Le Figaro Bordeaux
Nearly sixty years after its discovery, the "
treasure of the Garonne
" is finally unveiled to the public in its entirety within the Aquitaine Museum in Bordeaux.
Discovered by chance in 1965 between the Gironde towns of Quinsac and Cadaujac during dredging of the river for the extraction of aggregates, this Gallo-Roman treasure contains 4000 sesterces of orichalcum (brass) dating from the 2nd century AD.
For the occasion, the Aquitaine museum unveiled a new presentation of these coins submerged for nearly two millennia, presenting "
the whole of the treasure made up of the coins collected by the Bordeaux Montaigne University, the museum and individuals
", and at the same time allowing to “
highlight the legislation relating to archaeological discoveries
”.
Sestertii dating from 41 AD
At the origin of this burial, the sinking of a merchant ship, between the years 170 and 176, circulating upstream from Burdigala (the old name given to Bordeaux).
Engulfed with its kitty, the ship contained current coins, put into circulation from the Emperor Claudius (41 to 54 AD) to the Emperor Antoninus Pius (138 to 161 AD).
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Once the first sesterces were found in the river, the Merignac historian Robert Étienne, now deceased, carried out salvage campaigns and excavations between 1965 and 1970. These made it possible to find many pieces, some of which in constructions using sand from the Garonne.
The Musée d'Aquitaine has since undertaken a long process of verification: each piece has been photographed, described and entered into a database.
“
A real work of Roman
”, specifies the establishment.