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Two of Switzerland’s oldest gold coins found
Two Celtic gold coins that are among the oldest ever found in Switzerland have been discovered by volunteers near Arisdorf, three miles south of the German border. They date to the second half of the 3rd century B.C., and only about 20 examples are known from Switzerland.
Research suggests that the introduction of monetary systems in Central Europe can be traced back to Celtic mercenaries. These men were paid for their services in Greece with coins and brought them back home with them. Around the middle of the 3rd century BC, the Celts began their own coinage, imitating gold coins of the Macedonian king Philip II (359–336 BC). The obverse of these coins depicts the head of the Greek god Apollo, the reverse a chariot (biga). The Celts adapted both motifs in their own distinctive style. The two gold coins from Arisdorf are among these imitations. Coin expert Michael Nick of the Inventory of Coin Finds of Switzerland (IFS) identified the stater (weight 7.8 g) as the Gamshurst type and the quarter stater (1.86 g) as the Montmorot type. They thus belong to the very small group of just over 20 known examples of the oldest Celtic coins from Switzerland, which originated around the middle and second half of the 3rd century BC.
These were extremely valuable coins, far too valuable to serve as regular circulation currency. The Celts probably used them to pay their soldiers just as the original Greek staters had been used to pay for their mercenary services in Macedon. They may have also been diplomatic gifts, to secure political favors or alliances, or as dowries.
The find site is on the Bärenfels Moor, which may be a clue to how the coins got there. These gold coins are most often found in graves or in bogs/bodies of water which were held as sacred by the Celts. The coins are believed to have been left as offerings.
Because the two gold coins are so rare, canton officials decided to put them on display as soon as possible. In March, they will join the ongoing exhibition “Treasure Finds” at the Historical Museum Basel in the Barfüsserkirche. The exhibition includes Celtic silver coins from a hoard of 34 dating to around 80-70 B.C. that were found in the Bärenfels area in 2022.
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