numismatics

Image: © Colchester Museums/Douglas Atfield

News in brief: Dealing with dates

A Roman ring revisited A Roman intaglio discovered in 1995 in Colchester, UK, pre-dates the Roman invasion of Britain, research for the new online database for Colchester + Ipswich Museums suggests. Engraved with the image of Mars, the Roman god…

Above Gardening during lockdown revealed a hoard of 64 coins from the 15th and 16th centuries in the New Forest area, Hampshire. BELOW This Roman furniture fitting with the face of the god Oceanus was also discovered in Hampshire.

Green-fingered finds

Home-improvements and gardening have been on the rise under lockdown in the UK, and, in a few cases, work in the garden has led to archaeological discoveries. One household in the New Forest area in southern England uncovered a Tudor…

Left A hoard of 63 gold and one silver coin, spanning the late 15th and 16th centuries in date, has been discovered in the New Forest area by a family gardening during lockdown.

Green fingers and golden finds: how lockdown gardening led to a host of new discoveries

Between March and June of last year, many of us found ourselves spending a lot more time at home – and, if you are lucky enough to have outdoor space, in the garden. The British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme has since announced a flurry of archaeological discoveries made by members of the public digging at home, some of which were described in their latest annual report. Current Archaeology's Carly Hilts explores some of the highlights.

The king’s new clothes

Researchers had moved the best textiles, including the ‘Eagle Silk’ and a pillow with birds, deemed more fitting for a king, over to Cnut’s shrine, where they are displayed with his remains under a glass lid.

The Herefordshire Viking Hoard: unpicking the story of a stolen treasure

Last year, four men were jailed for stealing and selling one of the most significant Viking hoards ever found in western Britain. To date, only a few of its contents have been recovered. What can these objects, and the landscape in which they were buried, tell us about the area’s early medieval history? Tim Hoverd, Peter Reavill, Judy Stevenson, and Gareth Williams report.