26 Jun 2017 Clay jug with 870 silver coins

Archaeologists have managed to find a clay jug with 870 silver coins in the village of Lučivná in the Tatra foothills. Coins of the Hungarian, Silesian, Tyrolean, Lower Austrian, Moravian and Olomouc archbishopric dominated the collection.

The coins were in a small clay jug. "We have cleaned two-thirds of the coins. The oldest is from 1665, the youngest from 1733. Coins of the Hungarian, Silesian, Tyrolean, Lower Austrian, Moravian and Olomouc archbishoprics dominate the collection." Marián Soják, an archaeologist from the Institute of Archaeology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Spišská Nová Ves, commented on the find in 2017.

Archaeologists have been conducting long-term systematic research in the village of Lučivná. They also managed to find other artefacts. "For example, there were coins from the modern period or badges. But a clay pot full of coins took our breath away, Soják admitted.

They found the treasure buried above a famous cave called Pivnice. It was there that they also found the aforementioned finds from the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. The Magna Via road ran nearby," said Soják.

The Magna Via was an important road in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. It ran through present-day Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Ukraine. It was used for transporting people and mail. "The person in question knew very well where to hide the treasure so that no one would find it. Unfortunately, he never came back for it. Someone probably hid the coins during a period of unrest, then he could have been ambushed on the way," the archaeologist added.

According to Soják, the coins were owned by someone from the lower middle class and do not have a large face value. "The biggest one has 15 kreutzers of Leopold I. Among the silver coins there was also one copper one with the emblem from the Spanish Valley. It is a rarity," Soják explained.

The archaeologists used four kilos of lemons for cleaning. "We also used ultrasound. We cleaned the coins every day. It was a demanding but beautiful job. We kept discovering newer and more beautiful specimens. The municipality plans to put the coins on display for the public. We could leave some of the coins with the municipality so that tourists and locals can see them," Soják concluded.

Sources: ww.obnova.sk, www.obecne-noviny.sk