‘Indiana Jones’ Inspires Real-Life Buried Ancient Roman Treasure Discovery

British archaeologist and metal detectorist George Ridgway recently discovered a massive trove of ancient Roman coins in Helmingham Hall, Suffolk. According to the BBC, Ridgway found 748 coins dating from 206 BC to 46 or 47 AD, around the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius.

George Ridgway credits Indiana Jones as his childhood hero and direct inspiration for “history hunting.” In addition to his excavation work, Ridgway works for his family-run butcher’s firm; he says he first saw the Indiana Jones movies at age four and has “dreamed of discovering a Roman hoard since his grandmother bought him a metal detector for his 12th birthday.”

Noonans Mayfair auctioneers sold the coins for £132,865, which is particularly impressive after they were initially valued at £75,000. Coin specialist Alice Cullen said, “This is one of the largest hoards containing both Iron Age coins and Roman coins found in Britain, with the latest coins of Claudius and those of Cunobelin in virtually ‘as struck’ condition.”

Cullen continued:

“The location of the hoard, together with the date range, suggests the coins may have been buried by a long serving Legionary soldier from the XX Legion, who were stationed at nearby Colchester. In 47 AD, the East Anglian Iceni tribe rebelled after the Roman governor Ostorius ordered them to disarm, resulting in a fierce battle that was likely held at Stonea Camp in Cambridgeshire, which the Romans won.”

George Ridgway described his discovery:

“I decided to investigate an unusual crop mark in a recently harvested barley field in Suffolk with my Garrett AT Pro metal detector. I knew that a Roman road ran close to the field and was hoping the two might be related, but after scouring the area, nothing turned up. Another clear signal nearby from the detector then revealed a silver denarius, a coin that had been issued by Julius Caesar in 46 BC.”

“I couldn’t believe that over the next three hours of searching, I found 160 more Roman silver coins, with a few of the coins stuck to pottery fragments. I knew I had made an important archaeological discovery and called my dad to guard the site overnight while we waited for an archaeological team to arrive and excavate the site. It took three months to recover the hoard.”

Indiana Jones has been the inspiration for numerous other fictional characters, like Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) in the Mummy film franchise and Lara Croft in her self-titled video game series. But it turns out that the idea of being an adventurer seeking out fame and fortune has real resonance for people in the actual world.

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas created Indiana Jones in the late 1970s, based on an idea the Star Wars director had previously come up with and dubbed the much less catchy Indiana Smith.

After Raiders of the Lost Ark hit theaters in 1981, the character (mostly portrayed by Harrison Ford) became an indelible part of pop culture and one that is currently struggling to find its way after Ford’s final performance in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023). Maybe Disney would be better off creating a reality show about real-life treasure hunters than trying to reboot the franchise somehow.