Archaeologists working at a site in Senon, northeastern France, have uncovered three clay amphorae packed with ancient Roman coins hidden beneath the lime‑concrete floor of what appears to have been a living room. Teams from the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) recovered more than 40,000 coins with a combined weight of roughly 183 pounds.
The amphorae were placed almost at ground level within a pit beneath the floor, a deliberate arrangement that suggests they were intended to remain accessible for repeated deposits or withdrawals rather than permanently sealed away.
“Contrary to what one might think at first glance, it is not certain that these are ‘treasures’ that were hidden during a period of insecurity,” said numismatist Vincent Geneviève in an INRAP statement. He added that the deposits likely reflect a more complex system of monetary management — planned, medium‑ to long‑term saving with the possibility of intermittent deposits and withdrawals by a household or administrative unit.
The region had long been inhabited by the Celtic people known as the Mediomatrici, who were integrated into the Roman world centuries earlier. The coin hoard itself dates to the late 3rd–early 4th century C.E. — roughly between 280 and 310 C.E. — well after Roman incorporation of the area.
INRAP reported that the largest amphora contained an estimated 23,000–24,000 coins (about 83 lb), the second about 18,000–19,000 coins (about 110 lb), and the third only three coins. Archaeologists also observed coins adhered to the outer surface of one amphora, indicating that additional pieces were added to the hoard before the pit was finally backfilled.
The settlement at Senon shows strong Roman influence: coin imagery follows Roman stylistic conventions, and the town’s remains suggest relative affluence, with evidence of public buildings such as a square, courtyards, temples, baths and a theater. The site was later burned in the 4th century and rebuilt; the coins predate those destructive fires.
Because the hoard dates to the late 3rd–early 4th century, researchers consider a connection with Roman military presence possible, but ownership remains uncertain — the cache could have belonged to soldiers, local residents, merchants, artisans or an administrative unit. The shallow placement of the amphorae argues against a hurried concealment and instead supports the interpretation that these were used as accessible savings or operational reserves.
What makes this discovery especially valuable is not only the quantity of coins but the exceptional documentation of their depositional context, a level of detail that is rare for hoards of this type and offers insights into everyday monetary practices in late Roman provincial communities.
