Constantine I solidus

A rare Roman solidus of Emperor Constantine I was dug up from a field in Somerset in 2019. The 4th century AD treasure was found 12 inches below the surface of a field near Wanstrow, Somerset. The high grade example was estimated at £10k-12k.

On the reverse is a rare portrayal of Constantine riding his horse in battle holding a spear and shield with two fallen enemy soldiers. It commemorates a victory over Maxentius at Milvian bridge outside Rome on October 28, 312. Constantine the Great ruled between 306 and 337 AD.

Constantine enacted reforms. To combat inflation he reintroduced the solidus. The solidus was introduced by Diocletian in small issues and later reintroduced for mass circulation by Constantine the Great in c. AD 312. Constantine's solidus was struck at a rate of 72 to a Roman pound (326.6 g) of gold or about 4.5 grams. The new gold coin became the standard for Byzantine and European currencies for more than a thousand years.

Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, which he did on his deathbed.

Constantine was a ruler of major importance, and a controversial figure. Constantine had his eldest son Crispus seized and put to death by "cold poison" at Pola (Pula, Croatia) sometime between 15 May and 17 June 326. In July, he had his wife Empress Fausta killed in an overheated bath. Constantine was succeeded by his three sons born of Fausta, Constantine II, Constantius II and Constans. More bloodshed followed.

Spectacular Chinese gold found

An extremely rare golden seal dating to the 1600s was found in 2020.

It belonged to a Chinese emperor-to-be and was unveiled by archaeologists studying the remnants of a Ming dynasty battlefield. The seal weighs over 17 pounds and is 95% pure gold. The object is likely unique. It bears the words 'Shu Shi Zi Bao', meaning 'Treasure of the Shu Prince'. It's believed that the seal was deliberately broken when the monarchy was overthrown during a peasant uprising. Over 2000 valuable artifacts are thought to have been the booty of Zhang Xianzhong.

Zhang led the peasant revolt which conquered modern-day Sichuan and its largest city of Chengdu in 1644 during the fall of the Ming dynasty. Zhang, the 'Yellow Tiger', was slain by the Manchus the following year.

Coin hoard from 1066 - Chew Valley Hoard

The Chew Valley hoard contains 1,236 coins of Harold II, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England, and 1,310 coins of William I. The hoard is "hugely significant" as it doubles the number of Harold coins than all previous known finds combined.

It includes fine examples of coins issued by William I after his coronation on Christmas Day in 1066.

Adam Staples and Lisa Grace made a once in a lifetime discovery while out metal detecting together. They discovered 2,571 silver coins that date back to the time of King Harold II, aka Harold Godwinson. He was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England who died in the Battle of Hastings by an arrow through the eye in 1066. The couple found the coins while searching an unploughed field in north east Somerset near Bath in 2019.

Harold Godwinson was king for seven months and coins from his reign are rare. Experts believe the coins were buried within two or three years after 1066 and probably before 1072. The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under King Harold Godwinson. It marked the beginning of the Norman conquest of England.

The battle of Hastings was a decisive Norman victory.

The hoard was bought for £4.3m - making it the highest-value treasure ever found in the UK.

Lost Roman city found underwater

In 2017, archaeologists confirmed the discovery of the lost Roman city of Neapolis off the coast of Nabeul, in northeast Tunisia

A lost Roman city was found in the waters of northeast Tunisia in 2017 confirmed an old theory that the settlement was swallowed up by a colossal tsunami 1,600 years ago. Divers discovered the remains of streets, monuments, and around 100 tanks used to store garum, a fermented fish sauce sometimes called 'Rome’s ketchup'.

On the morning of July 21, 365 CE, the Mediterranean was rocked by an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.5. The epicenter was in Crete, where most towns were destroyed. Large portions of Greece, Cyprus, Sicily, Spain, and North Africa suffered.

The earthquake caused an uplift of nine metres of the island of Crete.

Neapolis was once the largest centre in the Roman world for the production of garum.

Ancient Salamis

Salamis is an ancient Greek city-state on the east coast of Cyprus, 6 km north of modern Famagusta. According to tradition, the founder of Salamis was Teucer, son of Telamon, who could not return home after the Trojan war because he had failed to avenge his brother Ajax.

The earliest finds date to the eleventh century BC. The copper ore on Cyprus made the island an essential ancient trade port. In 450 BC, Salamis was the site of a land and sea battle between Athens and the Persians. (not the earlier Battle of Salamis in 480 BC in Attica.) After Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire, Ptolemy I of Egypt ruled the island of Cyprus. In 306 BC, Salamis was the site of a naval battle between the fleets of Demetrius I of Macedon and Ptolemy I. Demetrius won the battle and captured the island. In Roman times, Salamis was part of the Roman province of Cilicia.

The city was particularly favoured by the Roman emperors Trajan and Hadrian, who restored and established its public buildings. The "cultural centre" of Salamis during the Roman period was situated at the northernmost part of the city, where a gymnasium, theatre, amphitheatre, stadium and public baths have been revealed. Several strong earthquakes led to the destruction of Salamis at the beginning of the 4th century. The town was rebuilt under the name Constantia by Constantius II. There are extensive ruins. The theatre and the gymnasium have been restored.

Ancient Sites without the tourists

Ruins are often the centerpieces of a trip overseas. Unfortunately everybody thinks the same: Stonehenge, Chichen Itza, the Great Pyramids, Pompeii. Take a less beaten path and the ruins can be both spectacular and without crowds. The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento is an archaeological site in Agrigento (ancient Greek Akragas), Sicily. It is one of the most outstanding examples of ancient art and architecture in the world.

La Ciudad Perdida. Magdalena, Colombia. Reached only after a grueling five-day trek through the Colombian jungle, it’s almost 1,000 years older than Machu Piccu. It was abandoned after the Spanish conquest and only rediscovered in the 1970s.

Acrocorinth. Corinth, Greece. Acrocorinth, or Upper Corinth has sheep roaming among the ruins, not tourists. Acrocorinth was continuously occupied from archaic times to the early 19th century.

Ruins of Jerash. Jerash, Jordan. The most intact Roman city outside of Italy, Jerash was a crossroads of many cultures. The city flourished until the mid-eighth century CE, when the 749 Galilee earthquake destroyed most of it. The ancient city has been gradually revealed through a series of excavations.

Thonis-Heracleion

Known by it's Egyptian name Thonis and Greek name Heracleion; it served as Egypt's main gateway before Alexandria. It housed major temples (Amun, Neith) and famous mythical figures like Herakles and Helen. The ruins of the ancient Egyptian city near Alexandria are located in Abu Qir Bay, 2.5 km off the coast, under 10m (30 ft) of water.

Its beginnings go back as early as the 12th century BC. Its importance grew during the waning days of the Pharaohs — the late period, when it was Egypt's main port for international trade and collection of taxes. Heracleion was originally built on adjoining islands in the Nile Delta, and was intersected by canals.

In ancient times, the port city of Thonis-Heracleion was the main port of entry to Egypt for all ships coming from the Greek world. Heracleion flourished from the 6th to the 4th century BC.

Pharaoh Nectanebo I made many additions to the temple there in the 4th century B.C. Much of the city sank in the 3rd or 2nd century AD, probably due to liquefaction of the silts on which it was built following earth tremors. Eventually it sunk entirely into the depths of the Mediterranean around the 8th century AD. The ruins submerged in the sea were located by the French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio in 2000.

The site spans 40 sq miles (110 sq km) with probably only 2% of the site excavated. More than 200 objects are showcased at an exhibition at Institut du Monde Arabe (The Arab World Institute) in Paris.