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Glass rosewater sprinkler (6.5cm x 4.5cm approx). Roman (1-3 century ce)
Private collection, Great Britain
Series in which archaeologist Julian Richards returns to some of his most important digs to discover how science, conservation and new finds have changed our understanding of entire eras of ancient history.
Julian goes back to the excavation of two burials from Roman Britain – a wealthy man from Roman Winchester and a lavishly-appointed grave of a woman from the heart of London that holds a special and unexpected secret only recently unlocked.
Episode 1 of 4 begins on BBC 4 television at 20:00 on Wednesday, 1 May. Duration: 1 hour. More here.
The second largest hoard of Roman solidi (gold coins) ever found in Britain
Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, is record as saying on the Portable Antiquities Scheme website that -
It is clear from the discoveries reported this year that the Treasure Act and Portable Antiquities Scheme goes from strength to strength. The ITV series this year shows just how much these finds have captured the public’s imagination and changed our understanding of the past. It is a scheme which is envied the world over. I am very grateful to the Department for Culture Media and Sport for continuing to support the Scheme and to Treasure Hunting magazine who have continued to publish PAS reports. And to other generous funders such as The Headley Trust, Institute for Archaeologists and the Heritage Lottery Fund who support staff to ensure that the Scheme can continue its vital work. As well as the funding bodies who have helped acquire Treasure finds.
Richard Abdy, Curator of Roman Coins as the British Museum, writes of the second largest hoard of Roman gold coins (shown above) ever found in Britain that -
The discovery was made by a metal-detectorist near to St Albans, Hertfordshire, and reported to his local Finds Liaison Officer. In October 2012 the findspot was excavated by a team of archaeologists from St Albans City and District Museums Service and altogether 159 coins were recovered. The coins date to the late 4th to early 5th century AD (after AD 408 regular supplies of Roman coinage to Britain ceased) and were mostly struck in the Italian cities of Milan and Ravenna and issued under the Emperors Gratian, Valentinian II, Theodosius I, Arcadius and Honorius. The largest hoard of Roman solidi was found at Hoxne in Suffolk in 1992 and comprised 565 solidi. Richard Abdy said: “This is a hugely exciting find. During the period of the Roman occupation of Britain, coins were usually buried for two reasons; as a religious sacrifice to the Gods, or as a secure store of wealth, with the aim of later recovery. The late date of the coins suggests their burial could have been associated with the turbulent separation of Britain from the Roman Empire c. AD 410″.
The Hoard will be on view in the Citi Money Gallery at the British Museum from 4 December. More here.
A guest feature by Moss.
Section of the Wheeldale Roman Road today
Travelling over our favourite bit of the North York Moors, past the little beck that tumbles down over the rocks, a dark brown colour (this due to the peat on the moors), we find the Roman road about a mile on from the beck. It is just off the moor road, stretching down to another little beck, and having at its other end a cairn so the map says. There is some dispute over this road, it seems to march towards Pickering and a small Roman fort outside, but only has some of the characteristics of a Roman road. For a start there is no gravel over the large flagstones, but it is ditched on either side with large stone forming curbing along both sides. And every now and then there is a retaining curb going horizontally across. The theory mooted is that it might have been earlier, or even later Saxon, who knows? Photos around the 60s decade show a road cleared of vegetation but now it is very overgrown.
Section of the Wheeldale Roman Road in the 1960s
A …hoard of ten gold Iron Age coins was found in 2010 by Steve Bestwick whilst metal detecting on fields near Peatling Magna, in the District of Harborough. They will be displayed permanently at Harborough Museum from Tuesday 17 July 2012.
The coins were probably produced between 60-50 BC in Gallia Belgica, the Latin name for modern north western France and the Low Countries. They show a stylised horse moving right, surrounded by symbols on one side and are blank on the other. These coins are slightly earlier than the majority of the coins in the Hallaton Treasure which is also displayed at Harborough Museum. It is rare to find hoards of early imported coins so far north, others are confined to East Anglia and the South East. Most Gallo-Belgic coins are found in hoards and usually in mint condition. We think they may have been considered special because they were imported or perhaps they were hoarded because they were better quality gold than local coins.
The silver denarius coin pictured above …was found in one of the entranceway hoards at the Hallaton shrine. It is believed to date to 211 BC making it around 250 years old when it was buried by the Corieltavi tribe in the AD 40s or AD 50s. The front of the coin shows the goddess Roma wearing her characteristic helmet whilst the reverse shows the mythical twins, Castor and Pollux, astride horses galloping towards the right.
The type of coin known as a denarius was first struck in Rome in 211 BC, making the Hallaton coin a very early version. The surface of the coin is worn suggesting it was well used before arriving in Britain and being buried at Hallaton. How the Corieltavi tribe came into possession of this coin either before the Roman invasion of AD 43 or very soon after is a mystery. Did it arrive here through trade or diplomacy before the invasion, or was it brought to Britain by an invading soldier? Either way, it is a very rare find at a Late Iron Age site and suggests the Corieltavi tribe had contact with Rome earlier than previously thought.
The coin above and the Peatling Magna Hoard are on permanent display in the Hallaton Treasure Gallery at Harborough Museum.
The Mersea Museum
The Mersea Island Museum is an independent museum established in 1976 and occupying purpose-built premises in the centre of West Mersea, just to the east of the Parish Church. The traditional local activities of fishing, oystering, wild fowling and boat building are represented. The reconstruction within the museum of a typical weather-boarded fisherman’s cottage provides an interior display centred on a Victorian coal-fired kitchen range, with adjoining facilities for washing clothes using old-fashioned manual equipment. Children are welcome, with puzzles and quizzes available.
More here.
The West Mersea Barrow, also known as Grim’s Hoe, Mersea Mound or Mersea Mount
Mersea’s Buried Secrets is the theme of Mersea Museum’s 2012 Summer Exhibition. The exhibition includes the contents of the tomb in Mersea Barrow (also known as Grim’s Hoe, Mersea Mound or Mersea Mount) which was returned to Mersea after 100 years.
More here.
The eastern mole (Scalopus Aquaticus). Source Wikimedia. Image credit Kenneth Catania
Moles have played a significant role in the history of Britain, as the Jacobean toast to The little gentleman in velvet recalls. Recently English Heritage has been keeping a careful watch as volunteers sift their way through hundreds of molehills at Epiacum - an isolated Roman fort close to the Cumbrian border and 12 miles south of Hadrian’s Wall. Epiacum is a scheduled ancient monument and, as such, unauthorised excavations there are banned. That isn’t stopping the little gentlemen in velvet from doing a bit of interesting digging of their own however. The Northerner Blog of The Guardian reports that -
Digging is what moles do, and when they live on a scheduled ancient monument that can be quite helpful, at least to the Birley-minded school of thought. Take Epiacum, which was a Roman fort some 12 miles south of the wall at present-day Whitley Castle on the 1000-acre fields of Castle Nook farm.
Moles have been so busy there that English Heritage has drafted in 37 volunteers to sieve through their molehills and carefully take out anything ancient which has been brought to the surface. So far, they have found a bead from a jet necklace, pieces of earthenware pots and a quarter-inch-long shard of rarer and more valuable Samian ware pottery.
Full article here.
