Bunnik Hoard
| Bunnik Hoard | |
|---|---|
 Coins laid out from the Bunnik Hoard (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden) | |
| Material | 404 Iron Age and Roman gold and silver coins |
| Created | 47 AD |
| Period/culture | Reign of Claudius (41–54 AD) |
| Discovered | 2023 Bunnik, Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Culture | Roman Britain |
The Bunnik Hoard is a Romano-British coin hoard discovered in the village of Bunnik, Netherlands. The hoard consists of 404 coins of Celtic, Roman, and Numidian origin which were deposited in 47 AD. It is notable as the largest hoard found in Utrecht and the first mixed composition hoard found outside of Great Britain. As part of the Limes Germanicus, the Roman Netherlands had a strong Roman military presence and many fortifications. It served as a launch base for the Roman conquest of Britain. [1]
Discovery
[edit]In Autumn 2023, two metal detectorists, Gert-Jan Messelaar and Reinier Koelink, were combing the fields for a fruit grower's tractor key in Houten, before moving on to neighboring Bunnik, where they had recovered some coins in the past. [2][3]
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The first coin Koelink found was lying on the surface, a Celtic stater, normally only found in Britain. Messelaar thereafter found the rest of the hoard, clumped together in the mud. After disassembling the hoard, the findings were reported to the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed. Later excavations added 23 coins to the detectorists' 381, for a total of 404 silver and gold coins, many of which were located less than 30 cm below the surface.[2][3][4]
In order to prevent looting, the exact location of the find was left undisclosed to the public. It is known to be around the A12 motorway, far from known Roman fortifications.[3][4] An in-depth breakdown of the find is set to be published in 2026.[4]
The hoard is currently on display at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, in Leiden as part of the permanent exhibit "The Netherlands in Roman Times".[3][5]
Content
[edit]The 404 coins include several Celtic staters, Roman Republican and Imperial currency, and a denarius of Juba I of Numidia (minted in Utica, Tunisia). The Bunnik Hoard is described by the Coin Hoards of the Roman Empire Project as "the largest Roman coin hoard ever discovered in Utrecht and the first mixed composition hoard found in mainland Europe".[6] The hoard is registered by the University of Oxford's Coin Hoards of the Roman Empire database under ID No. 21255.[6]
| Reign | Years | Mint | Denomination | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juba I of Numidia | 60 – 46 BC: king of Numidia | Utica | Denarius | 1 |
| Cunobeline | about AD 9 – about 40: king in pre-Roman Britain | Stater | 42 | |
| Quarter-Stater | 2 | |||
| Mark Antony | Travelling Mint | Denarius | 30 | |
| Octavian | 27 BC – AD 14: first Roman emperor | Travelling Mint | Denarius | 3 |
| Unknown | Denarius | 179 | ||
| Julius Caesar | 49: temporaneous dictator of Rome – 46: annual dictator – 44 BC: dictator perpetuo | Denarius | 12 | |
| Augustus | 27 BC – AD 14 | Aureus | 22 | |
| Denarius | 28 | |||
| Gaius Caesar | Denarius | 2 | ||
| Tiberius | AD 14 – 37: Roman emperor | Lugdunum | Aureus | 37 |
| Denarius | 27 | |||
| Claudius | AD 41 – 54: Roman emperor | Rome | Aureus | 13 |
| Denarius | 6 |
The coins of the hoard date between 200 BC and 47 AD. Because this is the date of the youngest coins, the burial of this hoard has been dated to 47 AD.[7]
See also
[edit]- Helmingham Hall Hoard – a Roman hoard date to 47 AD, discovered in Helmingham, Suffolk, United Kingdom between 2019 and 2021.
- Worcestershire Conquest Hoard – a Roman Conquest era hoard discovered in Worcestershire, United Kingdom in 2023.
References
[edit]- ^ Boffey, Daniel (2025-01-27). "Ancient British coins found in Dutch field likely to be spoils of Roman conquest". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ^ a b Magazine, Smithsonian; Wizevich, Eli. "Two Metal Detectorists in the Netherlands Stumbled Onto Hundreds of Looted Coins From the Roman Conquest of Britain". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ^ a b c d Teunissen, Bas (2025-01-27). "Reinier en Gert-Jan zochten een tractorsleutel, maar vonden een Romeinse schat". rtvutrecht.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ^ a b c "The Bunnik Hoard 2023". utrechtaltijd.nl. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ^ "The Netherlands in Roman Times". Rijksmuseum van Oudheden. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ^ a b c "Hoard Details 21255". chre.ashmus.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ^ "PAN – Portable Antiquities Netherlands". portable-antiquities.nl. Retrieved 2025-02-03.