(ORDO NEWS) — A dog named Kaitus has discovered the largest treasure found in Poland in the last 100 years. The treasure was found buried in a clay pot near Walbrzych by a dog named Kaitus while walking with the owner.
Information about the unusual find was received by the branch in Walbrzych, WUOZ in Wrocław on Thursday 7 April. The next day, Marek Kowalski, an inspector of monuments, together with a group of archaeologists from the Archaeological Institute of the University of Wroclaw examined the find and went to the place of discovery.
What was found turned out to be medieval bracts from the first half of the 13th century, stored in a dilapidated clay pot. Medieval bracteates are thin coins with only one obverse minted. The name of the coin comes from the Latin word bractea, which means thin sheet of metal.
Bracteates are made from thin plates. In the Middle Ages, they served as means of payment. The use of individual series of coins is relatively short.
From historical data it is known that the exchange of means of payment during this period took place 2-3 times a year. The aforementioned surviving coins from this period are few, as they were melted down and minted in a new series. Therefore, the discovery of a significant number of coins from this period is unique.
The coins found in Walbrzych are quite well preserved, the images on them are mostly clear and depict griffins, mermaids and angels, as well as architectural elements such as towers and walls.
The location of the vessel and the coins suggests that someone originally hid them. The preliminary identification of the coins suggests that they come from Brandenburg, Saxony and Silesia.
The last such discovery occurred in Pomerania in 1972, when more than a hundred Teutonic brachteats were found.
During this period, kings, princes and bishops could issue coins. This situation continued until large reserves of silver were discovered near Prague (Czech Republic); after that they began to issue pennies, gradually displacing the braconites.
However, this discovery has caused some controversy. Some netizens claim that the dog story is exaggerated and that the 13th-century treasure was found by someone who scanned the area with a metal detector.
Anna Nowakowska-Cucera, an employee of the Walbrzych heritage department, said: “The person who contacted us was walking with his dog. At some point, Kaitus started digging in the ground. That’s how he came across a pot of coins.” At least that’s the version they gave us.”
First, the coins will be carefully studied, and then, as the property of the treasury, they will go to the museum.
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