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Hoard of 8,400 late medieval coins discovered by Scottish detective

2022-12-04T06:14:37.955Z


ARCHEOLOGY – Completely overwhelmed by the explosion in the number of amateur researchers, the authorities have not yet examined this find unearthed last year.


It would be the largest find of its kind in Scotland.

8,407 coins dating from the late 13th to early 14th centuries have been unearthed near the village of Dunscore, about 70 kilometers south of Glasgow, announced the Treasure Trove Unit of Scotland, the Scottish department in charge of "treasures ".

Discovered last year by a detectorist, the treasure would include coins minted with the effigy of Kings Edward I and Edward II, including many silver coins issued in various parts of the kingdom: in England, Scotland and Ireland .

Not to mention several hundred currencies foreign to the archipelago, including French coins.

The amateur at the origin of the find immediately alerted the Scottish authorities by informing them of the site which contained all these numismatic marvels.

Kept secret, the place was then the subject of a professional excavation operation carried out by archaeologists from the National Museums Scotland.

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Why did you wait so many months before announcing the news?

Because

"it is the largest

treasure trove of medieval coins

discovered in Scotland since the 19th century

," said a spokesperson for the Treasure Trove Unit to the specialized media LiveScience.

“The treasure is still being examined;

we do not yet have visibility at this stage on the end of the works

,” the Scottish institution also told Artnet News last week.

Multiplication of excavations

Additional slowing factor: the Scottish Treasure Trove Unit is awash in treasure.

Since the confinements of the Covid crisis, the hunt for antiquities has made new emulators across the kingdom.

In Scotland, the practice has multiplied in less than three years.

Amateur researchers, nicknamed detectorists because of their metal detectors, have declared 12,263 ancient objects to Scottish authorities since January, compared to 1,551 for the whole of 2019.

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Faced with the increase in the number of archaeological pieces to be processed, the Treasure Trove Unit saw itself in the need to hire.

However, he would still have nearly 5,000 coins to process, including part of the Dunscore treasury.

This monetary package would be valued, according to the British press, at at least several hundred thousand pounds sterling.

It would be contemporary with a time of increased conflict between the kingdom of England and its Welsh and Scottish neighbours, a period marked by the revolt of William Wallace.

The practice of detectorism is strictly regulated by British law.

This obliges the inventor of buried property - the one who discovers it - to declare his findings to the authorities.

In the event of a discovery of high historical value which would justify its classification as a “treasure”, a museum can propose to the detectorist as well as to the owners of the land where the discovery took place to buy back the property.

In France, the practice is prohibited and assimilated to the looting and destruction of archaeological sites.

As for fortuitous discoveries, they belong either to the State or to the discoverer and the owner of the land, if the latter was acquired before 2016.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-12-04

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