Rare coins discovered in Croatia called a archaeological sensation

(Photo: Nina Obuljen Koržinek/Facebook)

ZAGREB, 3 Dec (Hina) – The exhibition “Batina – Treasure of the Cross: A Hoard of Silver Coins from the Time of the First Crusade” has opened at the Archaeological Museum in Osijek, and Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen-Koržinek said that this exceptionally rare find is a sensation for both Croatian and European archaeology.

Opening the exhibition on Monday, Minister Obuljen-Koržinek emphasised that this is a spectacular discovery that gives Croatian archaeology insight into something that experts could not have even assumed might be found in this area.

It is an extremely valuable and rare find of silver coins from the early Middle Ages — coins that are themselves very rare. They were discovered at the Batina site in Baranja, where research is mainly focused on the Iron Age and the Roman limes.

This find therefore shows that this part of Croatia lay on one of the routes used by crusaders travelling toward Jerusalem, the minister said.

She believes that such a find opens possibilities for further interpretation of mediaeval military, pilgrimage and trade routes during the time of the Crusades, and given its rarity, she is confident it will attract attention not only from local but also from international audiences and the professional community.

Croatia is very rich in archaeology from all historical periods; our archaeological profession is very well organised, and therefore we will continue to invest in archaeology, which testifies to the continuity of life in the area of present-day Croatia, one of the great riches of our culture, Obuljen-Koržinek said.

Dujmić: An exceptional find of rare silver coins

The exhibition’s curator, Domagoj Dujmić, stated that 56 pieces of French mediaeval silver coins from the city of Limoges, the counties of Toulouse and Albi, and the diocese of Le Puy are presented. This type of coin was minted from the second half of the 9th century until the mid-13th century.

He noted that the coins were found during research of the Iron Age and Roman period at the Batina site, and that archaeologists did not expect such a discovery, especially because this type of mediaeval silver coin is scarce, even in France, as that period was marked by a severe shortage of silver.

Arheološki muzej Osijek

Therefore, this find is even more exceptional, because the coins are rare not only in Croatia but nowhere in the world are they found in large quantities.

Some specimens are so rare that what has been discovered here represents more than 10 percent of all known examples of this type of coin globally, Dujmić emphasised.

Tomislav Hršak, director of the Archaeological Museum in Osijek, recalled that excavations at the Batina site began in 2008 and have continued to this day with financial support from the Ministry of Culture.

The excavations have so far yielded many sensational archaeological finds, such as this one from 2023, when this French medieval currency was discovered during the digs, Hršak explained.