A badger dug up 200 ancient coins dating back to Roman times, but scientists 'confiscated' them all

You probably already know the Nifflers in the world of Harry Potter, a mystical creature resembling badgers with jet-black fur but a duck beak. This animal is characterized by a preference for shiny objects - especially coins. Then this could be a real-life version of it:

A honey badger is said to have entered the La Cuesta cave in Asturias, northern Spain and unearthed a treasure containing more than 200 ancient Roman coins. "When we got there we discovered a hole leading to the badger's nest, the ground around it was full of coins," said archeologist Dr Alfonso Fanjul Peraza.

200 ancient coins from Roman times.

These coins date to around 200-400 AD and originate from all over Europe. There are coins minted in London, Lyon, Arles (France), Thessalonica (Greece), Constantinople (the ancient capital of Rome) and Antioch (an ancient city located in present-day Turkey). .

In 219 BC, a Roman expeditionary force began to invade the Iberian peninsula, the area that is now Spain and Portugal. They overthrew the Carthaginians here and gradually conquered all the tribes of the peninsula. But it also took more than 200 years for the powerful Roman Empire to annex Iberia.

They then ruled the area for 500 years, until groups of Sueves, Vandals, and Visigoths began to challenge the empire's control. Around AD 409, a Germanic tribe called the Suebi began to invade the peninsula and repel the Romans.

Dr Peraza said it was possible that was the time when the coins were buried. The refugees took refuge in La Cuesta cave and decided to bury their wealth before fleeing.

"We think this treasure reflects a process of social and political instability in Rome, along with the collapse of the empire in the face of a wave of revolt by barbarian tribal groups in northern Spain." Dr. Peraza said.

A second theory is that La Cuesta may have acted as a reserve. It is a place where people can go to deposit and withdraw money. Archaeologists suggest such caves may have acted as some kind of ancient bank account.

Archaeologists are working in the cave.

Published in the Journal of Prehistory and Archeology, the archaeologists said the coins they found were mostly made of copper. There are some coins mixed with silver. These are all lower-grade coins than the 14 gold coins found at a nearby site called the "Chapipi treasure" in 1930. These gold coins also date back to ancient Roman times. Similar to newly discovered coins.

One of the largest coins in the badger's treasure weighs more than 8 grams and contains 4% silver. Archaeologists determined it was minted in London. With a total of 209 coins the badger found, this is now identified as the largest collection of ancient coins ever discovered in northern Spain.

However, archaeologists suspect that it was only part of an even larger treasure that was taken. The remaining bronze coins seem to be the least valuable things people leave behind.

As for the badger, it is unclear whether these coins will help it decorate its home. But according to archaeologists, the badger probably didn't pay much attention to them.

Badgers appear in a cave often in search of food rather than coins. Or it simply dug this burrow to escape the harsh winter. The badger's den appears to have been dug in January of last year, during the Filomena snowstorm that swept across Spain and dumped a record amount of snow.

By the time Dr. Peraza and his archaeological team went to La Cuesta cave and collected all the coins, the badger was no longer there. They dug up all the badger's treasure and brought the coins back to the Archaeological Museum of Asturias.

Archaeologists also plan to return to the cave again to continue searching for the remaining clues. They suggest that it is possible that La Cuesta cave still contains many valuable artifacts, which could help historians learn more about the fall of the Roman Empire, and then the formation of medieval kingdoms. in northern Spain.

As for the badger, it certainly won't like this. Maybe the badger was very angry when he returned to find his house dug up and the treasure gone.