History·26 June 2026·4 min read
The treasures of the Orăștie Mountains
Beneath the Dacian fortresses, thousands of gold coins lay hidden. The story of the hoards found — and looted — from the heart of Decebalus' former kingdom.
In the Orăștie Mountains, where the Dacian fortresses of Sarmizegetusa, Costești and Blidaru once rose, the earth kept hoards of Koson coins for centuries. Some were discovered legally by archaeologists; others were dug up illegally by treasure hunters and sold on foreign markets.
The gold that came home
In recent years, the Romanian state has recovered, through international lawsuits, hundreds of Dacian gold coins and bracelets illegally taken out of the country. Each piece returned home is a page of history regained — proof that the value of an old coin is, in the end, the value of a people's memory.
We do not keep gold for its weight, but for the stories it has traveled through.
