An ancient gold coin told scientists about an unknown British king

“One of the outstanding discoveries of recent decades”

“One of the outstanding discoveries of recent decades” was made by scientists who came into possession of an ancient gold coin depicting an unknown British king.

New light has been shed on a little-known part of British history thanks to the unusual discovery of a coin bearing the name of a forgotten Iron Age ruler in Hampshire, south-east England.

According to Arkeonews, a coin with the inscription “Esunertos” was found by a metal detector in a field in Hampshire. Experts speculate Esunertos may have ruled as king from the mighty Fort Danebury, and the find has been hailed as “one of the outstanding discoveries of recent decades.”

The coin, believed to have been produced between 50 and 30 BC, was minted in connection with Julius Caesar’s first Roman raid on Britain in 55 BC, when the Roman general and his 20,000 soldiers landed on the Kent coast. Despite clashing with Celtic warriors on the beach, the Romans had difficulty landing due to rough seas and were eventually forced to return home.

Gregory Edmund, Iron Age coin specialist at Spink Auctioneers, comments: “This stunning piece of prehistoric art complements the mental image we have when we think of Iron Age Britain – the warhorse and chariot. But we are also surprised by the emergence of classical languages ​​such as Latin.”

Dr John Sills, from the Ashmolean Museum’s Celtic Coins Department, said: “This is one of the outstanding discoveries in Celtic numismatics of recent decades.”

The gold coin was initially expected to sell for around £4,000 ($5,000) at auction. But against all odds, it broke the record at Spinks’ auction, selling for an astonishing £20,400 ($25,500), reports the Daily Mail.

The coin was found by Lewis Fudge, a metal detectorist who received permission to search a farmer’s field in March this year. Lewis Fudge expressed his delight, saying: “I’m over the moon. If it weren’t for the people in the auction room, I would have been jumping around. Collectors I’ve spoken to are stunned. I’m so glad I didn’t take advantage of their private offers before the auction. It’s incredible to think that my find has created its own Wikipedia page.”

Spink Auctions describes the coin as a quarter slater with an obverse inscribed with the name Esunertos in Latin and a worn head of Apollo formed by three interlocking rows of outward-facing crescents, a seven-spoked wheel in the center for an ear, and an eye of the face with radiating rays. tenon towards the notch.

The reverse of the coin depicts a horse with a triple tail, a claw-like lower jaw on the muzzle and a linear ear, with a granulated mane, a yoke or bucranium above the head, an 8-spoke wheel at the top piercing the horse’s back, and a double or triple ring ring at the bottom.