A treasure of silver and golden coins, rings, and other gold objects was discovered within the Abbey of Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France.

Abbey of Cluny was one of the largest abbeys of Western Europe during the Middle Ages. Among the finds are 2200 silver deniers and oboles, 21 Islamic gold dinars, a signet ring, and other objects made of gold. According to researchers of Université Lumière Lyon 2 who conducted the excavations, never before has such a large cache of silver denarii been discovered. The artefacts were found within a loth bag, traces of which remain on some of the coins; and a tanned hide bundle, found among the silver coins, fastened with a knot. According to Anne Baud and  Anne Flamming who led the excavations the Islamic gold coins were struck between 1121-1131 in Spain and Morocco under the reign of Ali ibn Yusuf (1106–1143). The gold signet ring is said to date to the first half of the 12th century – it depicts the bust of a god and an inscription. A folded sheet of gold foil found in the bundle weights around 24 grammes.

(after Popular Archaeology, Alexis Grattier & Université Lumière Lyon 2)