Archaeologists from the Zalău County Museum of History and Art have identified a monetary treasure of 36 medieval coins in the village of Sântă Măria, in the northwestern Romania county of Sălaj, after an archeology enthusiast accidentally discovered several coins with a metal detector. 

It was September 2020 when Cristian Marincaș discovered six medieval coins in the Sântă Măria village, with the help of a metal detector. He set the site's coordinates using a GPS and then notified the competent authorities, local Agerpres reported. Two specialists from the Zalău County Museum of History and Art went to the site and identified 30 more coins.

The treasure found in the small Romanian village contains 36 coins issued between 1551 and 1599 in Poland, Lithuania, Riga, and Hungary, according to the Zalău Museum. All coins are made of silver. 

After the discovery, the monetary treasure entered a restoration process, which highlighted each coin's characteristics: the place of issue, the name of the issuer, the name of the engraver, the year of issue, and the value written on each piece.

"During the archeological research, there was no indication that the treasure was stored in a ceramic or metal container. Most likely, the treasure was originally in a leather or canvas bag, materials that did not stand the test of time," the museum also said.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Muzeuzalau.ro)