A “stash” of 100,000 ancient coins was found in Japan (5 photos)

In the Japanese province of Gunma, in the Sojamachi region, where it was planned to build a plant, they dug a pit... and found a treasure of unprecedented size: 100 thousand coins, some of which are more than 2000 years old.





The coins are tied together in piles using a straw rope passed through a square central hole.



So far, scientists have been able to analyze only a small part of the finds - 334 coins.





It turned out that many of them are of Chinese origin. The oldest dates back to 175 BC. and refers to the first coins minted in unified China. The latest coin was issued in 1265 AD. In total, at least 44 types of coins have been identified.



The place where the discovery was made was located near the residences of high-ranking officials of medieval Japan. It is believed that the coins were hastily hidden “for a rainy day” in anticipation of the impending war. But for some reason no one came for the stash. The area on which the coins are placed is 60 square meters. Each stack contains about 100 coins, and 1,060 such stacks were excavated. Judging by the remains of straw found, the coins were wrapped in straw mats before burial.



The treasure was probably buried during the Kamakura period (1185-1333), but this is a preliminary estimate based on the dating of the latest coin.