Coins bring emperor to life

An ancient gold coin has proved that a long-lost Roman emperor was real. The coin, which bears the emperor’s name, Sponsian, and his picture, was discovered in 1713 in Transylvania, Romania. The region was once part of the Roman empire and the coin was thought to be genuine until the mid 19th century, when experts decided it was a forgery because of its jumbled design. A leading coin expert of the time said it was “ridiculously imagined”. Sponsian was thought to be a fake emperor and the coin was locked away in a museum cupboard. However, Professor Paul Pearson learned about the coin when he was researching Roman history. He thought that scratches on the metal could prove it was genuine, so he contacted Jesper Ericsson, at the Hunterian Museum…

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The Week Junior (Digital) - 1 Issue, 364

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