Archaeology tends to amaze us, and the recent discovery of a Roman gold coin hoard in northern Luxembourg is a great example of that. A team of archaeologists working near the tiny village of Holzthum, led by the National Institute for Archaeological Research (INRA), discovered 141 Roman gold coins, or solidi, dated back to the late fourth century CE. These coins were found at the foot of a Roman fortified watchtower, or burgus, that once stood watch along the empire’s Germanic border.
The dig was not made easy. The field was littered with debris from World War II artillery, making the dig as much a challenge for the nerves as for archaeological expertise.
For security reasons, scientists cooperated with the Luxembourg Army Mine Action Service (SEDAL), which tended to each coin with careful excavation. The find was kept under wraps for almost four years, and fieldwork ran from 2020 to 2024, partly to safeguard both the treasure and the personnel.
What is so unique about this hoard is not necessarily the quantity of coins or the sheen of their gold, but the history inscribed on each one. The solidi, which were produced from 364 to 408 CE, have nine Roman emperors’ portraits on them.
Among these, three of the coins are especially uncommon: they bear the image of Eugenius, who is commonly referred to as illegitimate in Western Roman history. The reign of Eugenius was brief and troubled, lasting only from 392 to 394 CE.
He was installed on the throne by powerful general Arbogast after the untimely death of Valentinian II and tried to rekindle pagan practices during a period when Christianity was growing in influence. This resulted in a bitter struggle with Theodosius I, the Eastern Roman Emperor, and ended in the blood-soaked Battle of the Frigidus, during which Eugenius was killed and executed. Coins with his image are very rare, so their appearance in the Luxembourg hoard is a notable discovery for numismatists.
The solidus itself is a demonstration of Roman ingenuity and craftsmanship. Brought into existence in the fourth century, it soon gained the reputation of a reliable and stable currency, with every coin weighing approximately 4.5 grams of gold.
Its great state of preservation, coupled with the presence of some rare issues, has prompted experts to put its value at approximately €308,600, or approximately $322,000. Under the laws of cultural heritage in Luxembourg, this amount is paid to individuals legally due to the find, including the owners of the property where the hoard was found.
But the real value of the find lies far beyond its value in terms of money. The coins, together with the ruins of the burgus, give a rich insight into the political and cultural changes of the late Roman period. There are signs of Germanic influence, more specifically Frankish, at the site, marking the changing dynamics along the border of Gallia Belgica, the province that encompasses modern-day Luxembourg.
Researchers are currently studying the coins and other related artifacts in detail, intending to release their research in an academic journal. There are talks regarding where the hoard will be displayed eventually, but one thing is for sure that this find is set to make our understanding of the last hundred years of the Roman Empire in the West more profound.
As Luxembourg Culture Minister Eric Thill added, “It will still take some time to digest the excavation and the discoveries, but it will certainly broaden our understanding of the second century of the Roman Empire in the West.”