600 kg of bronze Roman coins uncovered in Spanish town

Building workers in the Spanish town of Sevilla have uncovered a haul of 600 kg of bronze Roman coins, which has been described as "hugely important," local media reported on Thursday.

The Andalusia Department of Culture explained that the coins, which date back to the fourth century, were discovered within 19 stone jars or and looked as if they were deliberately hidden.

They have been taken to the Archeology Museum in Seville, where they are currently being examined by experts, who say they have never seen such an abundant haul of coins which are so similar to each other.

The coins are thought to have been manufactured in the east of the Roman Empire and show few signs of use, which means they were probably never in circulation. It is thought they could have come from either tax revenue, or have been used to pay the army.

After Romans' invasion in 218 BC, Spain became a key part of the Roman Empire, and indeed the hero of the film "Gladiator" was referred to as the "Spaniard".

There are still many impressive pieces of Roman architecture standing in Spain, such as the Aqueduct in Segovia, north of Madrid, the Roman lighthouse, known as the "Tower of Hercules" in la Coruna and the city of Merida, which has many impressive remains. Endit