Aargau archaeologists explain why Roman coins may have been buried
Saturday 31st October 2026 on 15:15 in
Switzerland
A Roman coin hoard found in a molehill in 2015 may have been buried because its owner distrusted new money, according to researchers whose findings have now been published. SRF reports that the investigation took more than a decade.
A farmer discovered several old coins in a molehill on his cherry orchard in Fricktal in the summer of 2015 and alerted Aargau Cantonal Archaeology. A search and excavation across an area of about 6 by 10 metres uncovered 4,130 Roman copper coins. Apart from one find in Ticino, it is the largest known hoard of third-century Roman coins found in what is now Switzerland.
The coins were not in their original location. They had apparently been uncovered and moved unnoticed during drainage-pipe construction in the 1970s. The hoard was probably buried in two clay pots, based on pottery fragments found with traces of copper.
Researchers said the coins’ large number and poor condition made the work slow. Each had to be cleaned in a laboratory before it could be examined, photographed and assessed by specialists.
Most of the coins are Aureliani, minted before Emperor Aurelian’s currency reform in 274 and containing about 4 per cent silver. The newest coins date to 293, shortly before Emperor Diocletian’s reform in 294. Researchers concluded that the hoard was a deliberate selection of “good” coins.
Aargau Cantonal Archaeology head Thomas Doppler said the Roman Empire was going through a turbulent period. The owner may have distrusted the new currency and buried older, more valuable coins, he suggested. The hoard was worth roughly as much as 10 gold coins; according to Doppler, one gold coin could support someone for several weeks or even months.
Researchers cannot say why the coins were never recovered. The owner may have died or fled, or later currency reforms may have reduced the coins’ value enough that retrieving them was no longer worthwhile. Building remains found nearby indicate that the hoard was buried close to a room where people lived. The findspot was also near a road linking Augusta Raurica and Vindonissa.