Theodosius Hoard

In 2019, 16 gold solidi, most of them minted by Theodosius II (408 – 450 AD), the third longest ruling Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, popularly known today as Byzantium, were discovered by archaeologists excavating the ruins of ancient Marcianopolis in Bulgaria’s Devnya. Marcianopolis (Marcianople) was a major Roman and Early Byzantine city.

The gold coins from the early decades of the Eastern Roman Empire were probably hidden during the invasion of Attila’s Huns in the middle of the 5th century AD. In 447 AD, the Huns clashed with the forces of the Eastern Roman Empire in the Battle of the Utus River.