2300-year-old coin discovered at Augusta Raurica in Augst BL
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Swiss dig unearths 2300-year-old Roman coin
A bronze coin from the 3rd century BC has been discovered during excavations in the Roman town of Augusta Raurica - the first find of its kind in Switzerland.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Deutsch
de
2300 Jahre alte Münze in Augusta Raurica in Augst BL entdeckt
Original
The small coin with the head of Minerva on one side and a horse’s head on the other was minted in the heart of the Roman Empire in Italy. Such coin finds are not uncommon in what is now Italy, but they are rare in Switzerland, it is said.
Although it was already 300 years old when it was found in the ground in Augst, the coin shows “astonishingly” few signs of wear, the report continues. The archaeologists interpret this as a sign that it was already considered particularly valuable at the time and was stored with appropriate care.
According to the press release, the archaeologists also discovered other unusual objects during the current emergency excavations, including stone fragments with carved initials. These stones were used in the front rows of the former amphitheater for reserved seating for wealthy citizens.
The emergency excavations for a new construction project in Augst have been ongoing since April 2023. At that time, several important finds had already been made – including a terracotta Venus figurine and a small bronze cockerel statuette. The excavations will continue next year in the communicated expectation that one or two surprises will come to light.
Translated from German by DeepL/mga
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss oddities
Mennonite movement turns 500 in Zurich, where it all began
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
This content was published on
The Fête de l'Epouvantail (scarecrow festival) is celebrating its 30th anniversary and returns to Denens in canton Vaud for its seventh edition from July 10-20.
This content was published on
A 35-year-old man has died in a work accident at the valley station of the Heimwehfluh toboggan run in Matten near Interlaken, canton Bern.
This content was published on
The Swiss embassy in Tehran re-opened on Sunday after being closed on June 20 owing to the unstable situation in the country.
This content was published on
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and her youngest daughter Princess Ariane attended the Netherlands' women's European Championship football match against Wales in Switzerland on Saturday.
Swiss want to better protect military airfields from spying
This content was published on
Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister says he wants to better protect Swiss military airfields against espionage activities.
Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025
This content was published on
A man flew a drone around the venue on Wednesday evening during the first match of the Women's EURO 2025 in St. Gallen. The 30-year-old violated the absolute ban on flying during match days. He was reported to the police.
More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative
This content was published on
A total of 257 companies from Switzerland have signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). In doing so, they are committing to CO2 reduction targets that are compatible with the Paris Climate Agreement.
Swiss accident prevention group sees federal targets at risk
This content was published on
The Swiss government's target for accident figures is at risk, reckons Mario Cavegn, member of the executive board of the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention.
Feminicide: Swiss justice minister calls for electronic monitoring
This content was published on
Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans has called for electronic monitoring and an ankle bracelet warning system for perpetrators of violence against women.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.