Several Roman coins discovered in 1713 were long considered fakes. New analysis
Throughout most of ancient Roman historyRoman mints issued coins with portraits of the current emperors. In 1713, a group of such coins was allegedly discovered in Transylvania, some of them with a portrait of a man, signed with the name Sponsian. However, there are no other historical records that there ever was a Roman emperor of that name.
Although the “Transylvanian” artifacts look like coins3rd century, some stylistic characteristics and production methods differ from traditional Roman coins. Therefore, many experts considered them to be counterfeits.
Coin featuring Sponsian, now in The Hunterian, University of Glasgow, UK, catalog number GLAHM:40333. Credit & Copyright: Pearson et al., 2022, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0
To figure it all out, scientists conducteda thorough assessment of the physical characteristics of four Roman coins, including one with a portrait of an unknown emperor. They used visible light microscopy, ultraviolet imaging, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in reflectance mode. Experts compared the performance of four dubious coins and two authentic ones from another collection.
During the analysis, scientists found deep patternsmicroabrasion. They usually appear on coins that have been in circulation for a long time. The researchers also analyzed clay deposits on the artifacts. It turned out that at some point the coins were buried. Taken together, the new data convincingly proves that the coins are genuine, scientists conclude.
Also, taking into account historical records, the researchers suggested that Sponsianus was the commander of the army in the Roman province of Dacia during the period of military strife in the 260s of our era.
Read more:
A magnetic storm is about to hit Earth
Named the main danger of the lunar mission "Artemis"
The true meaning of mummification is revealed: all this time, scientists were wrong