The discovery of a gold treasure testifies to the existence of a baptized Roman emperor Sponsianusreports the Guardian. Considered until then as fraudulent, these coins have been authenticated by British researchers, confirming that the symbols represent this character from antiquity, not appearing in any other historical document. “Scientific analysis of these ultra-rare coins saves Emperor Sponsianus from obscurity. Our evidence suggests that he ruled Roman Dacia, an isolated gold mining outpost, at a time when it was beset by civil wars and the border regions were invaded by plundering invaders,” said Paul N. Pearson, professor of natural sciences in London. Earlier, the researcher had started corresponding with Jesper Ericsson, curator of the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow, which has one of these pieces in its collection. Their weight in gold, equivalent to 20,000 dollars, did not deny the real nature of these coins.
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An unknown emperor
According to the British daily, this hoard of coins was discovered in Transylvania, in present-day Romania, in 1713. Recognized Roman emperors of the third century, including Gordian III and Philip the Arab, appear there. Four other coins represent the Emperor Sponsianus, hitherto unknown to the history books. At the beginning of the 18th century, these coins were considered authentic and classified alongside other imitation Roman coins. But as early as the 19th century, they were rejected, proving on the contrary to be false. “I believe that we have established with a very high degree of confidence that they are authentic”, certified Paul N. Pearson, adding that the question of the identity of the Emperor Sponsianus remains however “speculative”.
