Eight-year-old boy finds Roman silver denarius in school sandpit

A boy was playing in a sandpit in Bremen when he accidentally discovered a 1,800-year-old Roman coin. Historically, only two other similar coins have been found in the area. So far north of the Roman Empire's borders, this is a relatively rare find.

When the then eight-year-old Bjarne came across the small silver disc in the sandpit at his primary school, he had no idea what he had discovered. But because it was nice, round and shiny, he took it home. Together with his family, he later contacted the Bremen State Archaeologist, Professor Dr. Uta Halle, and sent her photographs of the find.

Since the photographs did not allow the coin to be reliably identified, Bjarne brought the coin to the archaeologist himself. She subsequently identified it as a silver denarius of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD). The coin is heavily worn and weighs 2.4 grams, proving that it was minted at a time of currency debasement, when the silver content fell sharply with rising inflation.

The state of Bremen, located east of the Rhine border line, was never part of the Roman Empire. The city of Bremen itself dates back to the 7th century at the earliest. The area was inhabited by the West Germanic tribe of the Chauks, who partially cooperated with Rome (providing soldiers for auxiliary regiments) but later allied with other Germanic tribes to oppose the Romans.

Any Roman coins this far north of the Rhine border probably came into the area by barter. They may also have been carried down the river Weser or may have been the accidental loss of a souvenir by a soldier or traveller. "We are glad that Bjarne was so attentive. The find was something very special, as only two comparable finds of Roman Empire coins have been discovered in the city of Bremen - in the 1930s. in the 1920s during the excavation of the Rekum settlement," said the archaeologist.

According to the Bremen Monument Protection Act, the coin is an archaeological object that belongs to the state. However, it is still the subject of talks between officials and Bjarne's family. In the meantime, the coin has been cleaned and conserved. Prof. Halle hopes it will soon be exhibited at the State Museum of Art and Culture in Bremen. The boy received a written thank-you note and praise for his discovery and announcement.

Roman Nemec

Sources: thehistoryblog.com, senatspressestelle.bremen.de, focke-museum.de

the finder with his coin

Prof. Dr. Uta Halle