Roman coin finds in Germany
Roman coin finds in Germany
Hardly any artefact tells history as directly as a coin. In Germany, the former frontier region of the Imperium Romanum, millions of them still lie dormant in the ground today — every find a window into the past.
Why Germany is so rich in coins
Within the Roman provinces (Germania Inferior, Germania Superior, Raetia, Noricum), there was regular coin circulation: gold, silver and bronze circulated together, as befits a developed monetary system. Cities such as Mainz, Augsburg or Regensburg were hubs from which coins radiated out into the surrounding countryside.
Beyond the Limes — in free Germania — the situation was fundamentally different: here almost exclusively bronze coins are found. Silver denarii are rare and tend to appear in elite graves; gold coins are an absolute exception and are mostly found along trade routes or at former military posts. The empire deliberately did not export precious metals across the frontier, as numismatists such as Dr Ulrich Werz have shown through comprehensive mapping of Germania Magna.
Nor did the bronze coins beyond the Limes serve primarily as a means of payment. They functioned as small ingots, raw material or prestige objects — evidence of an exchange and gift economy, not of market trading.
Every coin is a dating tool: it provides a terminus post quem — the find context cannot be older than the most recent coin recovered. For archaeologists, this is one of the most valuable means of absolutely dating a feature.
The distribution of coins within an area also reveals whether it is a case of scattered single losses (settlement, market, road) or a concentrated hoard. The composition of a hoard — which emperors, which metals, which denominations — allows conclusions to be drawn about the economic situation of its owner and the time it was hidden.
Combining coin data with modern methods such as LiDAR terrain analysis, magnetometry or ground-penetrating radar produces a strikingly sharp picture of former settlements, roads and cult sites.
Significant find complexes in Germany
Trier gold coin hoard (1993)
On 9 September 1993, during the construction of a multi-storey car park on Feldstraße in Trier, amateur collectors came across an extraordinary pile of gold. What followed was the largest hoard of gold coins from the Roman imperial period: 2,650 aurei with a total weight of around 18.5 kilograms. More than 99 % of the coins were struck between AD 63 and 168 — including 866 coins of Nero and 819 of Vespasian. A metallurgical record of the time of the Antonine Plague and the civil war between Septimius Severus and Clodius Albinus. Today it is a highlight exhibit at the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier.
In the autumn of 1987, the British amateur archaeologist Major Tony Clunn discovered 163 Roman silver denarii with his metal detector near the moated castle of Alt Barenaue — the starting point for identifying the Varus battlefield. Later excavations brought more than 200 further silver denarii to light as the largest hoard found at the site so far. Metallurgical analyses of the coins (German Mining Museum Bochum) were able to identify the 19th Legion at Kalkriese. All the coins date from the late Republic to the middle Augustan period — direct evidence of the events of AD 9.
As a legionary base (Legio XIV Gemina, later XXII Primigenia), Mainz was one of the places richest in coins on the Rhine. Dredging of the Rhine in the 19th and 20th centuries brought thousands of coins to light — from Republican denarii to late Roman folles. The military presence from around 10 BC created an enormous local coin circulation: three times a year, the soldiers' pay was paid out in cash and spread into the whole surrounding area.
As the provincial capital of Raetia, Augsburg is one of the richest coin find sites in southern Germany. Hoards of the 3rd century are particularly dense — direct evidence of the Alamannic invasions, which forced inhabitants to hide their savings quickly. The variety of coins shows close trading links with Italy, Gaul and along the Danube provinces.
From AD 179, base of the Legio III Italica and main fortress of the Raetian Danube line. The coin finds are exceptionally numerous and well documented. Particularly striking: a high density of hoards from the 3rd century — direct evidence of the Alamannic wars. Single finds from the river Regen and the Danube attest to ritual deposits in water, in which coins were thrown into the water as offerings.
The only known evidence of a civilian Roman town foundation east of the Rhine. The coin finds — exclusively Augustan, approx. 4 BC–AD 9 — attest to genuine coin circulation, not a military camp. They document the brief attempt to establish Germania as a regular Roman province before the Varus battle of AD 9 destroyed everything. A unique window into Augustan eastern policy.
The coin corridor finds in the Grabfeld and Upper Franconia attest to intensive trading contacts between the empire and the Hermunduri along old salt trade routes. Bronze coins of the 2nd–3rd centuries dominate — typical of long-distance trading relations beyond the provincial frontiers. Silver and gold remained in the empire; low-value bronze circulated as a means of payment in the Barbaricum. LiDAR terrain analyses support the reconstruction of old route corridors.
A licensed detectorist near Deesen in the Westerwald district — approx. 10 km north-east of the Limes — discovered 62 denarii from the period between AD 69 and 175 in a piece of woodland. No traces of a settlement or a camp. The composition (a high proportion of post-Trajanic coins) points to trading relations with the empire. Whether a Roman on his way to barter or a Teuton after a successful visit to a fort met his death here remains an open question.
From AD 293 to 430, Trier was an active mint of the late Roman Empire and at times an imperial residence. Coins with the mark "TR", "TRE" or "TROB" come from Trier and are found throughout north-western Europe. Alongside the world-famous gold coin hoard of 1993, the city area continuously produces single finds and hoards from all periods.
In the Elbe Germanic region, Roman coins are found as evidence of trade and gift exchange. Bronze dominates; denarii appear rarely in rich elite graves — there not as a means of payment but as a status symbol. Some coins were specially pierced so that they could be worn as jewellery. The distribution of certain coin types reflects tribal boundaries and spheres of political influence.
Coin types in German finds
The frequency distribution in German find complexes directly reflects the coin production and political conditions of each period:
Relative frequency in German find complexes (schematic). Antoniniani dominate because they were struck in huge numbers during the crisis of the 3rd century and many hoards were closed at exactly that time.
History of coinage in Germania
What coin finds reveal about history
Types of find and their archaeological significance
Legal information for detectorists in Germany
Cleaning and preserving Roman coin finds
Identifying Roman coin finds
Gold (aureus, solidus): Yellow, heavy, hardly corroded. Very rare. Diameter 18–22 mm (aureus) or 20–21 mm (solidus).
Silver (denarius, antoninianus, siliqua): Greyish to black patina due to sulphidation. Weight 2–5 g. Antoninianus recognisable by the radiate crown (emperor) or crescent moon (empress).
Bronze/brass (sestertius, dupondius, as): Green to brownish-green patina. Sestertius: large (32–35 mm), made of orichalcum. As: smaller, reddish copper.
Billon (later antoninianus, follis): A silvery-grey surface that reveals the silver coating; a bronze core underneath. The most common type in crisis hoards of the 3rd century.
From the late Republic onwards, the obverse always shows a portrait. Imperial coins bear the name and titles of the ruler in the inscription (legend). Typical abbreviations: IMP = Imperator, CAES = Caesar, AVG = Augustus, P F = Pius Felix, TR P = Tribunicia Potestas (with a number = year of reign).
The inscription usually runs clockwise, often starting at 6 o'clock or 9 o'clock. With the help of the online database OCRE (Online Coins of the Roman Empire), coins can be identified quickly by entering a few legible letters and describing the portrait.
The reverse shows gods, symbols of victory, buildings or allegorical figures — and carries the exergue: the mint mark at the lower edge. This combination of letters identifies the mint. Examples: R, RM, ROMA (Rome); TRP, TRE, TROB (Trier); LON (London); ANT (Antioch).
Numbers next to the mint mark indicate the officina (workshop within the mint). Exergue details are particularly reliable on folles and later coins.
OCRE (Online Coins of the Roman Empire): numismatics.org/ocre — the most comprehensive online database of Roman imperial coins, with image search.
RIC (Roman Imperial Coinage): The standard reference work in ten volumes. Available in larger libraries; many volumes have also been digitised.
Wildwinds.com: A free English-language database with images and descriptions of thousands of coin types — ideal for beginners.
Forum Ancient Coins (forumancientcoins.com): An international forum with free identification help from experienced numismatists.
State offices for heritage conservation: Many offer a free initial assessment of coin finds — and are pleased to receive reported finds with location information.
Contact
Metalldetektoren.de
Andreas Licht
Professor-Derra Str. 3
96465 Neustadt b. Coburg
Germany
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