The coins are marked with the faces of nine Roman emperors. National Institute for Archaeological ResearchArchaeologists in Luxembourg have unearthed a stash of Roman gold coins dating back some 1,600 years. The coins are marked with faces of nine Roman emperors who reigned during the fourth and fifth centuriesincludingEugenius, an illegitimate usurper who ruled the Western Roman Empire for just two years.According to a statement from Luxembourgs National Institute for Archaeological Research (INRA), the coins were excavated at an archaeological site in the northern village of Holzthum.The site first piqued archaeologists interest in 2019, when amateur metal detectorists discovered coins in the area. Professionals carried out an official excavation between 2020 and 2024, according to news stationRTL Ltzebuergs Marc Hoscheid. Because the area was littered with munitions and explosives from World War II, researchers employed the countrys Army Mine Action Service to safely excavate the area. The emperors depicted on the coins ruled between364 and 408 C.E. National Institute for Archaeological ResearchThe dig revealed a cache of 141 ancient Roman coins, which is valued at 308,600 (about $322,000). Researchers found remains of a structure on the site, which they think was once home to aburgus, a small Roman fortress or tower. Most of the coins aresolidi, pieces of gold currency that were minted beginning in the fourth century C.E.This represents a huge amount of personal wealth for the individual or group who collected these coins, Rebecca Usherwood, a historian at Trinity College Dublin, tells the Daily Express Joel Day. Most people in the Roman Empire would rarely, if ever, have seen a single gold coin. To find this many indicates the owner was of considerable social standing, likely a military officer rather than a common soldier.The coins were made in an era known as theLater Roman Empire, which saw Rome transition to Christianity after the emperorConstantine Is conversion in 313 C.E. The period was also characterized by diminishing Roman influence in European lands like present-day France, Germany and Luxembourg.The cache was discovered in a region that was prosperous in the early fourth century, Usherwood adds. But by the early fifth century,Germanic peoples were increasingly invading from across the Rhine River, making the area untenable for Romans. She suggests that the coin collections owner may have buried their wealth because they were unable to flee with it.Perhaps they were involved in a skirmish or cut off from the site, Usherwood tells the Daily Express. Its likely they died before they could recover their treasure.Three coins in the hoard depict the Roman emperor Eugenius, a professor of rhetoric who reigned between 392 and 394 C.E. A military general proclaimed Eugenius emperor of the West after the emperorValentinian II was mysteriously killed.Theodosius I, the Eastern emperor, rejected Eugenius ascension and went to war against him, leading to Eugeniusdeath in battle in 394. As Live Sciences Marjanko Pileki writes, His coins are especially rare because his time in power was so short.With excavations complete, the researchers are now analyzing their findings in a laboratory, per INRA. Eventually, their results will be published in a scientific journal.It will still take some time to process the excavations and finds, says Eric Thill, Luxembourgs culture minister, in astatement, per a translation by Live Science. But it will undoubtedly increase our knowledge and understanding of the last century of the Roman Empire in the West.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.