Daily Weird News Report
A ceramic jug packed with 2,600 medieval silver coins has been uncovered in the historic center of Kolomna, a city about 114 kilometers southeast of Moscow, according to a translated statement from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences cited by Live Science.
The hoard was buried in a pit and consists mostly of dengas, coins first minted in the late 14th century by the Grand Principality of Moscow. Each denga was worth half a kopek, while 100 kopeks made up a ruble.
Most of the coins were produced in Kolomna during the reigns of Vasily I, who ruled from 1389 to 1425, and Vasily II, who ruled from 1425 to 1462. Kolomna was a major regional center during the 14th and 15th centuries, ranking as the region’s second-most-important city, the statement said.
Among the most unusual pieces is an extremely rare denga showing a bird in flight. It was minted during the final years of Vasily I’s reign. More than 350 other coins appear to be varieties that experts had not previously documented, and specialists are continuing to study them.
The size and contents of the hoard suggest that its owner was wealthy and held high social status. The archaeological institute said the person may have been a senior government official or a particularly successful merchant.
The reason the money was hidden is not known. However, the latest coins in the collection were minted during the second half of the 1420s. That timing has led experts to suggest that the owner may have died during a plague epidemic that affected Russian principalities between 1424 and 1427.
The plague connection remains a possibility rather than an established explanation. The discovery itself does not identify who buried the coins or what happened to that person after the hoard was concealed.
