LONDON: Archeologists have discovered a huge trove of medieval treasures, including a collection of gold objects and over 2,000 silver coins hidden at the Abbey of Cluny in France.
Never before has such a large cache of silver deniers – medieval coins – been discovered, nor have gold coins from Arab lands, silver deniers, and a signet ring ever been found hoarded together within a single, enclosed complex, researchers said.
The treasure was unearthed during a dig at the Abbey of Cluny in mid-September by researchers from National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France.
They found more than 2,200 silver deniers and oboles – mostly minted by the Abbey of Cluny and probably dating to the first half of the 12th century – in a cloth bag, traces of which remain on some of the coins.
They also found tanned hide bundle among the silver coins, which contained 21 Islamic gold dinars struck between 1121 and 1131 in Spain and Morocco, under the reign of Ali ibn Yusuf (1106-1143) of the Berber Almoravid dynasty.
The hide bundle also had a gold signet ring with a red intaglio depicting the bust of a god and an inscription possibly dating the ring back to the first half of the 12th century.
A folded sheet of gold foil weighing 24 grammes and a small circular object made of gold was also found.
Researchers are currently studying the treasure in more detail to identify and date the various pieces with greater precision.
This is an exceptional find for a monastic setting and especially that of Cluny, which was one of the largest abbeys of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, researchers said.
The treasure was buried in fill where it seems to have stayed for 850 years, they said.
The items are of remarkable value. The signet ring is a very expensive piece of jewelry that few could own during the Middle Ages, researchers said.
At that time, Western currency was mostly dominated by the silver denier. Gold coins were reserved for rare transactions.
The 2,200 or so silver deniers, struck at Cluny or nearby, would have been for everyday purchases. This is the largest stash of such coins ever found, researchers said.
The fact that Arab currency, silver deniers, and a signet ring were enclosed together makes this discovery all the more interesting.
This discovery opens new avenues in the research delving into the past of the abbey, a historic site open to the public and managed by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux (CMN). (AGENCIES)
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