The Malagana Treasure

In 1992 a sugarcane farm employee was working the fields at the Hacienda Malagana located in Colombia‘s Cauca Valley. The ground gave way, and both man and machine tumbled into a hole. The worker noticed shiny, golden objects in the dirt. Upon closer inspection he realized he’d found ancient gold. The artifacts were grave goods from burial tombs of a previously unknown indigenous culture of Colombia. His secret didn’t last. Word spread like wildfire, and a looting frenzy began. Between October and December 1992, thousands descended upon Hacienda Malagana in what was called the “Malagana Gold Rush”.

Almost four tons of pre-Columbian artifacts were removed from the site to be melted down or sold to collectors in what was described as the “grandest haul since the Conquistadores.” By 1994 the treasure hunters had given up as the cemetery had been destroyed. Archaeologists were able to learn more about the mysterious culture. They found that the site was used for rich burials between 300 BC and 300 AD.

Jaguar lime flask, Calima Malagana, 200 BC.

Colombia's Museo del Oro, 'Museum of Gold' launched a campaign to locate and recover as many artifacts as possible that were stolen from the tombs of the main cemetery at Hacienda Malagana. Over 150 often stunning objects were eventually acquired.

Agrippina “the Elder”

Agrippina I (mother of Caligula) Æ Sestertius. Rome, 37-41 CE. AGRIPPINA M F MAT C CAESARIS AVGVSTI, draped bust right / S P Q R MEMORIAE AGRIPPINAE, carpentum to left, drawn by two mules. $6,400.

Born in 14 BCE, Agrippina “the Elder” was the daughter of Marcus Agrippa. Her mother was Julia, daughter of Augustus. Agrippina married Germanicus, the adopted son of Augustus’ successor Tiberius, and in 12 CE bore the future emperor Gaius, nicknamed 'Caligula'. After Germanicus' death in 12 AD she relentlessly pursued the cause of her sons Nero and Drusus Caesar. She was caught in Nero's exile in AD 29. Nero was exiled to Pontia where he died by a servant's hand while she was exiled to the island of Pandateria. She would remain there until her death by starvation in AD 33. Some blame Agrippina “the Elder” for the fall of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

Ancient Gold in Kazakhstan - 'Golden Man' of Saka

The discovery from the 'Yeleke Sazy' burial mound in 2020 was that of a 17-to-18-year-old noble, dressed in gold. The finds date to the 7th or 8th century BC. The garments and boots of the young man were embroidered with gold beads. There was a 1 kg gold torc on his neck. He had a golden dagger and a golden quiver.

In ancient Persian sources, ‘Saka’ is used interchangeably with ‘Scythians’, although ‘Saka’ is generally attributed to the easternmost peoples.

The finds are from the Tarbagatai district of East Kazakhstan. The discovered gold bears evidence of cutting-edge technology. The finds suggest that people of that time had developed metallurgical expertise; mining, ore concentration, and smelting.

Discovered in the burial of Alike Sazy were arrow tips made of bronze. The artifacts are extremely well preserved and still remain sharp. These arrows were likely used for ritual purposes or as grave goods.

Grave of princess of Ukok

The Roman shoe hoard of Vindolanda

A new analysis of sewer drains from the Roman fort of Vindolanda has shown that the occupants were infected by three types of intestinal parasite — roundworm, whipworm, and Giardia duodenalis. These parasites are all spread by ineffective sanitation, with contamination of food, drink or hands by human feces. The predominance of fecal-oral parasites at Vindolanda is similar to Roman military sites elsewhere, say researchers. Vindolanda is famous for the organic objects preserved at the site, such as more than 1,000 thin wooden tablets written with ink that document daily life and a collection of over 5,000 Roman leather shoes.

Around 212 AD the troops and their dependents pulled out of the fort. Anything that they couldn't carry was tossed into the ditches.

1,800 years ago the Roman army built one of its smallest but most heavily defended forts at the site of Vindolanda. The small garrison of a few hundred soldiers and their families took shelter behind a series of large ditches and ramparts, while outside the walls a war raged between northern British Tribes and Roman forces.

With the debris were dog and cat skeletons, pottery, leather and 421 Roman shoes.

In 2016, archaeologists excavated the ditch and discovered an incredible time capsule of life. The shoe hoard gives an indication of the affluence of the occupants in AD 212 with stylish and well-made shoes, both adults and children’s.

They are the best preserved Roman shoes ever found.

Ingot find reveals UK’s ancient trade routes

Evidence suggests Britain had trade routes with the rest of the world as far back as the Bronze Age.

Similar ingots, dating from around 1,300 BC, were also found at archaeological sites in Greece and Turkey.

In 2019 researchers revealed 3000-year-old tin ingots found in Israel actually originated from Devon and Cornwall. Commodities such as tin, amber and glass were highly prized in the ancient world and were the catalysts for trade.

The origin of tin had been an enigma in archaeological research. Bronze was used to make weapons, jewellery, and daily objects. Tin ingots are valuable for research because they can accurately point to their exact origin. Around 3,000 BC, ancients began smelting copper with tin in order to create a stronger metal; bronze. The Bronze Age witnessed the development of many innovations. Societies around the world grew faster and more advanced and trade was the reason.

Gold of the Boer War

The armed conflict between Britain and the two Boer republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State in South Africa, the second Boer War, began on 11 October 1899 and ended on 31 May 1902. The Boer War (Gold War) was the first war of the bloody 20th century. It pitted the might of the British Empire against a small group of Dutch farmers. Boer is the Dutch word for farmer.

The British mobilized an army of more than 500,000 men from all corners of the empire to fight the Dutch farmers. This vast army used state of the art military technology. One such weapon was the newly invented Maxim machine gun.

Despite overwhelming numbers and the latest killing technology, the Boers fought heroically against the British invaders. The Boers were never able to field more that 60,000 men but they fought tenaciously and displayed amazing courage and resourcefulness to defend their homeland.

The Battle of Spion Kop was fought on the hilltop of Spioenkop along the Tugela River in South Africa from 23–24 January 1900.

Six companies of the 2nd Battalion The King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment marching in column, and at ease, towards Spion Kop.

20,000 British faced 8,000 Boers. It was a British defeat. The British suffered 243 fatalities; many buried in the trenches where they fell. About 1,250 British were either wounded or captured. Mohandas Gandhi was a stretcher-bearer at the battle, in the Indian Ambulance Corps. Boers at Spion Kop, 1900.

The British trench in "the murderous acre" on Spion Kop

In the closing stages of the Anglo-Boer War, Paul Kruger, president of the South African Republic of Transvaal and the face of the resistance, fled from encroaching British troops in 1900. In the 1880s Kruger had issued orders that if the British threatened the capital city of Pretoria the entire reserves of the national bank - gold bullion and coins - should be put on wagons and hidden in the African plains. Following his evacuation, Kruger lived out the last four years of his life in exile before dying in Switzerland. Some of his gold was auctioned. Most Boer leadership were killed and the location of the Krugerrand motherload has never been revealed.

The 1902 gold Veldpond also known as the "Pilgrim's Rest Coin" is a coin struck by the Boers on the run from the overwhelming British forces on a makeshift mint set up in the veld (long grass) in the remote region of Pilgrims Rest in the north eastern Transvaal. For many numismatists the Veld Pond is the holy grail of South African coins. Soft hand-cut dies and an improvised flypress were used to strike about 530 coins in gold. Only a single set of hand carved dies were used - thus the simple design and the poor quality of the coin. The dies were kept under lock and key so the official mintage figures are deemed to be accurate. Genuine Veld Ponds today sell for well over US $20,000

Octavian and the Battle of Actium

In 43 BCE, Octavian formed the Second Triumvirate with Marc Antony and Lepidus. They defeated Brutus and Cassius and divided the empire with Octavian holding most of the West and Antony the East. In 33 BC, the Second Triumvirate ended, leaving Antony without legal authority. Octavian then began a campaign against him, declaring war against Cleopatra.

The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between Octavian's fleet, led by Marcus Agrippa, and the combined fleets of Mark Antony and Cleopatra on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea. In early 31 BC, Antony and Cleopatra were temporarily stationed in Greece. Mark Antony possessed 500 ships and 70,000 infantry and made his camp at Actium. He was soon trapped on both land and sea. Antony's fleet sailed out through the straits of Actium in a desperate attempt to break free of Marcus Agrippa's naval blockade. While fleets were about equal, Antony was eventually routed by Octavian's smaller, more maneuverable ships. On September 2, Antony and Cleopatra managed to escape with a small force, leaving the rest of his army to surrender to Octavian. The end came in Alexandria on 1 August 30 BC. Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide.

Octavian's victory enabled him to consolidate power. He adopted the title of Princeps (first citizen), and in 27 BC was awarded the title of Augustus (revered) by the senate. The reign of Augustus gave Rome a golden era known as the 'Pax Romana' during which he served for 41 years. It was Augustus’ coinage reform in 23 BCE that saw the aureus come into consistent use.

The lifetime aureus shown was minted while Octavian retained his name, around 32-31 BC and the time of the Battle of Actium. It features the inscription "CAESAR DIVI F" on the reverse, which translates to "Caesar, son of a god".