Treasures of Chinese origin have just been found at a Japanese construction site.
Ancient Origins reported that during construction in the city of Maebashi in central Japan, the workers there discovered a huge treasure of about 100,000 ancient coins. It is known that they include rare specimens of Banlong, a currency in Chinese history. This amount of money has been strung into strings of about 100 coins/string with straw rope (sashi) and there are about 1,060 strings.
According to reports published from Japan, the oldest coin in the treasure is a Half-tael coin dated 175 BC – more than 2,000 years old. It is 2.3 centimeters in diameter and one millimeter thick, has a square hole 7 millimeters wide and is engraved with the words Ban and Zang.
Authorities in Maebashi found the remains of sections of straw, indicating that the coins were covered with straw mats before being buried. From the 334 coins examined, researchers confirmed at least 44 types, spanning from 175 BC to 1265. They largely originated from the Western Han Dynasty to the Southern Song Dynasty, China. The latest coin produced in 1265 proves that this money was buried in the period 1185 – 1333.