Like an Instagram of the ancient world

Archaeologists have made a find in Zug that is unique in Switzerland. The discovery found 20 silver and three bronze coins from Celtic and Roman times.

The find was made in January 2020 as part of prospecting work in a remote wooded area between Zug and Walchwil, as the canton of Zug has only now announced. It could be the content of a purse / money bag that was lost about 2,000 years ago. The coins that have been found date from the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, and consists mainly of Celtic silver coins and silver and bronze coins from the Roman Republic.

Only one other mixed find of Celtic silver coins and republican denari has ever been discovered In Switzerland. The eleven Celtic coins are so-called "obole" (small silver pieces). They came from Noricum, a Celtic kingdom that once encompassed large parts of present-day Austria, Burgenland and parts of western Hungary. The twelve Roman coins are made up of eight silver denari, a silver quinar and three bronze coins, including the most recent find, which was minted around 15 to 9/7 BC in Nemausus, today's Nîmes (France).

Photo 1: The 23 silver and bronze coins from The Celtic and Roman times are over 2,000 years old.

Photo 2: These coins show: the Deity Roma (symbolising the Roman state or the city of Rome); a rider with a palm branch (symbol of victory) on a galloping horse; a triumphal chariot pulled by four horses;  a galley (warship); a temple; Taurus (symbol of strength); a legionary eagle and military standards; the Goddess Victoria (personifying victory) with a wreath and palm branch in front of an altar adorned with garlands and with a serpent wound around the top; a crocodile chained to a palm tree; and a chariot pulled by two horses (Biga).

Photo 3: The crocodile chained to a palm tree (below) stands for the military subjugation of Egypt – the land on the Nile is symbolised by the crocodile, and the palm is an ancient symbol of victory. The two "Legionsdenare" of Marcus Antonius date from the time of these events. They show a galley (warship) on one side and a legionary eagle and field standard on the other.
Photos: Res Eichenberger/PD

"The find is not only attracting great interest in scientific circles, but is also likely to fascinate the general public because of the diverse motifs on the coins," says Stefan Hochuli, Head of the Office for The Preservation of Monuments and Archaeology.

Coins as a means of communication
Roman coins not only served as a means of payment, but were also a popular mass medium for communication between the rulers and the population of the vast empire, as well as the legions, some of whom were deployed far away from the Italian heartland. In addition to effigies of deities, the find from the canton of Zug also shows a galley (warship), a legion eagle, a triumphal car pulled by four horses, military field standards or a crocodile chained to a palm tree, which stands for the subjugation of Egypt.

According to Stefan Hochuli, the Roman leadership elite was able to convey their political and religious views and military successes or to represent themselves in these coin images, as a kind of "Instagram of the Ancient World".