2017-08-03 Thu

The Roman settlements of Pompeii, Herculaneum, etc turned into ashes after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. There were minor earthquakes that began some days prior to the eruption, but people did not take them seriously. When the volcano erupted, molten rock was thrown at a rate of a billion pounds per second. 80% of the residents of Pompeii escaped to nearby villages. 2,000 people who remained there on the next day, died under lava.

The soil around volcanoes is very fertile and is suited for growing crops. The owner of Villa Pisanella, a famous wine producing villa Rustica near the modern-day village of Boscoreale, took this opportunity and made a lot of money. The owner Lucius Caecilius Iucundus was a rich merchant who was a successful son of a freed slave. When the volcano erupted, he left all his belonging and escaped.

109 gold and silver plates and hundreds of gold aurei were discovered by excavators in 1895. The coins were stored in an empty cistern in the wine cellar of the villa when the owner escaped. The hoard uncovered was humongous considering its net value in those days.

Due to the unique toning on the coins, they are known as “Boscoreale” aurei. Gold is alloyed with silver and copper while producing coins, which resulted in the toning. Some examples had a lot of toning since they were buried for more than 1,800 years. Some other coins have less toning due to the highly sulphuric atmospheric conditions.

The coin shown alongside was released by Emperor Vespasian. He was the son a businessman and tax collector who joined hands with many influential Romans to become Proconsul of Africa in 63 CE. After Nero's death, a civil war broke out where Vespasian defeated Vitellius to become the Emperor. He worked on Rome's economy and expanded its borders. He started the construction of the Colosseum, which was taken from Romans under the reign of Nero.

The obverse of the 7.38 g coin struck at Rome mint in AD 70.features the emperor while the reverse depicts the Roman goddess of justice Aequitas holding scales and a sceptre. The coin is graded Nearly Extremely Fine and has a violet-red and blue toning.