Heard it through the
Grapevine When in Rome … Hoard 651 silver coins? Why not? A CNN story edited by Ralph Finch The details of a “very special” haul of 651 Roman coins found in the ancient city of Aizanoi in Turkey have finally been been released by researchers behind the discovery. The ruins of Aizanoi are found in modern-day Kutahya province, which is in western Turkey. The silver coins were found in a jug during archeological excavations led by researchers from Pamukkale University, according to the university’s press release. The coins were found in *2019 and date from the period of Emperor Augustus, who ruled from 44 BC to 14 AD. He was the first Roman emperor, who took over after Julius Caesar was assasinated, and built an empire that would eventually stretch from England to Egypt, boasting on his death bed that: “I found Rome built of bricks, and left it marble.” (*And why were the details only recently released? Probably the same reason that privy diggers, when they find a great spot, keep it private until the area has been completely dug.) Many of the coins feature Augustus’ face, while others bear the likenesses of Marcus Junius Brutus — one of the ringleaders in the assassination of Caesar in 44 BC — and some show Caesar himself. Elif Ozer, an archeologist and professor at the university, said the coins “may have been brought to Aizanoi by a high-ranking soldier. The majority of the coins appear to have been minted in southern Italy. It is the most special silver coin find of recent times,” added Ozer. (In September 2018, at least 300 Roman coins were found in a soapstone jar unearthed in the basement of the Cressoni Theater in Como, north of Milan.)
4
Antique Bottle & Glass Collector
TOP: A nice batch of 651 Roman coins. Well, they are no Buffalo Head nickels, but not bad. ABOVE: These gold coins were found around 2018, unearthed in the basement of a demolished theater in northern Italy. The coins date to the Roman Imperial times in the fourth or fifth century, and were spilling out of a two-handled soapstone jar called an amphora, buried in the dirt. The coins have engravings of the emperors Honorius, Valentinian III, Leon I, Antonio and Libio Severo, and do not go beyond 474 AD.
And last October, an ancient Roman coin described as a “naked and shameless celebration” of the assassination of Caesar set a new record for a coin sold at auction. It went for $3.5 million, and featured a portrait of Brutus. (Not the one in the Popeye cartoons.) What would you do with a bag of 651 ancient Roman coins? My suggestion? I’d go again with Janet over to Rome’s Trevi Fountain and toss a coin over my left
shoulder. I did that once with Janet in 2012. (Only I’d be more careful now. At 81, my shoulder isn’t what it used to be.) Wikipedia explains: The tradition of throwing a coin over your shoulder and into the fountain has its roots in Roman legend. The story goes that if you throw a coin into the fountain with your right hand and over your left shoulder, this guarantees that one day in the future you will return to Rome.
