The High Weald Roman Coin Hoard

High Weald Roman Coin Hoard and pottery container

In 2008, during the summer holidays at King’s College London, I was lucky enough to gain an internship at The British Museum identifying and cataloguing the High Weald hoard. The hoard, discovered in East Sussex with the aid of a metal detector, contained 2895 radiate coins dating from AD 215-268. Radiates, or Antoniniani as they are sometimes called, are identified by the radiate crown (crown of sun-rays) worn by the emperors portrayed on the coins. My task was to identify the individual coins using the appropriate catalogues for reference. It was important to note any variations, hybrids/mules and rare coins. I wrote a catalogue as a permanent record, which I hope will be accessible to the public on the online database of finds.

Only the third coin of Sabinia Tranquillinia ever found in Britain

Reverse side of Sabinia Tranquillina featuring Concordia goddess of harmony

The archaeological record shows that there was a massive increase in hoarding in the later third century AD. The coins of the High Weald hoard range from the reign of Caracalla to Postumus, with most emperors being represented in some quantity. The notable exceptions are Severus Alexander (AD 222-235) and Maximinus (AD 235-238). The High Weald hoard is similar to the famous Dorchester hoard as it contains a high proportion of earlier, less debased coinage such as that of the emperors Gordian and the Philips. However, the hoard is unusual as it closes with Postumus but is not composed highly of the extremely debased coins, such as the Bassaleg, Caerleon, Eastbourne and Selsey hoards. It is, furthermore, rare for such a large hoard to contain no examples of the smaller denomination denarii.

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Coin hoards and individual coin finds are generally found on or in proximity to the coast. Coin hoards are very rare in the High Weald but the area has not been thoroughly searched by detectorists. Absence of evidence is not always evidence of absence.

Only the second coin of Cornelia Supera ever found in Britain

Reverse side of Cornelia Supera featuring Vesta goddess of the family hearth and of fire

Establishing a chronology of the iron sites of the Weald is problematic and coinage is an important tool in dating iron production sites. The High Weald hoard’s close proximity to the iron production site at Bardown presents a possible connection. The exploitation of the resources of the Weald was rapid and exhaustive. It is interesting as the end date of the hoard correlates with the decline in iron production sites and could be used to reaffirm the end date of the site.

Alexandra Stuart Hutcheson, British Museum Intern

Ure View: bringing ancient Greece to life

Ure View is one of four regional projects that are part of World Stories South East. To celebrate the opening of the exhibition a family event was held at the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology on 5 May 2012, with the exhibition open until 31 August 2012.

The event showcased the sculptures and digital animations that were inspired by the Greek pottery held in the museum’s collections.

Display of Greek pottery, courtesy of the Ure Museum

The museum houses around 2,000 ancient Greek and Egyptian archaeological finds in a museum at the University of Reading. Although small, the displays of the collections give a fascinating glimpse into ancient life.

Greek pot, courtesy of the Ure Museum

The young people led the development of the animations and sculpture, giving their perspective on ancient life by interpreting the pottery through their eyes.

Young people handling Greek pottery, courtesy of James Pike

The storyboards created by the young people were then brought to life by digital animator Steve Simons.

The final three films were projected onto the large-scale Greek pot sculptures that were built and decorated by the young participants.

Sculpture and animation, courtesy of the Ure Museum

The family activity day was busy and vibrant, attracting new visitors to the museum. Family groups of all ages played ancient board games similar to modern day draughts, decorated mugs and plates in a Greek style and took part in an activity trail. Steve Simons, the project’s animator was on-hand to give a talk about how the animations were created.

Sonia Rasbery,
World Stories South East Partnership Co-ordinator

Brighton in the Dark Ages

Friday 29th July was the Day of Archaeology 2011. It provided the opportunity to find out all about the world of archaeology, with 400 archaeologists blogging about their work. So, with this in mind, here’s a look at a local discovery revealing another slice of Brighton’s history.

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In 1884, during the building of St Luke’s Church hall in Exeter Street, two adult male burials were uncovered with grave goods including shield bosses and spear heads. Later, in 1893, three shield bosses and a sword unearthed in Stafford Road were presented to Brighton Museum & Art Gallery. These discoveries suggested the existence of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in the area.

In 1985, building works at a house off Stafford Road triggered an archaeological rescue operation when workmen uncovered more Anglo-Saxon burials. Over a Bank Holiday weekend, the remains of three skeletons were uncovered, two male and one female, all dating from around the 6^th Century AD. One of the males had died aged about 30 from a serious head wound inflicted by a sword and his skull also exhibited an earlier healed head wound from which he had survived. He was buried with his shield, spear and possibly an iron knife. There is no evidence of cause of death for the other male, aged about 35-40. He was fairly tall at 5’ 11” and robust, although his dental health was poor, demonstrated by evidence of tooth loss and abscesses.

The female skeletal remains were disturbed and damaged by the workmen. However it was determined that she was aged around 40-45 when she died, comparatively old for the early Anglo-Saxon period, and also had poor dental health. She was buried with objects which were likely of most value to her including two copper alloy brooches, two copper alloy rings and a pair of copper alloy tweezers.

Life for these early Saxon settlers appears to have been relatively short-lived and sometimes pretty brutal. Suffering a violent death was not uncommon and life expectancy beyond the age of 40 appears to of been rare. The deficient dental health of two of the skeletons indicates a fairly poor diet and lack of personal hygiene, all of which would have increased vulnerability to disease. This small insight into life in Brighton during the early Anglo-Saxon period suggests it may have been at times somewhat bleak.

Andy, Volunteer Local History & Archaeology