By Elena Bormotova: A coin dating back to the times of the Roman Empire was found in Belarus. The artifact was discovered in Volozhin District.
Numismatists fr om Minsk and Poland determined by photograph that the obverse features the profile of Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexandrus, the reverse depicts the god of war Mars. The approximate time is the 3rd century AD.
The coin is quite large in size – with a radius of 3 centimeters. It is in a pretty good condition. The inscription in Latin is clearly visible, but experts have not investigated it yet, since they have not held the coin in their hands yet. Most likely, it is made of bronze.
Earlier, coins of this period had already been found in Belarus. Single copies are kept in Brest, Polotsk, and possibly in Turov. But for this area, a numismatic thing which is at least 1700 years old is unique. In the near future, detailed and accurate attribution will be conducted by specialists. To study the finding, they plan to send it to the Academy of Sciences of Belarus.
In the meantime, the coin was transferred to the Ivenets Museum of Traditional Culture for temporary storage. Soon, the artifact will be exhibited to the general public. And after the village of Nalibaki, where the coin was found, has its own museum, the rarity will be transferred there, so that the coin is be stored in the place wh ere it was found.
