what happened to the Dacians’ tens of kilograms of gold

Sarmizegetusa Regia, Germisara and the Strei river are three of the places that have become known due to the impressive treasures found in these areas.

The Dacian treasures discovered here amount to more than 100 kilograms of gold and silver, but also among the most diverse objects from the time of the Dacians.

Sarmizegetusa Regia, a never-ending source of treasures, for more than 200 years

Treasure hunters have been scouring this area for more than 200 years, but now it is part of the UNESCO heritage, so unauthorized treasure hunters have no business here, under conditions of illegality.

“Every poor man hopes that the fabulous treasures hidden among the ruins will rid him once and for all of his misery and make him rich.

The groups heading towards the mountains with axes, hoes, shovels, also attracted the people who were threshing corn on the outskirts of the villages. Work stopped, and every healthy person went to Grădişte”, wrote the historian Sigismund Jako, in 1966.

Most of the treasures were only discovered after 1990, among them there were “25 spiral gold bracelets (11 still wanted by Interpol), a hoard of gold Lysimachus coins weighing over 30 kilograms, from which they recovered only 37 pieces; 25 kilograms of gold Koson coins of which 1,038 pieces were recovered; a treasure of thousands of silver Koson coins and a bronze mold, considered unique in the world”, writes Adevărul.

The Strei River, the target of gold seekers

According to historical testimonies, here, in the immediate vicinity of the Strei river, Decebal would have buried his immense treasures, before Dacia was conquered by the Romans.

Some of them would have been discovered by the Romans, later, since others were brought to light only in the 16th century.

“Some Romanian fishermen were walking with the sheikhs from Mureşu in Streiu and, tying their nets with a trunk, they noticed that something was shining.

Wanting to remove from the water that which had been damaged by the roots of the wood and searching deeper, they found more yellow ones, especially those of Lysimachus, the ruler of Thrace, with Greek inscriptions.

As I understood from trustworthy people, they found out at 400,000 yellow coins and many layers of gold”, recounted historian Gheorghe Şincai, in Hronica Românilor, according to the previously cited source.

In turn, Piatra Roşie came to the attention of historians in the mid-1940s, when the first archaeological campaigns began here.

In the last few decades, the settlement was long disturbed by searchers, but also by poachers.

It turns out that they were also lucky, so they discovered other precious ancient objects and ancient shields, five of which were not recovered by the authorities in the meantime.

The bronze mask discovered at Piatra Roşie, in 1949, aroused the interest of archaeologists, who associated it with the goddess Bendis, revered by the Dacians.

“Archaeological discoveries show us that there was definitely a cult of the hearth among the Geto-Dacians, without being able to specify whether it was about honoring a goddess or some protectors of the house and animals.

The Roman Diana in our country would have been represented by the Thracian Artemis – Bendis, about whom Herodotus tells us, saying that the women of Thrace and Paeonia, when they sacrifice to the goddess Artemis – the Queen, perform rituals always using wheat straw”, declared Ion Horaţiu Crişan .