A gold coin was discovered at the “Hotalich” fortress near Sevlievo, the Municipality announced, DarikNews reported.
The valuable find was found during the regular archaeological research conducted by the Historical Museum-Sevlievo, funded by the Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of Sevlievo. The scientific director of the site, Nadezhda Boteva, and her team will continue their work until the end of August.
The coin is a tremis of the Byzantine Emperor Justin II (565-578). The tremis is the smallest denomination of Byzantine gold coins. It weighs 1.5 grams and has a diameter of 18 mm. It is made of gold with a very high sample - 22-23 carats. It was minted in the Byzantine capital Constantinople.
On its obverse is the image of the emperor, wearing a diadem and armor. Emperor Justin II inherited the throne after one of the most famous Byzantine emperors - Justinian the Great (527-565). Justin II was unable to cope with the many problems he inherited as a result of the ambitious policy of his predecessor.
The empire lost territories and sank into a financial crisis. The emperor fell ill with a mental disorder and died. The reverse of the coin depicts the goddess of Victory (Latin Victoria), walking to the right, head to the left, holding a wreath and a sphere with a cross.
During the forty-six years in which excavations of the fortress were conducted, three gold coins were received into the collection of the Historical Museum. They were discovered in the 1980s.
The “New“ gold coin will be displayed at the Hadzhistoyan School on the occasion of the Sevlievo holidays in October and will take its place in the permanent exhibition “Archaeology”.