A Badger Uncovered a Fortune of Ancient Coins When All It Wanted Was a Snack

A Badger Uncovered a Fortune of Ancient Coins When All It Wanted Was a Snack

Chilling somewhere in the north-west of Spain is a clever little badger unaware of the treasure trove they uncovered. Basically, this badger is being credited with uncovering an ‘exceptional find’ of about 200 Roman-era coins, when all they wanted was a snack.

As detailed in a paper in the Journal of Prehistory and Archaeology and brought to our attention by CNN, these coins were discovered by the badger in La Cuesta cave in Bercio in the Asturias region of north-western Spain.

The badger had burrowed into a crack in the rock inside the La Cuesta cave and dug out coins that were later discovered by a local man, Roberto García. García then called in archaeologists. The team then performed an archaeological excavation that recovered a total of 209 coins dating from 200 AD to 400 AD.

“When we arrived we found the hole that led to the badger’s nest, and the ground around it full of coins,” dig director Alfonso Fanjul is quoted by CNN as saying.

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Fanjul believes the coins were hidden by refugees sheltering in the area.

He told CNN that he believes the badger’s find is a reflection of the “social and political instability which came along with the fall of Rome and the arrival of groups of barbarians to northern Spain”.

The coins will go on display at the Archaeological Museum of Asturias – if you want to check them out, head on over to the CNN article.

And as for the badger? Snacking elsewhere, probably.


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