A remarkable discovery on the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria has brought to light a trove of ancient silver coins, offering a glimpse into the tumultuous past of this region. Located near Sicily, Pantelleria holds remnants of a rich history, with ruins dating back to the Punic era, even before the epic clashes between Carthage and Rome.
The ancient treasure, consisting of 27 silver coins minted between 94 and 74 B.C. during the Roman Republic, was unearthed by archaeologists excavating the Acropolis of Santa Teresa and San Marco on the island. The coins, meticulously crafted in Rome, were denarii – the standard Roman currency for centuries – each worth approximately $20 in today’s value, equivalent to a soldier’s daily pay in the Roman legions.
The discovery was made by a team led by Germany’s University of Tübingen, which has been meticulously studying the site for 25 years. Some of the coins were revealed after a section of the wall crumbled due to heavy rains, while others were found hidden beneath a large boulder.
The remarkable find was not a simple stash of forgotten coins. Archaeologist Thomas Schäfer from the University of Tübingen believes the hoard was carefully hidden during one of the frequent pirate attacks that plagued the eastern Mediterranean Sea. These attacks, a common occurrence in the region, were a constant threat to coastal settlements until the Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great) decisively crushed the pirates in 67 B.C.
The discovery of the ancient silver coins is a testament to the turbulent history of the region and offers a fascinating glimpse into the everyday life of the Roman Empire during a time of constant threat. The presence of the coins, carefully hidden within the wall, hints at the fear and uncertainty that gripped the inhabitants of Pantelleria, and the desperate measures they took to preserve their precious wealth in the face of danger.
The Acropolis site, untouched by looters, holds further evidence of Roman influence. Nearby, archaeologists had previously uncovered the marble heads of three Roman statues: Julius Caesar, the Roman emperor Titus, and a woman who might be Agrippina the Elder, a granddaughter of Augustus, or Antonia the Younger, a daughter of Mark Antony. These discoveries paint a vivid picture of the Roman presence on the island of Pantelleria, a place that was once a vital part of the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire.
