For devotees of Venetian history, this news is rather earth-shattering... (or, at least, myth-shattering!)
"A coin, accidentally dropped nineteen centuries ago, may rewrite the history of Venice. The small yet refined bronze piece was found a few steps from the Basilica della Salute, and it was unearthed during excavation of the court of Palazzo Genovese, which is situated on the Grand Canal between the Guggenheim Collection and the Abbazia of S. Gregorio. The coin's face depicts Antinous, the favourite lover of the emperor Hadrian, and it is the most ancient Smyrna-minted coin found in Northern Italy. It dates back to 130 A.D. and, thus, gives practical support to the theories of Wladimiro Dorigo, the great historian of Venice who, unfortunately, died a few months ago. In his studies about the origins of Venice, Dorigo believed that the first Venetians settled the area in the second century after Christ."
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