The 41 gold coins were minted more than 2,000 years ago and are the first known Celtic gold treasure in Brandenburg, the Minister of Culture in Brandenburg announced in December 2021.
The coins are bent to look like rainbow cups.
Another legend is that rainbow cups fell directly from the sky and were considered good luck charms and healing objects.
The ancient vault was discovered by Wolfgang Herkt, a volunteer archaeologist with the Brandenburg State Museum of Archeology and Heritage Management (BLDAM), near the village of Baitz in 2017. After Herkt got permission from the landowner
After finding 10 more coins, Herkt reported the discovery to BLDAM and brought the total hoard to 41 coins.
“This is a unique discovery that you can only make once in a lifetime,” Herkt said.
By comparing the coin’s weight and size with other ancient rainbow goblets, archaeologists were able to date the minting from 125 BC to 30 BC.
At that time, the core areas of the Celtic La Tène archaeological culture (about 450 BC until the Roman conquest in the first century BC) occupied areas
In southern Germany, archaeologists have found large numbers of these rainbow goblets. However, the Celtic people did not live in Brandenburg, so the discovery suggests that Iron Age Europe was networked.
Ancient coins
Of the 41 gold coins, 19 are called stater, 2 cm in diameter and average weight 7.3 grams, and 22 are 1/4 stater, less than 1.4 cm in diameter and weight.
Since the coins in the vault are similar, it is likely that the hoard was deposited all at once.
Archaeologist Pilekić said: ‘It is very rare to find gold in Brandenburg, but no one would have expected it to be Celtic gold.