Pot containing 543 coins and two coin fragments.

The Treasure of Terreaux was discovered in Lyon in 1993. It was buried shortly before 1360, during the Hundred Years’ War. Comprising 545 gold and silver coins, it sheds light on the beginnings of international trade at Lyon.

The treasure includes only coins in pure metal minted in different European countries. Its owner was therefore able to recognize coins with a perfect composition and to accept money from different origins. Only a money-changer would have had competence like this.

The reasons for abandoning this treasure are known. They stem from the dramatic events tied to the Hundred Years’ War (Grandes Compagnies and the siege of Lyon) and to the Black Death, which decimated up to a third of the urban population, starting in 1361.