A hoard of 141 Roman gold coins found in northern Luxembourg has revealed an unusual connection to ancient Anatolia, offering new clues about how money moved across the Roman Empire more than 1,600 years ago.
Researchers found that 17 coins came from Nicomedia, a major Roman mint in what is now northwestern Turkey. The coins were struck between A.D. 364 and 367. They represent 12.2% of the 139 standard coins included in a new analysis of the hoard.
Researchers David Wigg-Wolf, David Weis and Lynn Stoffel reported that no comparable regional hoard in the Coin Hoards of the Roman Empire database contains such a strong concentration of coins from Nicomedia.
Gold discovery leads to years-long excavation
The story began in September 2019 at Um Rank near Holzthum, in Luxembourg’s Parc Hosingen commune. Two amateur researchers using metal detectors found 38 gold coins while surveying the area with guidance from Luxembourg’s National Institute for Archaeological Research, or INRA.
They reported the discovery, leading to further excavations between 2020 and 2024. Archaeologists eventually recovered 141 gold solidi and uncovered a Late Roman fortified structure, known as a burgus, along with defensive ditches.
A hoard of 141 Roman gold coins found in Luxembourg has revealed an unexpected link to ancient Anatolia.
Seventeen were minted at Nicomedia, suggesting Roman gold may have traveled thousands of kilometers with armies and imperial networks more than 1,600 years ago. pic.twitter.com/egs8rd8kcp
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) September 11, 2026
The discovery adds to evidence from other parts of Europe showing the importance of coins at Roman military sites. Archaeologists recently found more than 300 Roman coins near an ancient watchtower in Croatia, where researchers linked the find to soldiers stationed along the Danube frontier.
The Luxembourg excavation carried unusual risks. Unexploded ammunition from World War II remained at the site, forcing archaeologists to work with the Luxembourg Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service. Fighting during the Battle of the Ardennes and later farming had also disturbed the area.
Coins may trace Roman troop movements
The Nicomedia coins could provide evidence of long-distance movement within the empire. Anatolia formed an important part of the Roman world, with research showing how Roman rule transformed the region through centuries of political and economic integration.
Emperor Valentinian I was proclaimed Augustus at Ancyra, modern Ankara, in A.D. 364. Researchers suggest some eastern gold may have traveled west as Valentinian and his forces moved toward Italy and later Gaul.
Later coins point to further east-west movement
Other coins tell a similar story. The hoard contains pieces minted at Constantinople, which became the Roman imperial capital under Constantine, between A.D. 383 and 388. It also contains two Honorius solidi struck at Sirmium in A.D. 394 and 395.
Some may have moved west with troops following Emperor Theodosius I’s defeat of Eugenius in A.D. 394. However, researchers found no evidence linking the burial to a particular war or political crisis. They date the hoard to around A.D. 395 or shortly afterward. Luxembourg paid €308,600 ($358,145) to the legal rights holders following an independent valuation.
For researchers, however, the greater value lies in what the coins reveal: Roman gold could travel enormous distances alongside armies, officials, and imperial power.
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