An exciting discovery by a construction worker in Spain recently has attracted the interest of archaeologists.

When a crew excavated a trench to permit the installation of a water line in the Andalusian city of Tomares, the digging unearthed 19 ancient storage containers concealing a treasure trove of 1,300 pounds of old bronze coins.

The find dates from the period of the third and fourth centuries, when the Roman Empire governed the Iberian Peninsula.

An executive with the Archaeological Museum of Seville, Ana Navarro, believes the buried coins today may possibly command a price of several million Euro. She told the Huffington Post website that some of the coins in the past probably contained an outer layer of silver.

Many of them appear in very good, nearly un-circulated condition, making them a very rare find. Archaeologists noted that quite a number of the coins carry images of Emperor Maximian and Emperor Constantine.

Why would someone have buried so many Roman coins in a single location so long ago? The Washington Post speculated that the trove may originally have contained a large sum of money intended to pay soldiers.

The cache might also represent proceeds gathered by tax collectors. While archaeologists excavate the site searching for additional artifacts, work on the construction project remains suspended.