Unusual mix of Roman, British coins dating back to Biblical times found by hobbyists

Two metal detectorists stumbled across a cache of coins dating back to Biblical times in a one-of-a-kind discovery, according to European officials.

The Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands announced the discovery, which consists of 404 silver and gold coins, in a Jan. 27 press release. The cache is a mixture of Roman and British coins, making the discovery particularly unusual.

A pair of metal detectorists named Gert-Jan Messelaar and Reinier Koelink found the coins in Bunnik, which is located in the province of Utrecht, in autumn 2023. Though the coins have been in the possession of the Dutch government for months, they were not revealed to the public until now. 

The 42 British coins, which historians refer to as “staters,” were minted between 5 B.C. and 43 A.D., and are made of gold, silver, and copper. The name of Cunobeline, a British king who ruled from 9 to 43 A.D., was found inscribed on the coins.

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A total of 288 of the coins were Roman and were minted between 200 B.C. to 47 A.D. The “youngest” Roman coins date back to Emperor Claudius, with archaeologists finding that some of the coins were never in circulation.

“In total, 72 Roman gold coins (aurei, singular aureus) were found, dating from 19 B.C. to 47 A.D.,” the press release, which was translated from Dutch, read. “Two of the gold coins were minted with the same stamp and were unused — they show no signs of wear. The owner apparently received them from a stack of freshly minted coins.”

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Most of the coins were Roman, while a good portion came from pre-Roman Britain. (Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE))

Officials explained that, at the time the coins were minted, Roman troops had begun sailing across the North Sea to conquer the Britannic Isles. Experts believe the coins belonged to Roman soldiers who brought them back after a mission in Britain.

“It is likely that the coins were brought back to Bunnik by returning Roman soldiers from Britannia after the first conquests: the Roman coins as pay and the British ones as war booty,” the statement explained.

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The discovery of the coins is the first of its kind in mainland Europe. (Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE))

In the press release, the RCE noted that the discovery “supports the crucial role of the Lower Germanic Limes in the Roman conquest of Britannia.” The Limes refer to the border of the Roman Empire, differentiating Germania Inferior and Germania Magna.

Not only is the archaeological discovery the largest of its kind made in Utretcht, it is the only Roman-British coin hoard discovery in mainland Europe — a similar cache was found in the United Kingdom.

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A depiction of ancient Romans in England circa 77 A.D. (iStock)

“These coins form a unique combination of both Roman and British coins, buried in the northern border region of the Roman Empire (the Lower Germanic limes), which at the time ran through the Netherlands,” the statement said. “Such a Roman-British coin find has never before been made on the European mainland.

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