The Roman Coin Hoard of Bunnik

In the autumn of 2023, 404 silver and gold coins dating back to the start of the Common Era were found in the Dutch municipality of Bunnik, not far from Utrecht. The find contains a unique combination of Roman and British coins, buried in the northern border region of the Roman Empire (the Lower German Limes). Never before has such a Roman-British hoard been found on the European mainland!

On this page you can find a lot of information on the Roman Coin Hoard of Bunnik. You can read the academic paper, look through pictures and watch a video of the hoard. For the press release, see below.

The coin hoard

A Roman-British coin hoard of this kind has never been discovered in mainland Europe before. The most recent of the Roman coins were struck in the years 46-47, during the reign of the Emperor Claudius. It was during this period that Roman troops crossed the North Sea to conquer the land they called ‘Britannia’.

Forty-four of the gold coins come from what we now call Britain and bear the inscription of the British king Cunobelin. The coins were probably brought to Bunnik after the initial conquests by Roman soldiers returning from Britannia: the Roman coins were their pay, while the British coins were the spoils of war.

The coins have been acquired by the National Museum of Antiquities and now form part of its permanent exhibition The Netherlands in Roman Times.