Incredible discovery in the sea of Arzachena, where a huge deposit of Roman coins dating back to the first half of the 4th century AD was found

According to a first estimate, made on the basis of the overall weight of the discovery, the number of follis (large bronze coins introduced in 294 AD with the monetary reform of the emperor Diocletian) identified would be between 30,000 and 50,000 specimens.

Approximately double, therefore, those found in 2013 in the United Kingdom, in Seaton, when a total of 22,888 follis resurfaced.

In addition to the coins, walls of amphorae of African production and, in smaller numbers, of oriental production were also identified.

The finds were discovered by a private citizen who, during a dive, noticed some metallic remains at a shallow depth, not far from the coast.

The following day the underwater archaeological unit of the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Sassari and Nuoro together with the Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Sardinia and the Carabinieri Underwater Unit carried out an initial reconnaissance in the affected stretch of sea.

The dives revealed the existence of two macro-areas of dispersion of follis in a large sandy area that opens up between the beach and the seabed: the latter, due to its position and morphology of the seabed, could preserve conspicuous remains of a wreck.

All the coins taken are in an exceptional and rare state of conservation. Only 4 pieces are damaged, although still legible.

The chronological context of the coins can be found in a time span between 324 (Licinius coinage) and 340 AD

The restoration and conservation operations of the coins and materials found will allow us to broaden and deepen our knowledge of the context of the finds from which a great deal of information can still come.

For the Abap general director, Luigi La Rocca, it is «one of the most important discoveries of numismatic finds in recent years and highlights once again the richness and importance of the archaeological heritage that the seabed of our seas still preserves and preserves» .

(Unioneonline/lf)

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