# LVR archaeologists recover 934 Roman denarii of Hadrian's era near Wesseling, Germany

- Published: 2026-11-07 17:21 UTC
- Section: Science › Research
- Tags: Roman silver hoard, Hadrian coins, largest coin hoard Germany, Wesseling find, LVR-ABR, metal detectorist, Roman denarii, Lower Germany, Rhineland archaeology, LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-1f88071a9bc24e75c7f59511_lvr_archaeologists_recover/

**A hobby metal detectorist found Germany's largest coin hoard from Hadrian's time in a field near Wesseling; the find was lifted in a soil block and X-rayed.**

![LVR archaeologists recover 934 Roman denarii of Hadrian's era near Wesseling, Germany](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/f1928c4194088cb9.jpg)
*Earth.com*

The LVR Office for Archaeological Heritage Management in the Rhineland (LVR-ABR) announced on 22 September 2026 that a metal detectorist had found the largest coin hoard from the time of Emperor Hadrian ever discovered in Germany. According to lvr.de, the search was permitted and took place near Wesseling, south of Cologne. The excavation recovered 934 Roman silver denarii weighing about 3.1 kilograms. [1]

The finder, Oliver Riedl, had already dug up 15 coins in a field when his detector kept signaling. He stopped and notified the heritage office. "For me it was clear that something bigger was lying in the ground here," he said. The LVR-ABR branch in Nideggen then excavated the site. [1]

## Dating and composition of the hoard

Archaeologists lifted the find in a block of soil and X-rayed it at the restoration workshop of the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn. The latest coin was minted in AD 124 or 125, so the coins were probably buried in the second quarter of the second century, under Hadrian, who ruled from AD 117 to 138. Most coins date to the Flavian emperors (AD 69–96), among them a denarius of Domitian. The oldest coin was struck in 148 BC, under the Roman Republic. [1]

State archaeologist Erich Claßen said it is the largest hoard of this period in Germany and the fifth largest worldwide. Rahel Otte, who studied the coins, said the fortune was probably assembled around AD 100 and buried deliberately decades later. A legionary earned 300 denarii a year, about half of it withheld for food and equipment. By Otte's calculation, saving 934 denarii would have taken about six years of all his available money. [1]

The owner is unknown and may have lived on one of the Roman country estates nearby. The soil block also held fragments of a clay pot and remains of straw. Otte said the coins were probably buried in a pot padded with straw; years of farming destroyed the pot and scattered the coins through the topsoil. All of them were found and recovered. [1]

## Legal status and display

Under the monument protection law of North Rhine-Westphalia, the hoard belongs to the state. Because Riedl acted lawfully, the state ministry responsible for heritage will give him a reward. [1]

Metal detecting in the Rhineland requires a permit from the heritage authorities and the landowner's consent. Applicants first attend an information session run by the LVR-ABR and mark the areas they want to search on a map. Detectors are allowed only on arable fields, not on meadows or in forests. The hoard will be shown to the public for the first time at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn. [1]

## Sources

1. [lvr.de](https://www.lvr.de/bodendenkmalpflege/)
2. [Earth.com](https://www.earth.com/science/a-metal-detector-kept-beeping-after-the-first-coins-and-an-amateur-ended-up-finding-934-roman-silver-denarii)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-1f88071a9bc24e75c7f59511_lvr_archaeologists_recover/