Ancient Roman treasure unearthed at military base, two coins aren't what they seem

Archaeologists in Sweden recently made an They found 45 ancient Roman silver coins, including two believed to be counterfeits.

The discovery was announced by the Swedish Armed Forces earlier this fall.

The coins were unearthed during archaeological excavations ahead of an expansion of Sweden's Gotland Regiment military base, according to officials.

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"During one of the excavations, an unusual find was made — a silver treasure with Roman coins from the second century A.D.," the Swedish Armed Forces said in a translated statement.

The discovery came as archaeologists were wrapping up an excavation of a farmhouse foundation dating to the Migration Period, which spanned roughly the fifth and sixth centuries A.D.

The archaeologists were making "one final sweep with the metal detector" before the discovery, according to officials.

"Then an insistent beeping indicated that something was in the ground near one of the foundation stones," the statement said. 

"They carefully dug a small silver coin out of the soil — and more finds would follow."

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When archaeologists brushed off the coin, they discovered a stamped portrait of , who ruled from 138 to 161 A.D.

"The metal detector's persistent beeping indicated that more objects were hidden near the same foundation stone," officials said.

"Before the workday was over, archaeologists had counted 45 coins and a gold finger ring. All the coins are Roman, minted during the second century for five emperors and four empresses."

The coins were identified by Lennart Lind, a Swedish expert on Roman coins.

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The coins feature five Roman emperors — Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius and Commodus — as well as four empresses: Vibia Sabina, Faustina I, Faustina II and Lucilla, according to officials.

Experts believe the coins arrived on Gotland during the fourth century and were used in trade for generations before being buried alongside the gold ring around 450 A.D.

Two of the coins, however, were ancient counterfeits that may have originated in what is now Ukraine, according to archaeologists.

Elsewhere on the military grounds, archaeologists found nine graves believed to be around , including one containing nearly 10 pounds of burned human bones, according to the release.

The remains belonged to at least two individuals, including an adult man, officials said.

Archaeologists also discovered bronze fittings believed to have been attached to a sword suspension and a shield.

The coins may have been buried as part of a sacrifice, said Per Widerström, an archaeologist at Gotland Museum.

Widerström told Fox News Digital the were largely what archaeologists would expect to uncover at such a site, but the gold ring was unusual.

Widerström also said newly received radiocarbon dating results indicated activity at the settlement from the fourth through sixth centuries, consistent with archaeologists' expectations.

"Perhaps it was abandoned around 540 wh