Archaeologists in central Germany completed their examination of the field near Borsum where a Roman silver hoard first surfaced and reported that additional coins lay in the soil. The team catalogued every object as part of a broader study on life and trade in the Hildesheim region during the early Roman imperial period.
In April, a 31-year-old metal detectorist arrived at a police station in Hildesheim and surrendered a sealed container holding about 450 silver coins, several silver bars, a gold ring and a gold coin dated to the 1st century CE. He told officers he had unearthed the items in 2017 but kept them at home because he feared legal trouble.
“The discovery is of enormous scientific significance,” said Sebastian Messal, archaeologist and regional department head at the Lower Saxony State Office for Heritage Conservation, according to Die Zeit. He added that the hoard ranks among the largest Roman silver finds recovered in Lower Saxony.
Prosecutors opened an embezzlement probe after the hand-over, yet they dropped the case because the three-year statute of limitations had expired. With the legal matter resolved, Messal’s team conducted a systematic survey at the findspot and recovered more coins. Researchers are analysing distribution patterns, soil layers and corrosion traces to determine how the treasure entered the ground. The pieces date to a period when Roman units crossed the Rhine frontier and interacted with German communities east of the river.
Scholars remain unsure whether Romans buried the treasure themselves or whether German groups seized the items during conflict and later hid them. Numismatic study and soil analysis aim to narrow the possibilities.
The detectorist—whose name has not been released—has cooperated with authorities, supplying GPS data, photographs and a personal narrative of the 2017 discovery. Under Lower Saxony heritage law, major archaeological finds belong jointly to the state and the finder, though division occurs only after scientific assessment. Museums in the Hildesheim district have expressed interest in exhibiting selected pieces once conservation ends.
The Lower Saxony State Office for Heritage Conservation is preparing a technical report that will place the Borsum hoard alongside other large Roman silver deposits known in Germany. Messal said metallurgical readings, coin legends and wear patterns could offer fresh data on supply lines and commercial contacts in the early Roman imperial period.
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