'Sacred' Celtic ground in Grouville could be reason for coin hoard location

Archaeology magazine 'Wreckwatch' has used new research to delve into the mystery of why someone buried 70,000 silver Celtic coins in a Grouville field and never return for them.

In 2012, metal detectorists Reg Mead and Richard Miles discovered 70,000 silver coins, 11 gold torques and jewellery in a Grouville field.

This has now become known as 'Le Catillon II Coin Hoard' - the world's largest ever Celtic coin hoard, and Europe's largest ever collection of torque neck rings.

The major find is now the subject of Archaeology Magazine 'Wreckwatch 's latest issue, where it is exploring the potential answers to the big question: 'Why was such a large hoard was secretly shipped to an 'isolated' place with no trade links? '

Coriosolitae Warriors (Painting by Lionel Royer, 1899, Crozatier Museum, Le Puy-en-Velay, Creative Commons)

Sean Kingsley, Marine Archeaologist and editor of Wreckwatch magazine, thinks there must be more to it:

"It's been some years since these incredible crown jewels of Jersey were found, yet here we are now, the archaeologists and excavists are still trying to figure out how and why this stuff was put in the ground, and I found that fascinating.

"We've created a whole issue of Wreckwatch magazine dedicated to this hoard, and (have been) kindly supported by the Highlands College Foundation to try and unpack what the story is behind this amazing discovery.

"If it was just one hoard in one field, you'd think maybe they did take it over across the ocean from Northern France to hide it away in 'sleepy ' Jersey - makes great sense. But since the 1950s, four hoards have turned up in this one field! That's incredibly rich, and you can't say that's a coincidence - why was it done, is there a pattern there?

"We know that in ancient times, people liked fields that had spiritual importance; they liked to get power and sanctity and protection from the ancestors. 

"If you step back from that field and look out, there's this huge, great Neolithic monumental tomb on La Hougue Bie, that's not a coincidence; there's also Celtic coins dug into the soil there.

"It looks like whoever went there was doing it deliberately to tap into that power of the past."

The monument would have been visible to the Celts from the field - did this make it a place of significance?

"The million dollar question is the work that has been done by Dr Hervé Duval-Gatignol of the Société Jersiaise.

"(From) his groundbreaking geophysical survey,  it looks like this was some kind of settlement - is it where people were living, or is it some kind of royal mint? Is it a sacred precinct with a temple, for instance? I think more work that's going to be done there in the future is going to figure this out."

Magnetic anomalies identified during the geophysical survey show the outlines of human structures likely ancient settlement remains. (Photo: Hervé Duval-Gatignol, Société Jersiaise).

The 12.6-hectare survey presented in Wreckwatch was the largest geophysical search the Channel Islands has seen.

Dr Hervé Duval-Gatignol of the Société Jersiaise says in Wreckwatch:

“This location was not chosen randomly or in the middle of nowhere.

“Hoards of this type were often deposited in Celtic temples, and this possibility here cannot be ruled out

"This sacred ground could also explain why the hoard was never looted or retrieved. The fear of angering the gods, of being cursed for eternity, may have been a strong reason, preventing any attempt to recover such a significant hoard of precious metal.”

Coins from the hoard

For these reasons, Sean Kingsley doesn't buy the popular theories on the site:

"It's easier to say what it isn't than what it is, unfortunately.

"I don't buy the theory that is the prevalent one - that this was an isolated sleepy backwater and people hid it away to come back again - because here's one problem with that argument: no one ever came back!

"I don't believe that a whole tribe weren't able to - were murdered or silenced, and no one remembered the echoes of the past where this stuff was hidden, and no one came back again. I don't buy it!

"Maybe this was a gift to the Gods: let's gift it and put it in the ground, asking the Gods to protect them from evil Rome - unfortunately, it didn't work."

Wreckwatch is a free educational magazine whose most recent issue focuses on the coin hoard. 

They have also released this video with more detail: