Over 400 gold and silver Roman-era coins unearthed in the Netherlands depict rulers from Rome,...

Two metal detectorists in the Netherlands have found a hoard of first-century gold and silver coins. The rare mix of Roman and British money features portraits of emperors and kings who ruled from Rome, England and Africa.

The 404 coins were discovered in the fall of 2023 in the town of Bunnik, about 24 miles (39 kilometers) southeast of Amsterdam. The hoard was purchased by the National Museum of Antiquities of the Netherlands, which recently placed them on display in an exhibition called "The Netherlands in Roman Times," according to a translated statement published Monday (Jan. 27).

Many of the coins were minted between A.D. 46 and 47, during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius. During this period, the northern limit of the Roman Empire was the Rhine River, where Roman troops were set up to fend off attacks from Germanic tribes and to launch forays into Great Britain.