HOARD OF TREASURE

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 39, 15 February 1930, Page 20

HOARD OF TREASURE

A largo quantity of old Roman coins has just been discovered in tho Bulgarian village of Eeka Devna in the neighbourhood of Varna, Bulgaria's chief Black Sea port, by a Macedonian refugee, Paul Todorofi, writes a correspondent of the' "Christian Science Monitor.". .

Todoroff and a companion wero digging a deep ditch in one corner of their yard when at the depth of sis feet theirl spades struck a hard object, which they at: first thought was a stone. On removing the earth from around'it they uncovered a still larger object and after further hasty digging they found two enormous earthen jars before- them. They supposed these vessels, so carefully buried, were full of treasure, since in the Balkan Peninsula many a man in flight before an approaching army has buried his money, hoping in bettor days to return and find it. Rare is the fireside in Bulgaria or shepherds' fire in tho mountains about which thrilling stories of buried treasures have not been told and almost every imaginativo boy iv the Bulkans hopes eomo day to uncover hidden wealth. In fact, there are men who spend their lives running down clues they have gathered of buried money.

Todoroff and his companion broke open the jars and sure enough found them' filled with money, but not as they had hoped, with Turkish gold. However, some of tho pieces . were still shiny and Appeared to bo of silver. In all there were not far from half a ton of coins. The villagers helped themselves and the whole col-

NEARLY HALF TON OF COINS

The village, Keka Devna, in which they were discovered, is at a junction in a famous Eoman road. One branch went north-east to Silistra, present day Euniania and Russia, another branch east to Varna and other Black Sea ports and a third south and west to Constantinople, Greece, and Eome. Further excavations are to be made.

lection" might havo been scattered had not tho mayor notified the county governor by telephone, who rushed to tho place in his automobile and managed to recover about two-thirds of. the money. Ho put it in bags and took it to Varna, whence it was sent to Sofia. ■ ..,

On examination the money proved to be of Boman origin. Bulgarian experts say that it dates from the first [three centuries A.D.. and are of'the opinion, that' it was buried during one of the invasions of tho Goths who invaded the Balkan Peninsula along this route. ;

The place where it was found is the ' site .of the old Roman city of Marciatiopolis, founded by the Eoinan Emperor Trajan and named after his sister. It is believed that the coins must have belonged to the munieicality and that they were concealed in the cellar of the city hall, since, it is argued, no individual would have so much money in his house. The ,-city itself, which was inhabited by Eomans, Greeks and Thracians, occasionally struck its own coins and many of the pieces discovered were from tho mints of Marcianopolis. They bear the images of many Greek gods and of Boman emperors.