Roman coins ID'd in Okinawan ruins, but how they got there remains mystery

Any time you make a transaction in China it is prudent to examine the change you get. You could end up with counterfeit or foreign or even old currency, if you are unawares. It just looks like the Okinawans were short-changed in such a deal. Or maybe they were convinced to accept these coins with the story that they would be worth much more in the future.

This article is a bit confusing. 10 tiny, rusty discs sat unnoticed in storage for two and a half years. The 10 copper coins were unearthed in December 2013 at the 12th-15th century Katsuren Castle, Iron and steel rust. Copper does not; instead it generally gets a patina. I was confused when I read that these were copper coins, and wondered if they were stored with iron-based coins or other relics. However, the article does not incidate they were found with anything else. I expect, then, that the author or translater incorrectly reported the story. Be that as it may, this is an interesting story. I wonder what else has been dug up at the Katsuren site, and when the coins actually came to Japan and through what route. What a story they could tell if they could talk. This could be the basis for a historical novel. Fun stuff.

They were found with Ottoman coins, therefore they came over at the time of the Ottoman coins, not at the time of the Roman Empire.

Perhaps Fujimura Shinichi is back at work.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Paleolithic_hoax

Looks like a penny to me.

Perhaps Fujimura Shinichi is back at work.

Maybe Japan's archeologists have learned their lesson. Who knows?

"Some of his archaeological dig sites, notably Zazaragi, were designated as national historical sites by the Japanese government, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs sponsored special exhibitions. Local governments in the Tōhoku region, where many of the sites were located, used Fujimura's "findings" as the basis for creating specialty products and tourist attractions to augment the local economy".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Paleolithic_hoax

Did no one leave the islands in those days and come back later? There are a myriad of possibilities as to how the coins got to Japan.

So Rome too now has a claim to parts of Japan?

If there was a wishing well there at one time, or a good-luck pond, then all ages of coins could have ended up mixed together. I wonder if they took the trouble to photograph which ones were on top of which, not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things.

I found some similar ones with a metal detector in Cirencester, ranging from 50 - 300 AD.

They could have been brought here by Jesus and his group when he fled Rome.

I solved it, they cam by sea! :P

Considering that the Silk Road joined East and West and ran through the Ottoman Empire, it is not surprising that some bits and pieces turn up from time to time.

The coins may have been novelty items or even used as payment for their metallic value.

Better be careful. Italy might claim Okinawa, like China does..

Maybe some got melted down in fires etc., but a coin expert once told me that all the coins ever minted around the world are still in existence somewhere on the planet.