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somerset Roman coin hoard and so must have been buried to a certain point before being filled with coins. At the end of the three days, the entire pot had been excavated, the pot sherds were carefully packed away and over 60 labelled bags of coins had been collected. The excavation had been a tremendous success, enabling confident speculation about the circumstances surrounding the burial of the hoard. Immediately following the excavation’s finish, Roger Bland (Head of the Portable Antiquities Scheme) and SamMoorhead collected the hoard to bring it back to the British Museum for cleaning and study – it was only on the forecourt of the museum that they realised just how huge the hoard really was: Sam’s car was very low on its rear axle! above Silver denarius of Carausius (286293) before and after conservation. above right Pippa Pearce, Metals Conservator at the British Museum, with a batch of coins in the ‘drying cupboard’. beloW Roger Bland (Head of Portable Antiquities and Treasure), Sam Moorhead and Alice Roberts (BBC’s Digging for Britain) at the sorting table. Washing the coins The next morning in the British Museum, the coins were weighed, coming in at around 160kg. At this point, it began to dawn on everyone that the hoard must contain a staggering 50,000 coins or so. A more immediate observation, however, was that much of the hoard had been waterlogged in the ground. Not only did this add a little to the weight, it also meant there was a serious conservation issue. It was agreed that the coins should be washed and dried before they dried out naturally as, had they been left to dry, many of the oxides would have solidified, making later conservation work both more complicated and more expensive. In the space of about six weeks, Pippa Pearce, Metals Conservator at the BM, and colleagues washed and dried the entire hoard. While the hoard was being washed, counted and conserved, the local archaeologists in Somerset were keen to find out more about the site in which it was found. A geophysical survey was carried out on the field, with preliminary findings showing virtually nothing. This did not come as : BBC photo 16 current archaeology | www.archaeology.co.uk above Base silver radiates of Valerian (253-260) from the mint of Rome. above Base silver radiates of Postumus (260-269) from the mints of Milan and probably Trier. ities Sc heme Antiqu le : Por tab photos september 2010 |
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much of a surprise; although there is evidence of Roman occupation in the surrounding region, very little has been found in this specific area. Though the results were slightly disappointing, they still help build a picture of the original landscape in which the hoard was buried: although a Romanroad runs nearby, there was no settlement in the immediate vicinity. Finding the lost emperor As the coins were washed, they were sorted by emperor, which gave an overview of the hoard and provided the basic information needed for the Coroner’s Report. they had been deliberately excluded. alloy radiates (with less than 5% silver) struck by Gallienus, Claudius It soon became clear that the coins ranged from AD 253 to 293, covering a period of about 40 years. There are very few higher quality silver radiates from the reigns of Valerian (253-260) and Postumus (260-269); either these coins had left circulation by the time the hoard was buried, or they had been deliberately excluded. The majority of the coins are copper alloy radiates (with less than 5% silver) struck by Gallienus, Claudius II, andtheGallicemperorsVictorinus and the Tetrici. These are amongst the most common coins found in Britain and many detectorists will have found similar pieces. As with other hoards of this date, there are a smaller number of ‘reformed’ radiates dating from AD274 to 293. These are larger, silver-washed coins of the emperors Aurelian, Severina, Tacitus, Florian, Probus , the family of Carus, Diocletian and Maximian. Most exciting is the number of coins of the British emperor Carausius (287-293). Whilst studying Layer 16 (just over half-way down the pot) a large concentration of coins of Carausius was discovered. When the hoard has been fully conserved, it is expected there will be around 800 coins of Carausius, making this the largest group of his coins ever found in Britain. Most surprising, however, is that amongst the Carausian coins are five silver denarii, coins that are not normally found in hoards and are generally rare. Furthermore, the denarii are in perfect condition, suggesting that they had barely been in general circulation. The timing of this discovery is especially fortuitous for Sam Moorhead who is currently working on a volume about the new Roman Imperial Coinage for Carausius. Tacitus, Florian, Probus , the family of Most exciting is the number of coins of the British emperor Carausius (287-293). Whilst studying Layer 16 (just over half-way down the pot) a large concentration of coins of  | Issue 246 Carausius (286-293) A man of humble origins, Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Carausius (d. 293) rose to the heights of power as a military commander of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century AD. Originally from Belgic Gaul, Carausius fell out of favour with Rome for hiding spoils of war and was to be executed; instead, in 286, he declared himself Emperor in Britain and northern Gaul and held power successfully for seven years – indeed, a milestone from Carlisle with his name on it suggests that the whole of Roman Britain was in Carausius’ grasp. This situation continued until 293, when Constantius Chlorus, now the western Caesar as a result of Diocletian’s tetrarchy, was allocated the territory of Britain and, naturally, was then expected to go and reconquer that part of his realm. Constantius recaptured the Gallic areas still under Carausius’ control following a siege of Gesoriacum (Boulogne). Carausius’ allies, the Franks, were driven from the territory and Gaul was reclaimed for the empire. Carausius’s grip on power was fatally undermined and he was assassinated by Allectus, one of his chief advisers and head of the treasury. Carausius seems to have appealed to native British dissatisfaction with Roman rule by issuing coins with legends such as Restitutor Britannia (Restorer of Britain). He also issued the first silver coins to appear in the Roman Empire for generations, knowing that good quality bullion coinage would enhance his legitimacy and portray him as possibly even more Roman than the other Roman emperors, Diocletian and Maximian. Five of these exceptional coins appear in the Maximian. Five of these exceptional coins appear in the Frome Hoard. Frome Hoard. Silver denarius of Carausius, struck in London. We can assume they were issued to celebrate his arrival there. ities Sc heme Antiqu le : Por tab PHOTOS | current archaeology | current archaeology 17 17

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somerset Roman coin hoard and so must have been buried to a certain point before being filled with coins.

At the end of the three days, the entire pot had been excavated, the pot sherds were carefully packed away and over 60 labelled bags of coins had been collected. The excavation had been a tremendous success, enabling confident speculation about the circumstances surrounding the burial of the hoard. Immediately following the excavation’s finish, Roger Bland (Head of the Portable Antiquities Scheme) and SamMoorhead collected the hoard to bring it back to the British Museum for cleaning and study – it was only on the forecourt of the museum that they realised just how huge the hoard really was: Sam’s car was very low on its rear axle!

above Silver denarius of Carausius (286293) before and after conservation. above right Pippa Pearce, Metals Conservator at the British Museum, with a batch of coins in the ‘drying cupboard’. beloW Roger Bland (Head of Portable Antiquities and Treasure), Sam Moorhead and Alice Roberts (BBC’s Digging for Britain) at the sorting table.

Washing the coins

The next morning in the British Museum, the coins were weighed, coming in at around 160kg. At this point, it began to dawn on everyone that the hoard must contain a staggering 50,000 coins or so. A more immediate observation, however, was that much of the hoard had been waterlogged in the ground. Not only did this add a little to the weight, it also meant there was a serious conservation issue. It was agreed that the coins should be washed and dried before they dried out naturally as, had they been left to dry, many of the oxides would have solidified, making later conservation work both more complicated and more expensive. In the space of about six weeks, Pippa Pearce, Metals Conservator at the BM, and colleagues washed and dried the entire hoard. While the hoard was being washed, counted and conserved, the local archaeologists in Somerset were keen to find out more about the site in which it was found. A geophysical survey was carried out on the field, with preliminary findings showing virtually nothing. This did not come as

: BBC

photo

16

current archaeology | www.archaeology.co.uk above Base silver radiates of Valerian (253-260) from the mint of Rome.

above Base silver radiates of Postumus (260-269) from the mints of Milan and probably Trier.

ities Sc heme

Antiqu le

: Por tab photos september 2010 |

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