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Celtic gold coin discovered near Leipzig: A treasure from 2,200 years!
Discovery of a 2200-year-old Celtic gold coin near Gundorf: Historical significance and trade between regions.
Celtic gold coin discovered near Leipzig: A treasure from 2,200 years!
In an exciting archaeological discovery, a Celtic gold coin was found near Gundorf, northwest of Leipzig, which has been dated to around 2,200 years ago. This remarkable coin, discovered in July by a metal detectorist, is the oldest coin in the collection of the State Office of Archeology (LfA). According to lvz.de the site is located in arable land where the cultural influence of the Celts was already evident 2000 years ago.
The gold coin comes from Bohemia, which indicates that the area around Leipzig did not belong to the Celtic culture at that time. This find raises exciting questions about early trade relations between the Czech Republic and the Leipzig region and provides evidence of a type of exchange that was formative for the urban and rural communities of the time.
Details about the coin
The coin is an Eastern Celtic coin, also known as the “Rainbow Bowl”. Its front shows a stylized head of an animal, while the back is decorated with an open neck ring, a star with rounded corners and a ball. It was made of almost pure gold with a small amount of silver and weighs only 2 grams. The nominal value of the coin corresponds to about a quarter of a stater, which in ancient Greece was equivalent to around five to six days' wages for a worker.
The significance of this discovery will be presented publicly in Dresden on Monday. The finder of the coin, various archaeological experts and the State Minister for Culture and Tourism, Barbara Klepsch, will be present during the presentation. This event marks not only a celebration of the find, but also an important event for the archaeological community in Saxony.
Cultural influences
The social structures of the Celts in the Czech Republic were characterized by urban-organized cultures, in contrast to the regions around Leipzig, which were populated by farmers and livestock breeders in smaller communities. These differences illustrate the cultural exchange between the Elbe Germans and the Bohemian Celts, who influenced each other and maintained trade relationships, as the discovery of this coin impressively shows.