Numerous historical finds are made in Germany every year. In 2024 alone, researchers there were able to lead over 550 excavations in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt alone. Most of the finds date from the Neolithic and Mesolithic periods. But legacies from the Celtic era are also hidden in the state, as a recent archaeological discovery shows.
Recent Archaeological Discovery: Gold Coin Found
As the Saxony State Office for Archaeology (LfA) announced, a hobby metal detectorist, working with the LfA, discovered a gold coin weighing approximately 2 grams and made of nearly pure gold in July of this year. It was found in a field northwest of Leipzig in Germany. Following the report of the recent archaeological discovery, the LfA conducted a scientific investigation.
The coin features motifs such as a stylized head, presumably of a deer, an open neck ring, a star, and a sphere. It was typologically compared with other Celtic examples and classified as Celtic based on its form, gold content, mint freshness, and motifs.
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Not a Conventional Coin
The analysis revealed that the archaeological find is specifically a Celtic quarter stater. It is estimated to be about 2,200 years old. State archaeologist Regina Smolnik notes, “Celtic coins are a rarity in Saxony. Although Saxony lies outside the Celtic settlement area, this valuable new find is further proof that there were regular contacts and connections.” Therefore, the coin proves that connections between Eastern Germany and Celtic cultural areas existed as early as the 3rd century BCE.
The archaeologist adds that the coin was probably not a form of currency. “Although we refer to the object as a ‘coin,’ it can be assumed that the almost mint-fresh new find was hardly in circulation in the sense of a monetary economy.” Researchers suspect that it served as a status symbol or a store of value for a local upper class with trade relations to the Celts.
The recent archaeological discovery not only demonstrates special relationships between different societies. It also displaces the previously oldest known coin in Saxony – a silver coin from the 1st century BCE – as the oldest known coin find. The Celtic artifact from Gundorf is now considered the oldest coin in Saxony.
Source: Sachsen.de
This article was originally published on futurezone.de / 4P.de and has been carefully translated.