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A coin hoard spanning more than 200 years of Roman history has been found near the village of Barton Bendish in Norfolk. Discovered by metal-detectorists, the 16 coins are all silver denarii minted in Rome, and are thought to have been lost or buried c.AD 175. They comprise a single Republican issue, and 15 coins of various emperors including Domitian (r. AD 81-96) and Hadrian (r. AD 117-138). Two female faces stand out within the collection: Faustina the Elder, who was the wife of Antoninus Pius (r. AD 138-161), and their daughter Faustina the Younger, who married another emperor, Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-180).
The hoard’s wide chronology speaks to the stability of the monetary system during this period: ‘The presence of a Republican denarius of 57 BC in a hoard of this date shows how long coins could remain in circulation when denominations were unchanged,’ Dr Adrian Marsden, from Norfolk County Council Finds Identification and Recording Service, explained.
The coins had been scattered by the plough, and were found over an area measuring 50m by 20m (164ft by 66ft), but analysis of wear patterns on each piece of silver suggests that they originally formed a single group. How the denarii came to be in the ground, however, is less easy to answer: it is not clear whether the coins were intentionally deposited, or were lost by their owner. This individual, too, remains enigmatic: the coins do not represent ‘a huge sum of money’, Adrian said, making it difficult to speculate on their owner’s status.
What we do know, though, is that the area in which the coins were found – on the fen edge around King’s Lynn – was a prosperous part of Roman Britain at this time, boasting several villas that made use of the fertile local soil.
Following assessment as part of a Treasure inquest, it is hoped that the coins will be acquired by Lynn Museum. For more information on the Treasure process in England and Wales, and the legal obligations of finders of potential Treasure, see http://www.finds.org.uk/treasure; advice for finders in Northern Ireland is available at http://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/articles/advice-finders-treasure-northern-ireland. Scotland is covered by the Treasure Trove Unit: see http://www.treasuretrovescotland.co.uk.
Text: Rebecca Preedy
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