When Bjarne showed up his treasure at home, his parents quickly contacted the authorities in the northern German city of Bremen.
According to archaeologists, it is a Roman dinar, minted during the reign of the philosophical emperor Marcus Aurelius from 161 to 180 AD. The last Roman ruler to rule Pax Romana Or keep the Roman peace.
Higher inflation leads to worse silver
The newly discovered coin weighs 2.4 grams and is clearly worn.
The dinars were minted at a time when the Romans reduced the silver content of their coins to combat high inflation, Uta Halle, an archaeologist and professor at the University of Bremen, said in a press release.
She described the find as “very special”, because it is very rare to find Roman denarii around Bremen in the state of the same name.
This area was never under Roman rule, but belonged to the Choken, a Germanic tribe that often traded with the Roman Empire.
The silver coin may have ended up in northern Germany as part of that trade.
The 8-year-old student, who can now write “amateur archaeologist” on his resume, is not allowed to keep his find, because according to the law it is the property of the state.
But archaeologists in the state praise Bjarne for his “interest and curiosity,” they promise press release Two books on archeology reward for his discovery.
Halle hopes the dinar will be given a place in the Focke Museum in Bremen, where he heads the antiquities department.
