The glitter in the molehill

In 1866, in Nietap, near the village of Leek, someone found a gold coin on top of a molehill. And at the beginning of the 20th century in a field near that spot, more and more coins were found. They are assumed to have been left there in or around 630 CE, when the field was still a swamp. It probably concerns a sacrificed coin hoard that got scattered by ploughing. Whether the treasure is now complete, is not known.  
 
The coins come from many different places. They are mainly Frankish specimens from the French Provence region, the cities of Viviers, Metz, Mainz and Maastricht and the province of Friesland. Among the coins there is also a Byzantine ‘solidus’. The gold coins have something in common: on one side there is always the image of a head with a place-name around it. The other side bears signs that refer to the coin’s value or origin, and the Christian symbol of the cross. By the way, this would have meant very little to a ‘Drent’ around 630, as Christianity did not gain firm ground in this region until after 800. And even so, the new faith had to compete with older religious customs and traditions for a long time.