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Monday, 21st September 2009 (5689 views)

A collection of gold Romanian coins dating back to ancient times has been returned to the country's police by an unnamed individual.

The 142 koson coins are believed to have been produced during the first century BC and were given to police by a local in the city of Hunedoara in Orastie, Financiarul reports.

Each coin weighs between 8.2g and 8.8g. Their design is believed to have been equally influenced by Greek and Roman culture, which makes it difficult to ascertain exactly where they originated from.

While the coins are crafted from gold, the Dacians - who were the inhabitants of Romania in ancient times - never produced gold coins, although preliminary analysis suggests that the pieces are indeed genuine.

The hoard is to be given to the National Museum of History in Bucharest for further examination.

Orastie is home to the ancient site of Sarmizegetusa, which is believed to harbour numerous gold treasures from the time of the Dacians.

One of these is thought to be a gold sarcophagus weighing two tonnes, according to the Sacred Sites International Foundation.

 

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