Unusual 2000-year-old Celtic coins found in Germany

The gold coins were minted over 2000 years ago and are the first known Celtic gold treasure in Brandenburg.

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In the north-east of Germany in the city of Brandenburg, an ancient treasure of the Celts was discovered, consisting of 41 gold coins, writes Archeonews.

Because of the curved shape, the coins were given the name “regenbogenschüsselchen”, which means “rainbow cups” in German. Their name may also be related to the legend that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

“According to popular belief, rainbow cups were found where the rainbow touched the ground,” said numismatist and researcher at the Friedenstein Castle Coin Office Maryanko Pilekić.

Another legend says that “rainbow cups” fell directly from the sky and were perceived by people as talismans for good luck and objects with a healing effect. The gold coins were minted over 2000 years ago and are the first known Celtic gold treasure in Brandenburg.

In 2017, amateur archaeologist Wolfgang Herkt discovered a treasure near the town of Beiz. Having found another 10 coins, Herkt reported the discovery to scientists, after which archaeologists brought the total number of treasures to 41 coins.

Pilekic noted that the coins were found far from the original area of ​​distribution of the Celts, which dates from the Iron Age from the 8th to the 1st century BC.

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The Celts lived in southern, central and western Europe, but not in Brandenburg, so the find suggests that there were extensive trading networks in Iron Age Europe.

By comparing the weight and size of the coins with those of other ancient “rainbow cups”, Pilekić was able to date the minting of the hoard to between 125 BC and 125 BC. and 30 BC, during the late Iron Age.

The discovery was made public after extensive research. It is planned to be shown to the public in the spring at the State Archaeological Museum.

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Recall that recently unusual Roman wooden figure found in England. In addition to the legs and arms above the elbows, the statue is generally well preserved. It was found among the pottery of the 1st century AD, so scientists attributed it to the same period.

But in Norway archaeologists stumbled upon rare finds with runic text: a bone with an Old Norse inscription and a runic wooden stick with Latin and Old Norse text. Researchers have already begun to decipher the artifacts.

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