HUGE 3RD CENTURY ROMAN COIN FIND

One of the largest ever finds of Roman coins in Britain has been made by a man using a metal detector.

The hoard of more than 52,000 coins dating from the 3rd Century AD was found buried in a field near Frome in Somerset.

The coins were found in a huge jar just over a foot (30cm) below the surface by Dave Crisp, from Devizes in Wiltshire.

Since the discovery in late April, experts from the Portable Antiquities Scheme at the British Museum have been working through the find.

The coins were all contained in a single clay pot. Although it only measured 18in (45cm) across, the coins were packed inside and would have weighed an estimated 160kg (350lb).

"I don't believe myself that this is a hoard of coins intended for recovery," says Sam Moorhead from the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

"I think what you could see is a community of people who are actually making offerings and they are each pouring in their own contribution to a communal ritual votive offering to the gods."

It is estimated the coins were worth about four years' pay for a legionary soldier.

"Because Mr Crisp resisted the temptation to dig up the coins, it has allowed archaeologists from Somerset County Council to carefully excavate the pot and its contents," said Anna Booth, local finds liaison officer.

To read the complete article, see: Huge Roman coins find for hobbyist (news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/10546960.stm)

Stu Williams writes:

Some of the coins are stamped with the image of Marcus Aurelius Carausius a military commander who seized power in the late third century and proclaimed himself emperor of Britain and northern Gaul.

Carausius who ruled from AD 286 to AD 293 was the first emperor to strike coins in Britain.

"This find presents us with an opportunity to put Carausius on the map," said Bland.

"School children across the country have been studying Roman Britain for decades, but are never taught about Carausius -- our lost British emperor."

To read the complete article, see: Big Roman Coin Hoard Found In Britain (www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/07/08/test/life-us-britain-coins.html)

An amateur treasure hunter armed with a metal detector has found over 52,000 Roman coins worth $1 million buried in field, one of the largest ever such finds in the UK, said the British Museum.

Dave Crisp, a hospital chef, came across the buried treasure while searching for "metal objects" in a field near Frome, Somerset in southwestern England.

To read the complete article, see: Amateur unearths 52,000 Roman coins worth $1m (www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/07/09/uk.roman.coin.treasure/)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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