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Spanish officials recently unveiled a trove of priceless Ancient Roman coins, marking the first time the massive collection has been put on public display.
The National Archaeological Museum in Madrid recently announced the “Treasure of Tomares” exhibit in a press release.
Discovered during a construction project in Tomares, Spain, in 2016, the collection consists of over 50,000 coins. The coins date between the late third century and the early fourth century A.D.
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“The so-called Treasure of Tomares was discovered by chance in 2016 during construction work in the Zaudín Olive Grove Park, located in the town of Seville,” the museum said in a May statement translated from Spanish to English.
“Subsequent investigations revealed this location corresponded to an olive estate of ancient Hispalis, the Roman-era Seville.”
Nineteen amphorae were found, and three of them are visible in the exhibit.
One has been broken, while the other two are still sealed with their coins intact.
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“The third is fragmented and displayed alongside the 2,800 coins emerging from its interior,” NAM’s statement explained.
The museum added, “To reinforce the historical context, the exhibition is complemented by a selection of this type of coin, bronze pieces with a silver surface coating belonging to the nine emperors who succeeded during this period, in addition to seven specimens considered unique due to the exceptional iconography of their reverses.”
The collection is the largest assortment of Roman coins discovered in Spain and one of the largest in the world.
Exhibit photos show the ancient coins spilling from the fragmented amphora, which has remarkably preserved some of its features over the centuries, including its handles.
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Close-up pictures of the coins show that many of them have rusted with age, but the portraits on the coins are still faintly visible.
“This extraordinary collection provides very valuable information about the economy, society and politics during the era of the Tetrarchy, marking the end of the crisis of the 3rd century, a crucial historical moment that continues to be studied today,” the museum noted.
The free exhibit will remain open to the public until September 28.
Spain, known as Hispania in Ancient Rome, played a significant role during antiquity.
It provided mineral resources for the Roman Empire and was a strategic location during the Roman wars against Carthage.
Last year, archaeologists announced that the world’s oldest bottle of wine was found in an Ancient Roman burial site in southern Spain.
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