Six 13th c. silver coins found in Berlin's Molkenmarkt

"The continuing excavation of Berlin's oldest square, the Molkenmarkt, has uncovered a rare cache of six 13th century silver coins. The coins were minted by co-ruling Margraves of Brandenburg-Salzwedel Otto IV and Otto V (1260/65-1293) Five of them are intact one denier coins; the sixth is one half of a denier that was cut down the middle. The obverse side depicts the margrave standing between two domed towers supported by double arches. A crowned eagle is on the reverse."

"The Molkenmarkt excavation is the largest urban excavation in Germany and has so far uncovered more than 700,000 artifacts, including 14th century reliquary figurines and a 17th century Japanese short sword. This year's excavation also uncovered medieval footware a leather boot, leather shoe, a woolen stocking in pristine condition. The archaeological interventions at Molkenmarkt extend to an average depth of four meters, requiring the excavation of more than 88,000 m of historical subsoil."

"Dr. Christoph Rauhut, State Conservator and Director of the Berlin State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments : The coins found are an important testament to the consolidation of medieval Berlin in the 13th century. They can be documented for the first time in Berlin at the Molkenmarkt."

Excavation at Berlin's Molkenmarkt uncovered six 13th-century silver coins minted by co-ruling Margraves Otto IV and Otto V, including five intact deniers and one half-denier cut in two. The obverse shows the margrave between two domed towers supported by double arches, and the reverse bears a crowned eagle. The Molkenmarkt project is the largest urban excavation in Germany and has produced over 700,000 artifacts, from 14th-century reliquary figurines to a 17th-century Japanese short sword. Recent finds include medieval footwear in pristine condition. Excavations average four meters deep and have removed more than 88,000 m of historical subsoil, revealing plank roads (c.1230), fortified ditches, wells, latrines, wooden cellars and houses, clay dome ovens, forges, and identified prehistoric Stone Age areas.

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