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Amateur divers find 13th century treasure in Bay of Tallinn

Over the centuries, the chest settled in rocks and it took the efforts of four men to raise it from the bottom

TALLINN, September 28 (Itar-Tass) —— Amateur scuba divers found a 13th century treasure chest while exploring the underwater beauties of the Bay of Tallinn, Estonian TV news reported on Wednesday.

The chest that sank some eight centuries ago contained ancient scales with a set of tin weights, more than 200 old coins and some other merchant belongings. Over the centuries, the chest settled in rocks and it took the efforts of four men to raise it from the bottom.

Museum specialists said the treasure was a “stunning find.” Its coins helped to establish the age of the find and the route their former owner followed, between Tallinn and Sweden’s Visby, whilst the scales with the set of weights are the only such scales surviving to this day. The scales were used to weigh silver and spice.

The treasures have been handed over to the Historical Museum in Tallinn and will be displayed already next year.