Photo/Illutration The massive trove of ancient coins dug up in the Sojamachi district of Maebashi (Provided by Maebashi city government)

MAEBASHI--Archaeologists uncovered an estimated 100,000 ancient coins, some of which are of Chinese origin and are more than 2,000 years old.

The coins were tied together in bundles with straw rope passed through a hole in the middle. The haul was unearthed in the Sojamachi district here at a site where a company plans to construct a factory.

Only a small sample of the coins could be analyzed for dating and the oldest was believed to be a Ban Liang coin from 175 B.C. Those were the first coins minted in a unified China.

Because the site was near large residences of important people in medieval Japan, the coins were likely hastily buried, perhaps for safekeeping because war was in the air.

The coins were found in an area measuring 60 centimeters by 1 meter, according to Maebashi municipal government officials. Each bundle contained about 100 coins and a total of 1,060 bundles were dug up. Traces of straw found in the area suggested the bundles were wrapped in straw matting before being buried.

So far, 334 of the coins have been examined. At least 44 types were confirmed, ranging from those made in 175 B.C. to ones as recent as 1265.

The one confirmed Ban Liang coin had a diameter of 2.3 centimeters and was 1 millimeter thick. The square hole in the middle measured 7 millimeters on each side.

The characters for “Ban” and “Liang” were engraved on the surface.

Because the newest coin dates to 1265, the trove is believed to have been buried during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). But the date of burial could change after more coins are analyzed.

The site where the coins were dug up has a large number of relics, leading experts to surmise it was a central part of Kozuke province, the predecessor to Gunma Prefecture, from around the time of the Kofun (burial mounds) Period between the late third century to the late seventh century.

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