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Medieval treasure trove with Queen Tamar reign’s coins found in Georgia

The citadel consists of massive walls, towers and three churches, the biggest one of them being the domed Sioni Church of the 7th century

Samshvilde, Georgia wikimedia.org/Aleksey Muhranoff

Samshvilde, Georgia

© wikimedia.org/Aleksey Muhranoff

TBILISI, August 3. /TASS/. A medieval treasure trove of about 250 coins, including those dating to the period of Georgian famed 12th century Queen Tamar’s reign, has been found in Samshvilde, a ruined walled city and archeological site in southern Georgia, Georgia’s ministry of education, culture and sports said on Friday.

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The coins were found buried in a wooden box beneath the floor in a hall of the fortified city. "According to the archeologists, the box held about 250 Georgian and foreign coins. Some coins are dated to the reigns of three Georgian monarchs: George III (1156-1184), Queen Tamar (1184-1213), and George IV Lasha the Resplendent (1213-1223)," the ministry said. "One of the coins of Queen Tamar’s period has a legend reading: ‘Great queen, the glory of the country and faith, Tamar the daughter of George, messiah follower.’"

"Along with the coins, the wooden box held copper ingots and die plates meant for hand-hammering of coins, which indicates that there was a mint in Samshvilde," the ministry added.

Samshvilde, one of the oldest fortified towns in Georgia dating back to the 3rd century BC, was built near the confluence of two rivers, on a land surrounded by ravines. In the Middle Ages, it was used as a fortress. Samshvilde is put on the list of Georgia’s National Heritage. The citadel consists of massive walls, towers and three churches, the biggest one of them being the domed Sioni Church of the 7th century.

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