Construction Workers in Italy Uncover a Jar of 5th-Century Gold Coins Potentially Worth Millions

A historic site in the Italian city of Como near Milan has produced an exciting discovery. As CNN reports, workers excavating the basement of the defunct Cressoni Theater stumbled upon a soapstone jar containing a stash of Roman coins dating back to the 5th century CE.

Italian media outlets estimate the remarkably well-preserved gold pieces could be worth millions of dollars. The coins were uncovered during the first week of September, then handed over to the restoration lab at Italy's Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, where they will be studied and restored.

The theater where the coins were found is close to the former site of Novum Comum, an ancient Roman town that dates back to the 1st century BCE. The area has proven to be a hotbed of ancient Roman artifacts. This latest find can be traced back to the tail end of the Western Roman Empire.

The Cressoni Theater opened in Como in 1807. It was converted to a cinema in the 20th century, and then in 1997, the building shut down for good. The plan was to build a luxury apartment complex in its place when the coin hoard was discovered. In light of the find, the construction project will be put on hold to allow archaeologists to explore the site further.