Archaeologists Puzzled Over Ancient Roman Coins Found In Japan

Archaeologists and historians alike have uncovered many aspects of the history of the ancient world and learned a lot about the life of the first empires. However, there are still some discoveries that surprise scientists, and that there is a link between the Ancient Roman and Japanese empires is one of them.

According to Japan Times, coins issued in ancient Rome were evacuated from the ruins of a castle in Okinawa Prefecture - the first time that these artifacts have been discovered in the Land of the Rising Sun. The Board of Education in Uruma City said that the four copper coins found were believed to date back to the third and fourth centuries of the Roman Empire - but the Katsuren Castle where it was found, existed from the 12^th to the 15^th centuries.

Designs on the coins have been difficult to decipher, but according to The Independent UK, x-ray analysis revealed that several of the relics had the image of Emperor Constantine I on them - and since the excavation on site began in 2013, six other coins dating back to the Ottoman Empire in the late 17^th century have also been uncovered.

Katsuren Castle had been knownt o be the focal point in trading with china and other Asian countries, but scientists said its ties to Europe had not been evident. How these coins arrived in Japan, as far as the Board of Education is concerned, is still shrouded in doubt and mystery. Masaki Yokou, the education spokesman, told CNN, "It is a strange and interesting find. We don't think that there is a direct link between the Roman Empire and Katsuren Castle, but the discovery confirms how this region had trade relations with the rest of Asia."

The coins will be displated at the Uruma City Yonagusuku Historical Museum in Okinawa until November 25.