22.10.2025 19:23
A treasure of Roman artifacts discovered by a treasure hunter in Lower Saxony, Germany, eight years ago has emerged as one of the region's greatest finds after being handed over to the state years later. The 450-piece treasure, consisting of Roman coins, gold rings, and silver ingots, offers new insights into the relationships between the Roman and Germanic worlds.
A 31-year-old man living in the Lower Saxony state in northwestern Germany accidentally discovered a historical treasure while searching with a metal detector near the village of Borsum in 2017.
HE HID THE TREASURE HE FOUND BY CHANCE FOR YEARS
Among the items that emerged from the ground were hundreds of silver coins, a gold ring, a gold coin, and several silver ingots. However, the treasure hunter did not report the findings to the authorities, as there was no excavation permit at that time. After 8 years, unable to bear the guilt, the treasure hunter handed over the entire treasure to the police and monument protection agencies. Following the delivery, experts from the Hildesheim Monument Protection Office began to examine the area from which the items were extracted.
A RECORD FOR THE REGION
Expert teams detected several more coins during archaeological excavations they conducted in the region at the beginning of October. Thus, the total number of findings reached 450. This amount has gone down in history as one of the largest collections of Roman coins ever discovered in Lower Saxony.
TRACES FROM THE INTERSECTION OF ROMAN AND GERMANIC WORLDS
According to the examinations, the coins date back from the period of the fall of the Roman Republic to the early Imperial era. Archaeologist Sebastian Messal stated, "This finding is not just a treasure, but also a very important data that will shed light on our understanding of the contacts between the Roman and Germanic worlds." Experts indicate that detailed analyses will reveal whether the treasure belonged to a Roman merchant or one of the Germanic tribes.
HE AVOIDED PUNISHMENT, NOW HE IS RECEIVING TRAINING
On the other hand, the treasure hunter who handed over the findings to the state years later was not penalized due to the statute of limitations. However, he is now participating in a training program to obtain an official metal detector license. According to Lower Saxony laws, those wishing to explore archaeological sites with a detector must obtain special permission and must not damage excavation sites.