A significant discovery of ancient silver coins has been made on the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria, located between Sicily and Tunisia. Archaeologists from the University of Tübingen in Germany have discovered 27 Roman silver coins, known as “denarii”, dating back more than 2,000 years. The coins were found hidden in a hole in a wall during excavations at the Acropolis of Santa Teresa and San Marco. Some of the coins depict the profile of a human head, which remains unidentified.
Pirate Attack Theory
The coins are believed to have been hidden during one of the many pirate raids that plagued the region between 94 and 74 BC, during the reign of the Roman Republic. The discovery was made after the ground subsided following rainy weather, exposing part of the cache. The rest of the coins were found under a boulder. According to archaeologist Thomas Schäfer, the coins may have been hidden by locals during a pirate attack.
Pirates frequently raided the coast of the eastern Mediterranean until 67 BC, when the Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, known as Pompey the Great, defeated them.
Roman Ruins and Previous Discoveries
The discovery of these coins occurred near an earlier find – the heads of three Roman statues. These marble heads bore the likenesses of Julius Caesar, Emperor Titus (who ruled from 79 to 81 AD), and a woman who may have been Agrippina the Elder, granddaughter of Augustus, or Antonia the Younger, daughter of Mark Antony.
The archaeological site, once a Roman settlement known as Cossyra or Cossura, remains untouched by robbers and includes a gathering place known as a “comitium.” Only five such places have been found in Italy, making this a significant and well-preserved find.
