‘Devil's Money' Found in Ancient Netherlands Cult Burial
A metal detectorist discovered ancient gold coins in the Netherlands that turned out to be a cult ritual offering.
Experts believe the money left at the location was 'devil's money,' an offering to pagan gods.
The worship site likely had ties to summer and autumn equinoxes thanks to the discovery of seasonally aligned post holes.
A metal detectorist recently came across a cache of more than 100 gold and silver coins buried underground in the Netherlands, prompting archaeologists to come further investigate the site. But knowing now what the coins were there for, perhaps the archaeologists should've left them alone.
According to a new study published in Medieval Archaeology, the coins, which sat buried for 1,300 years in the Netherlands, were likely used in cult rituals, and further around the site, archaeologists uncovered the remains of a seventh-century open-air cult site. It's more than plausible that the cache of coins was what was known as 'devil's money,' coin offerings common at pagan cult sites.
The metal detectorists made the find near Hezingen, a hamlet near the Netherland's border with Germany. The coins are from around 700 A.D.—including some rare finds from the mints of the Frankish Empire—and were found along with metal jewelry in 2020 and 2021.
There were a number of clues that helped the archaeologists deduce that the site where the coins were found was once the stomping grounds for a cult. There were rows of posts, evidence of a large residence in a clearing near an ancient road junction on a prominent elevated landscape, remnants of animal sacrifices, and more. They also determined that the gold coins and jewelry were placed there in intervals over 100 years and interspersed with the animal sacrifices, making it clear that the site once served as a ritual sacrifice location for pagan gods.
The archaeologists, led by Jan-Willem de Kort of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, located the signs of an old structure, likely from the sixth century, as well as 17 postholes for wooden posts that aligned with spring and autumn equinoxes, which tied the site to seasonal harvest rituals.
'The cult site was probably linked to a nearby high-status settlement with an enclosed cult house or ceremonial building,' the study authors wrote. 'The offerings may have been linked to fertility rites as the posts were aligned with the rising and setting of the sun during the spring and autumn equinoxes.'
In all, the gold and silver coins were discovered in three areas. One site had a single gold coin, while another had 24 fragmented or complete gold coins, along with silver and gold jewelry. The third site featured gold coins and jewelry. 'I think that this cult site was mainly used by local elites to emphasize their own status, and of course, you do that preeminently with valuables,' de Kort said, according to Phys.org. 'The finds at the other cult sites are probably more the result of personal offerings and thus less precious.'
The use of the site by elites and the timing of it all raises questions about the rise of Christianity in the area. The site's use curtailed in the 700s A.D., the study claims, earlier than the rise of Christianity in the region, leading the study authors to theorize that the area's leaders could have turned to Christianity earlier than others.
As prominent missionary texts spelled out, to have pre-Christian groups convert to Christianity, they would need to stop worshiping pagan gods and cease the sacrifice of the so-called 'devil's money.' Since Hezingen was abandoned by the early eighth century when Christianity began to spread, the study authors suggest the leaders of the town—wealthy, as shown by the value of the gold and silver—were some of the first in the area to convert to Christianity.
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