The coin has a pattern around the edge and central figure. (Representational Image)
An 8-year-old boy spotted a small silver object while playing in a sandbox in Germany. Later, archaeologists realised that the boy had stumbled on an ancient Roman treasure. The boy, identified only as Bjarne, found the silver item in August 2022 but the details were revealed at a press conference on Friday.
According to Miami Herald, the coin was an ancient Roman denarius made in the 2nd century, Bremen state archaeologist Uta Halle told cultural authorities. It weighs less than an ounce because it was minted during a time of inflation when coins were made with significantly smaller amounts of silver.
The coin has a pattern around the edge and central figure. According to Newsweek, the newly discovered coin was forged during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who ruled over the Roman Empire from A.D. 161 to A.D. 180. The area of Germany where the coin was discovered was not part of the empire, which is why the find is so unusual. Exactly how it made its way to Bremen is still unknown.
Roman coins were previously found during an excavation in Bremerhaven and neighboring Lower Saxony. There used to be Germanic settlements there. The coins probably came to the region outside the borders of the Roman Empire as objects of barter or as payment for mercenaries, according to a release by Austria Press Agency.
Earlier, in 2018, copper coins believed to be 1,800 years old, were spotted by the locals of the area while excavating a hillock in Khaprana village, UP.