Construction Workers Find 1,300 Pounds of Ancient Roman Coins, Win Ancient Lottery

Impact

When digging a ditch in the Seville province in Spain for electricity, construction workers came across quite literally an ancient lottery, according to CNN.

The workers discovered 19 amphoras (or Roman jars), filled with 1,300 pounds of ancient Roman coins made of bronze, when their machines hit something unusual. 

Ten of the 19 amphoras were damaged from the construction work, but the other nine are still intact and whole. 

Uncredited/AP

"What is incredible is a discovery of this size — there are 19 amphoras, all complete, and I can assure you that they can't be moved by one person alone, because they weigh so much due to the coins inside," Ana Navarro, head of the Archaeology Museum in Seville, told CNN. 

The coins were probably collected for taxes, El Pais reported, according to CNN.

Uncredited/AP
Read more: 22 Ancient Shipwrecks Found Near Greece Date Back to the Archaic Period