Treasure trove of Roman coins found beneath a Spanish park 3rd century AD haul of silver coated curr

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• published: 30 Apr 2016
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Workers laying pipes in a southern Spanish park have unearthed a 1,300lbs (600kg) trove of Roman coins in what culture officials say is a unique historic discovery. The Seville Archaeological Museum said the workers came across 19 amphoras containing thousands of unused bronze and silver-coated coins dating from the 3rd and 4th century. The coins are believed to have been recently minted at the time they were buried and had probably been stored to pay soldiers or civil servants. Museum director Ana Navarro said the discovery Wednesday in the southern town of Tomares outside Seville is unique for Spain and of incalculable value. She told reporters the museum had contacted counterparts in Britain, France and Italy and that the find appeared to be one of the most important from the period. The regional cultural department said Friday construction work in the park had been halted while archeologists investigate further. The clay pots, 10 of which were said to be intact, were found just over a metre (yard) underground. Navarro said the coins studied so far bear images of emperors Constantine and Maximian and with a variety of pictorial images on the reverse. Maximian was born in around 250 AD and rose through the ranks of the army before served under emperor Aurelian. He became emperor in 285 AD after being Caesar, or co-ruler, with Diocletian before being Augustus from 286 AD. When he became Augustus, he used his full birth name of Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus. Each emperor had his own court, army, and official residences and legal rulings and imperial celebrations took place in both emperors' names. He died in Marseilles in 310, and historians are unclear as to whether he was murdered or committed suicide. Constantine, meanwhile, was more far reaching in his achievements. Historians have awarded him the moniker of Constantine the Great. His reign marked a change in the empire, reigning intermittently from 306 to 337AD. Among his achievements was establishing the ‘New Rome’ in the city of Byzantium, which was renamed to Constantinople. He united warring sections of the empire, joining the east and west by 324AD. As a result, the same coins were issued across the empire. The cultural department said the museum had no similar coins in its collection. Once the find has been fully investigated the pieces will be put on display in the museum, the department said. The Romans began to conquer Spain in 218 BC and ruled until the 5th century. Historical evidence suggests that Maximian raised an army and marched through Spain in 296 AD, to fend off North African hordes of raiders. His armies may have even beat back the Moors from the southern tip of the country and the strait of Gibraltar. The other face to appear on the coins is that of emperor Constantine, who was potentially more far reaching in his achievements, earning him the title Constantine the Great. Constantine united the warring halves of the Roman empire, he also established the ‘New Rome’ in the city of Byzantium, which was renamed to Constantinople. Constantine united the warring halves of the Roman empire, he also established the ‘New Rome’ in the city of Byzantium, which was renamed to Constantinople. The overlapping of the two periods marks a tempestuous time in the empire, with tales of treachery. After his ‘retirement’, Maximian was sent to command forces in France. But historical accounts tell how he the former emperor announced that Constantine was dead, paying off all those around him. However, when Constantine heard of the rebellious move, he headed straight for Maximian, meeting him at Marseilles. Here the details are hazy, with historians recording that Maximian was stripped of his titles and ‘encouraged’ to take his own life. Maximian was found hanged in Marseilles.