Humans have been making gold and silver into jewelry, coins and other dazzling items for centuries. People find many of these valuable items from the past every year – and 2022 is no exception.
Here are eight remarkable gold and silver artifacts found last year in different places across the globe.
"Inexpensive jewelry" turns out to be a gold Viking ring
When a lady in Norway purchased cheap jewelry at an online auction, she was hoping to get trinkets to pair with a costume. She instead got a huge, gold Viking ring created from twisted metal strands. According to archaeologists, it may have been owned by a Viking chief more than a thousand years ago.
Kitchen renovation in the UK unearths cache of gold coins
A kitchen renovation done at an 18th century home in the United Kingdom yielded a stunning discovery. Hidden underneath the kitchen's wooden floorboards was a stash of gold coins dating between 1610 to 1727. The finding, which is made up of more than 260 gold coins, was assessed to be worth around £241,984 ($290,000).
Archaeologists uncover Byzantine-era gold coins in Israeli nature reserve
Archaeologists dug up a stash of 44 gold coins dating back to the time of the Byzantine Empire on a nature reserve in northern Israel. The coins dated back to the reign of Emperor Phocas and his successor Heraclius. The owner may have buried the hoard at the reserve's current location before escaping from Muslim troops that invaded the area in the year 635.
Ancient coins found close to an Egyptian temple
A stash of ancient coins was discovered buried underground close to an Egyptian temple from the last millennium. The coins came from diverse backgrounds and dated back to the Islamic era from A.D. 610 to the 13th century. Bronze and brass coins from the Ottoman Empire were also part of the stash.
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Gold coin featuring assassinated Roman emperor found in Hungary
Excavators in Hungary uncovered a "very rare" gold coin portraying a slain Roman emperor. The coin from the third century displayed the face of Emperor Volusianus, who co-ruled with his father for nearly two years before their own soldiers assassinated them. Given Volusianus' short reign, coins displaying his likeness are uncommon.
Beet farmer finds ancient gold belt in his plot
Over in the Czech Republic, a beet farmer unearthed a wrinkled sheet of gold on his plot of land. Local archaeologists said the treasure was probably the front of a leather belt dating back to the Bronze Age. The said belt, with featured concentric circles that may have represented cosmological systems, would have been owned by a high-ranking member of society. (Related: Buried treasure: Gold and precious gems uncovered from a 5th century burial site in Czech Republic.)
Ring portraying Egyptian "god of fun" among stash found in burial
A gold ring with an engraving of Bes, the Egyptian "god of fun," was among the valuable jewelry discovered in a 3,300-year-old burial. Often described as a dwarf and a pleasure-loving musician, Bes was also known as a protector of women during childbirth. Aside from the gold ring with the deity's description, archaeologists also found a gold necklace and a second ring with Egyptian hieroglyphics on it.
Rare coin of Charlemagne found in French farmer's collection
A 1,200-year-old silver coin featuring a portrait of the Emperor Charlemagne in Roman garb was found in the collection of a French farmer, who passed on his hoard to his grandson. The farmer's grandson examined the coins years later and put the coin – called a denarius – on eBay. German museum curators saw the rare coin and jumped at the opportunity to purchase it.
It is worth noting that the denarius was issued even though the Western Roman Empire had collapsed centuries earlier. This is because the Vatican, led by Pope Leo III at the time, crowned Charlemagne the first king of the Holy Roman Empire on Christmas day of the year 800.
Follow Artifacts.news for more news about archaeological discoveries.
Watch this video that discusses the historical coins of Christianity from the biblical to the medieval period.
This video is from the trustedcoins channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Researchers find world's oldest stone tools in Kenya.
Unique swords discovered in Byzantine Empire stronghold.
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