The new ICOMON website now holds my paper from their Vienna conference last year.
Paper from the Vienna ICOMON conference now online
October 22nd, 2008 by Sam MoorheadTwo Carausian Aurei from the Midlands
January 24th, 2008 by Sam MoorheadThe discovery of two gold coins sheds light on a little known British Emperor.
Two gold coins of the emperor Carausius have just been found on a construction site in the Midlands. They were reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme and archaeologists are investigating the find further. Gold coins of Carausius are extremely rare, until now only 23 being in existence. The last example found was in 1975 in Hampshire and it is quite possible that we will have to wait for over 30 years before another one sees the light of day.
PAS record number: DENO-651C91
Object type: Coin
Broadperiod: Roman
County of discovery: Derbyshire
Stable url: http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/203507
Carausius was a Menapian (from modern Belgium). In the AD 280s he was the commander of the Roman Fleet (Classis Britannica) that patrolled the English Channel and North Sea. The fleet was commanded from Boulogne and one of its major functions was to defend Britain and Gaul (France) from Saxon raiders. Carausius fell foul of the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian, supposedly because he allowed the Saxons to RAID and only intercepted them afterwards, keeping the stolen loot for himself! Rather than hand himself over, Carausius declared himself emperor of Northern Gaul and Britain and set up his own mini-empire.
PAS record number: DENO-64DAE1
Object type: Coin
Broadperiod: Roman
County of discovery: Derbyshire
Stable url: http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/203503
In this outrageous act of brigandage the escaping pirate [Carausius] first of all seized the fleet which had previously been protecting Gaul, and added a large number of ships which he built to the Roman pattern. He took over a legion, intercepted some detachments of provincial troops, press-ganged Gallic tradesmen into service, lured over with spoils from the provinces themselves numerous foreign forces,Video jugar a la ruleta “Aces and faces 50 play power poker” – “Aces and faces 50 play power poker” se diferencia de los juegos de Video Poker est’¡ndar, en que se juegan 50 manos de cartas al mismo tiempo. and trained them all under the direction of the ringleaders of this conspiracy for naval duties [Part of a speech given in honour of Constantius I, the emperor who finally retook Britain]
The first gold coin comes from Carausius’ mint at Rouen. Carausius only managed to maintain control of Northern Gaul for a few years and coins from Rouen are very rare. This is only the tenth gold coin recorded for the mint, but is from the same striking as three other known specimens. It shows the emperor shaking hands with Concordia with the inscription in harmony with the army. The second coin comes from the mint of London which struck many coins throughout Carausius’ reign. However, this is only the fifteenth gold coin recorded from London and it is a unique type. It shows Carausius wearing a helmet decorated with an animal design. The reverse trumpets ‘Imperial Peace’.
Carausius successfully defended Britain against the central empire, and even struck coins in the names of Diocletian and Maximianus to curry favour with them; however, he did not survive a coup d’etat by his finance minister, Allectus, who was to rule Britain from 293 to 296. The Roman emperor Constantius I finally retook Britain in 296, killing Allectus and bringing an end to Carausius’ breakaway realm.
Why these coins were buried we will never know. A Roman soldier might expect to earn twelve gold coins a year before deductions were made for his expenses. The wheat he needed to make bread for a year would have cost almost 2 gold coins. For one gold coin, someone could have bought almost 100 bottles of wine or about 50 litres of olive oil. However, ten gold coins would have been needed to buy a pound of white silk.
Below follows my actual write up of these coins and they were featured in today’s Times.
Both the coins were struck in the reign of Carausius (AD 286-93), one at the mint of London, the other the mint of Rouen. Gold coins of Carausius are extremely rare, these two specimens increasing the corpus of Huvelin from 23 to 25, 15 for London and 10 for Rouen.
1.
Gold Aureus (20mm; 4.65g; Die Axis 12)
London
Obv. VIRTVS CAR / AVSI; Ornately cuirassed and helmeted bust left (the helmet with an animal running left, possibly a ‘big cat’).Rev. PAX AVG; Pax standing left, holding branch in right hand and vertical sceptre in land.
Mintmark: -//-
This coin is unpublished. It is the third London aureus of Carausius to bear a helmeted bust. The earliest known example, now in the Bibliotheque Nationale, has the obverse legend VIRTVS CA-RAVSI and shows Carausius helmeted to the left, but holding a shield and spear (Huvelin no. 10). The Midlands coin is much closer to the second example which was acquired by B. A. Seaby in 1978, and was possibly found near Lille in France (Seaby Coin and Medal Bulletin No. 713, February 1978, pp. 36-7). This coin has an identical obverse legend (VIRTVS CAR-AVSI) and helmeted bust is also left facing, but is draped and cuirassed (Huvelin no. 11). Furthermore, there is only has a linear design on the helmet, there being no animal. In style the two pieces are similar, possibly both sunk by the same die engraver, but the Midlands example has a better modelled bust. Although Pax appears on the reverses of a number of Carausian gold coins (RIC V, nos. 3-5; Huvelin nos. 12-15), this is the first example with the legend PAX AVG and no mintmark or other exergue inscription. Given the common occurrence of this Pax type on bronze coins of Carausius, it might not be an unexpected type.
2.
Gold Aureus (19/21mm; 4.70g; Die Axis 6)
Rouen
Obv. IMP CARAVSIVS AVG; laureate, draped and cuirassed right.
Rev. CONCORDIA MILIT VM(in exergue); Emperor standing right, clasping the hand of Concordia
Reference: RIC 624; Huvelin 3-5
This coin has the same obverse and reverse dies as Huvelin nos. 3-5. Huvelin no. 3 is in the British Museum (4.54g) and is more worn. Huvelin no. 4 was originally described by William Stukeley in 1759 and is now in Berlin. Huvelin no. 5 was sold in the Evans Sale of 1934 (lot 1836) and its whereabouts is unknown. These coins also share the same obverse dies with Huvelin nos. 1-2 and the same reverse dies as Huvelin nos. 6-7.
References:
Huvelin H. Huvelin, Classement et chronologie du monnayage or de Carausius, Revue Numismatique VI Series, Vol. XXVII (1985), pp. 107-119.
RIC P. Webb, The Roman Imperial Coinage Vol. V, Part 2 (Spink, 1933)
Sussex discovery reminds us about Rome’s Iraq War
September 6th, 2007 by Sam MoorheadA rare Roman coin of the emperor Trajan that celebrates Rome’s conquest of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) in AD 115, has just been recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme. It was found by Frank Kurzeja at Shoreham-by-Sea and reported to Liz Andrews-Wilson, Finds Liaison Officer for Sussex.
Sam Moorhead at the British Museum writes that this coin shows Trajan standing triumphant in military attire above three figures representing Armenia and the rivers Euphrates and Tigris.
The inscriptions are worn away, but one states that Armenia and Mesopotamia have been brought back under Roman domination. Not content with his conquest of Dacia (modern Romania), Trajan determined to defeat his Middle Eastern enemies and this coin is his ‘mission accomplished’ statement that circulated throughout the Roman Empire. Ironically, the Roman occupation of Iraq was short-lived; Trajan’s successor, Hadrian, pulled out of Mesopotamia only a couple of years later.
To see this coin and to learn more about Roman coins found in Britain, go to the Portable Antiquities Scheme website: www.finds.org.uk This coin’s record number is SUSS-977223.
PAS record number: SUSS-977223
Object type: Coin
Broadperiod: Roman
County of discovery: West Sussex
Stable url: http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/191919
Archaeology 2008 – A conference at the British Museum
August 31st, 2007 by Sam MoorheadArchaeology 2008 – A conference at the British Museum, 9th-10th February 2008:
A call for papers
A major new conference sponsored by Current Archaeology and the British Museum’s Department of Portable Antiquities and Treasure (Portable Antiquities Scheme) is being held at the British Museum on the weekend of 9th to 10th February 2008 to demonstrate the best current work being undertaken in British Archaeology. The conference will be divided into 20 minute slots. Lecturers will be expected to deliver a lively, informative and entertaining exposition of their work. Members of the Dept of Portable Antiquities and Treasure will be giving some lectures, but the organisers would love to have contributions from other members of the British Museum, especially those working overseas.
Please send your bids to conference@archaeology.co.uk, giving the title of the proposed talk, the speaker, and a summary (not exceeding 100 words) of the proposed presentation. If there are any queries, do not hesitate to contact Sam Moorhead (smoorhead@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk).
Sam Moorhead
Finds Adviser: Iron Age and Roman Coins
Dept of Portable Antiquities and Treasure
British Museum
London, WC1B 3DG
020 7323 8432
Cursing the emperor
July 31st, 2007 by Sam MoorheadEarly this year, a metal detectorist called Tom Redmayne was searching in a muddy field in the parish of Fulstow in Lincolnshire. He had already found Roman pottery (Samian ware from Gaul), some late Roman coins and several lead weights. Then he found several pieces pieces of lead, two of which were folded over.When he carefully unfolded them, he saw that they had holes drilled in them. In the centre of each was an impression. He took them to Adam Daubney, the Portable Antiquities Scheme Finds Liaison Officer for Lincolnshire, who realised that they were coin impressions.
Adam brought the pieces down to the British Museum where he and I established that the impressions were caused by bronze coins of the Emperor Valens that had been hammered into the lead. The pieces were then folded over and the edges of the sheets pierced. This was probably so they could be hung up. So how do we interpret this?
In the reigns of the joint-emperors Valentinian I (364–75 AD) and Valens (364–78 AD), the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus tells us that a certain Valentinus:
who was a native of Valeria in Pannonia [Hungary], a proud man, had been exiled to Britain for a serious offence. Like some dangerous animal he could not stay quiet; he pushed ahead with his destructive, revolutionary plans nourishing an especial loathing for Theodosius [a general of Valentian and Valens sent to Britain].
The same scholar reports that this troublemaker Valentinus started a rebellion which was quashed. He then describes the catastrophic events in Britain, commonly called the ‘Great Barbarian Conspiracy’, when Saxons, Picts and Scots (from Ireland) all ravaged the Roman province. Britannia was saved only by the swift actions of General Theodosius.
Modern historians have tended to overlook the revolt of Valentinus. But it has been suggested that this was the catalyst for subsequent invasions, as the
barbarians sensed that Britain was in turmoil and therefore particularly vulnerable to attack. It might be that during the revolt of Valentinus, one of his
followers decided to curse the emperors. It was traditional to write curse messages on tablets which were rolled up or nailed to a temple wall (you can see Roman curse tablets from Uley in the Roman Britain Gallery; Room 49).
In the case of the find, it seems that instead of writing the emperors’ names, a coin with a picture of the emperor was used instead. Then the lead was folded over and the pieces possibly nailed to, or hung from, a wall.At a later date, the two pieces might have been ritually deposited, possibly in the ground. This is only my personal interpretation – we will never know for certain why they were made, but perhaps they were created by a follower of the rebellious Valentinus. Whatever the truth, we have not found other objects like these in Britain.
The curse tablet is recorded as database record: LIN-57B091
Grot, Glorious Grot
January 30th, 2007 by Sam MoorheadRoman coins make up the single largest group of finds recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Because they are so common, and because they can be identified and dated quite easily, they make up one of the most important sources of evidence for Roman Britain.
Roman coins are used by archaeologists to help date sites and features in excavations. However, in the past, they have often discarded or ignored worn and supposedly illegible coins when better specimens have been found in the same context or layer. Historians use the inscriptions and designs on coins to cast more light on darker periods of British history, such as the decade when Carausius and then Allectus ruled a breakaway empire in Britain, AD286-96.
However, archaeologists and historians can also use coins to help reconstruct the nature of the Romano-British economy. For this study it is important to record the finds and distribution of all coins found. Two scholars, Richard Reece and John Casey, pioneered a new system for looking at site-finds (coins from excavations, field-walking and detecting) in the 1970s. They broke down the 400 years of Roman rule into different periods, in Reece’s case 21 as follows:
Reece Periods
Period / Date / Period name
1 pre-AD41 Pre-Claudian & Iron Age
2 AD41-54 Claudian
3 54-68 Neronian
4 69-96 Flavian
5 96-117 Trajanic
6 117-138 Hadrianic
7 138-161 Antonine I
8 161-180 Antonine II
9 180-193 Antonine III
10 193-222 Severus to Elagabalus
11 222-238 Later Severan
12 238-260 Gordian III to Valerian
13 260-275 Gallienus sole reign to Aurelian
14 275-296 Tacitus to Allectus
15 296-317 The Tetrarchy
16 317-330 Constantinian I
17 330-348 Constantinian II
18 348-364 Constantinian III
19 364-378 Valentinianic
20 378-388 Theodosian I
21 388-402 Theodosian II
For every site, you then assign coins to the different periods which enables analysis of the site against other sites. This is normally done by working out a per mills figure (as percent, but out of 1000 to make the figures easier to deal with) for each period. Below I provide some examples:
Fortress and Town: Exeter (Devon): Coins from the excavations in the Roman fort and town of Exeter (1971). As for many early military sites, there are numerous coins from the 1st century AD. In common with some other urban sites, there is a fall in the number of coins after around AD 350.
Fort: Caerleon Amphitheatre (South Wales): Coins from the excavation of Caerleon Amphitheatre (1928). This chart shows a noticeable rise in the number of coins in period 4 (AD69-96), coins which were most common when the fortress was being built in stone. Like many military sites, there is a marked decline in the number of coins after around AD 350.
Small town: Verlucio (North Wiltshire): Coins found at Verlucio small town, North Wiltshire (1970s-90s). These detector finds show that Verlucio was occupied throughout the Roman period. In common with other North Wiltshire sites, it has a very strong showing for the Valentinianic period (19: AD364-78), possibly reflecting the agricultural importance of the region to the late Roman authorities.
Villa: Chedworth (Gloucestershire): Coins found at Chedworth Villa, Gloucestershire (before 1970). Like many villas, Chedworth’s coins mostly fall in the period after AD260 when British villas grew in number and size. Like North Wiltshire sites, Chedworth also has a strong showing for period 19 (AD364-78), again probably reflecting the agricultural importance of the region in the late Roman period.
Temple: Cold Kitchen Hill (South Wiltshire): Coins from the temple site at Cold Kitchen Hill, South Wiltshire (before 1929). This is an unusual West Country temple site because it has few coins after AD350. However, this dearth of coins does follow a trend shown at other South Wiltshire sites. None of these sites have any coins after AD378, a phenomenon shared by other nearby sites in Dorset and Hampshire.
These bar charts show patterns immediately. Forts and towns generally have earlier origins and so have more earlier coins (Exeter and Caerleon). Small towns, villas and temples are often founded later, or begin to flourish later, thus peaking in the 4th century (Verlucio and Chedworth). Obviously, there are numerous variations, some regional and some according to type of site. It is interesting that in Wiltshire, the sites in the northern part of the county tend to have more later coins than ones in the south – Verlucio has many more coins for periods 19-21 (AD364-402) than Cold Kitchen Hill, a site which has no coins after AD378. This suggests that sites closer to Cirencester were more prosperous in the late 4th century and/or went on using coins for longer. Patterns like these can be found across Britain giving us another insight into the fortunes of different parts of Britain in the Roman period.
What is important for this study is that all coins found are recorded. When I was working on coins from Wiltshire, I received about a 100 nice coins from a particular site for cataloguing. Having done them, I was given another 100 not so nice ones, but still easily identifiable. None of these coins were later than AD 378. I then asked for the rest to the surprise of the finder who wanted to know how I knew there were others. I said that I had not seen the grot. When I catalogued the grot, there were several coins from the period AD 378-402, thus changing the numismatic profile of the site significantly.
It is clear from my initial analysis of PAS coin records that detectorists are providing an enormous amount of new information about rural sites in Roman Britain, for example in Nottinghamshire. Some groups of coins are filling in large gaps in our knowledge, but for them to be reliable and valid for serious research all the coins from a particular site must be recorded. Recording all coins not only helps archaeologists and historians rewrite the history of Roman Britain, it can also bring unforeseen benefits to detectorists. One finder on the Isle of Wight, having been asked to bring in his grot for recording, was pleasantly surprised to find out that he had a Roman coin of Augustus that was so rare that there is not even a specimen in the British Museum.
So please everyone, note where you find your grot and make sure that it is shown to your Finds Liaison Officer. Together, we can help rewrite the history of Roman Britain.
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