Roman coin treasure discovered on Zugerberg

Roman coins have been found in a remote forest on the Zugerberg. The coins were close together, indicating that they were originally in a container made of some perishable material, for example, in a cloth or leather bag or in a wooden vessel, reports the Directorate of the Interior. The coins were minted in the name of various emperors and an empress, and can be dated between 241 and 255 AD. The twelve coins are so-called ‘Antoniniane’.

The Antoninian was introduced under Emperor Caracalla in 215 A.D. as a means of payment and had a target weight of 5.1 grams when first minted. Due to the political and economic development in the 3rd century, they experienced such a drastic devaluation that, at the end of the century, they were only a small copper coin that contained barely any silver. The coins from the Zugerberg have an average weight of 3.45 grams. The fact that the oldest coin is just 14 years older than the youngest is explained by the progressive decline in the silver content of these coins. The older coins with higher silver content would have quickly disappeared from circulation, and would either be hoarded or melted down. The twelve coins from the Zugerberg must have been hidden shortly after the year 255, with the idea of recovering them later.

The determination of the purchasing power of the coins at that time is very difficult, as traditional data refers to different dates and regions, writes the Directorate of the Interior. The "treasure" on the Zugerberg was certainly not an enormously high amount, but is historically of great interest. "The find is unique for the Canton of Zug and is an important testimony to the local circulation of Roman money in a politically turbulent and economically uncertain time," said Stefan Hochuli, head of the Office of Preservation and Archaeology.

Twelve Roman silver coins minted between 241 and 255 AD. Visible are the coronet-crowned busts of the Emperors Gordian III, Volusian and Valerian I and, resting on a crescent moon, a bust of Empress Otacilia Severa (wife of Philip I). The visible coin backs show the deities Sol with globe, Jupiter with a sceptre and lightning bundle, Mars with a spear and shield, Concordia sitting with sacrificial shell and cornucopia, and Victoria with palm branch and shield, under which a prisoner sits on the ground.