Roman coin hoard found in France

Tens of thousands of Roman coins have been unearthed in Senon, northeastern France. Some of the coins bear images of rulers of the Gallic Empire that controlled the region from A.D. 260 to 274. The coins were collected over time in three amphoras, which were carefully buried in a dwelling so that the openings of the jars were level with the floor. The first jar held about 83 pounds of coins, and the second jar contained about 110 pounds of coins. Only three coins were found in a pit where a third jar had once been buried and later retrieved in antiquity.

This region of France was once populated by a Celtic tribe known as the Mediomatrici, who were eventually conquered by the Romans. It’s believed that these hoards were a type of long-term deposit rather than hastily buried treasure. The building they were found in was destroyed by fire. The three hoards in total contain at least 40,000 ancient Roman coins.

Between A.D. 260 and 274, during the height of the Crisis of the Third Century and the existence of the breakaway Gallic Empire, Roman coinage, specifically the antoninianus (double denarius), underwent severe debasement, reaching its lowest point in silver content. By roughly 260, the coins were only about 2% silver, often applied as a thin silver wash or plating over a copper core.