others. They then contacted the Portable Antiquities Scheme, an organization that records such historical and archaeological finds.
Tim Watson, who said he only started metal detecting after his father’s encouragement, found the sixth.
“I rushed home to show my wife and we were both in awe of this coin, which was unlike anything I had encountered, immaculately preserved with such unusual stylized imagery,” Watson said in the statement.
Watson said his enthusiasm led him to upgrade his metal detector, and he found the remaining nine coins over the next few weeks.
‘Rich archaeological landscape’
The elaborate design of the gold coins derives from the reign of Philip II — who ruled the ancient kingdom of Macedon (from 359 BC to 336 BC). The head side of the coins shows the crown and hair of the mythological deity Apollo, while the tail side shows a triangular-headed horse surrounded by symbols.
The coins were likely not used for everyday transactions, except potentially for some high-value purchases, according to the statement. Instead, staters are believed to have been used as gifts among elites to secure alliances or show loyalty.
Stateres could also have been used as “offerings to the gods” to fulfill a vow, according to the National Museum Wales. Other archaeological finds from Anglesey, as well as Roman sources referring to the island that feature pagan priests, suggest that the area was an important religious center at the time.
The Gwynedd Archaeological Trust visited the site in September 2021 to see if there were any clues as to why the coins were buried there.
“This treasure trove is a fantastic example of the rich archaeological landscape that exists in North West Wales,” said Sean Derby, an archaeologist in the Historic Environmental Register at the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust. “While the immediate vicinity of the discovery does not provide any clues as to the origin of the discovery, the site lies in an area known for prehistoric and Roman activity and helps to increase our understanding of this region.”
Welsh museum Oriel Môn intends to acquire the coins and put them on public display.
Source: CNN Brasil
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