2,000-year-old coins being dug up by experts...

Jakub25 · 27-06-2012 06:07PM #1

I don't want to hurt anybody but i think this may be interesting
for some Roman history enthusiasts.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2164897/Iron-Age-coins-worth-10m-discovered-Jersey-metal-detector-friends.html

slowburner · 29-06-2012 08:13PM

Please keep any discussion about this find strictly to the relevance of the hoard, and genuine discussion of the hoard's importance.

Any arguments about metal detecting will result in closure of the thread and an infraction for the poster.
Any posts which are concerned solely with the monetary value of the find will be treated similarly.

We've had enough of that type of discussion.

Meathlass · 29-06-2012 10:19PM

Read a little bit about this in the Guardian during the week. Seems fascinating find and it's not the first in Jersey. Anyone know why so many 'Celtic' coins, as they called them in the paper, are being found in Jersey? Have to say I know nothing about the history of the island.

dubhthach · 30-06-2012 09:15AM

Well they are Celtic coins as they were minted by Gauls who spoke Gaulish (a Celtic language). The obviously reason for them been hidden of course was the Roman conquest of Gaul. Coinage also spread into Southern Britain in the 1st century BC, strong correlation with the South-East of Britain which was obviously heavily involved with trade with Gaul. Some have argued there was population movement into Britain during period after 200BC from Gaul (Belgae for example)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/finds/5468338420/in/photostream/

Comparison of Celtic Coin Index findspots

This GIS plot shows the variation between Iron Age coins recorded by the Scheme vs those recorded by the Oxford University Celtic Coin Index.

According to wiki the Oxford Celtic Coin Index contains over 45k British (specific tribes) and Gaulish coins.

dubhthach · 30-06-2012 09:35AM

Just to give an example of a coin from South East England (taken from wiki)

Cunobeline or Cunobelinus (also written Kynobellinus, Κυνοβελλίνος in Greek and sometimes abbreviated to Cunobelin) (late 1st century BC - 40s AD) was a historical king in pre-Roman Britain, known from passing mentions by classical historians Suetonius and Dio Cassius, and from his many inscribed coins. He appears to have controlled a substantial portion of south-eastern England, and is called "Britannorum rex" ("king of the Britons") by Suetonius. He also appears in British legend as Cynfelyn (Welsh), Kymbelinus (Medieval Brito-Latin) or Cymbeline (Shakespeare, et al.), in which form he is the subject of a play by William Shakespeare. His name is a compound made up of cuno- "hound" and "Belenos" (the god) Belenus".[1]

Most Irish people should recognise the Irish version of Cuno which is Cú, whereas Belenus is cognate with sun-god Bel.

Fighting Irish · 04-07-2012 12:09AM

Great find

slowburner · 04-07-2012 09:22AM

A little more about the find here from Jersey Heritage.
The silver (60) and gold (1) coins are thought to have come from St.Malo in Brittany.
The importance of the find is that it dates to the time of Caesar's Gallic wars, and will undoubtedly give scholars some fascinating new insights into the period.

dubhthach · 04-07-2012 01:23PM

Regarding the tribe (Curiosolites) mentioned here's a image of a coin dating from 5th-1st Century BC from that particular tribe (taken from wiki)

Reoil · 25-07-2012 10:09AM

"Experts"? They were amateur metal detectors...

Agent_99 · 31-08-2012 06:52PM

Sorry to dig this thread up again (excuse the pun)

Does anyone know have there been many finds of roman coinage in Ireland?

slowburner · 31-08-2012 08:07PM

Agent_99 wrote: »

Sorry to dig this thread up again (excuse the pun)

No worries - this is the Archaeology forum, after all.

Does anyone know have there been many finds of roman coinage in Ireland?

Not too many, but here have been finds of Roman coins at Tara, Drumanagh, & Stoneyford - off the top of my head.
I'm sure there were other finds, maybe someone can add to the list?

Nobody has definitively concluded that the presence of any of these coins has been anything other than an indicator of trade.
Personally, I believe that the coins found at Tara were votive offerings from Roman visitors, possibly military.
There are fascinating, if tenuous links between the Romans viz. Maximus, Roman governor of Britain (around 225 AD if memory serves), Tuathal Techtmar, and Tara.
And of course, we had Palladius who must have brought some spare change.

Whether the coins were brought here by Irish traders, by and large (most probably), or Roman visitors, is open to question - a very interesting question, indeed.

Just recently, Roman coins supposed to have been 'found' in Wexford turned up on ebay, but the dubious circumstances of their 'discovery' and one or two other factors cast serious doubt on the provenance of the find.

Maudi · 31-08-2012 10:25PM

slowburner wrote: »

Agent_99 wrote: »

Sorry to dig this thread up again (excuse the pun)

No worries - this is the Archaeology forum, after all.

Does anyone know have there been many finds of roman coinage in Ireland?

Not too many, but here have been finds of Roman coins at Tara, Drumanagh, & Stoneyford - off the top of my head.
I'm sure there were other finds, maybe someone can add to the list?

Nobody has definitively concluded that the presence of any of these coins has been anything other than an indicator of trade.
Personally, I believe that the coins found at Tara were votive offerings from Roman visitors, possibly military.
There are fascinating, if tenuous links between the Romans viz. Maximus, Roman governor of Britain (around 225 AD if memory serves), Tuathal Techtmar, and Tara.
And of course, we had Palladius who must have brought some spare change.

Whether the coins were brought here by Irish traders, by and large (most probably), or Roman visitors, is open to question - a very interesting question, indeed.

Just recently, Roman coins supposed to have been 'found' in Wexford turned up on ebay, but the dubious circumstances of their 'discovery' and one or two other factors cast serious doubt on the provenance of the find.

Nope..your memorys spot on for maximus..225..dont forget the two skeletons unearthed by building works associated with oscar wildes father close by in bray..some roman coins were dug up but like a lot of coinage found in ireland.experts lean towards these coins being associated with travelling mercenaries rather than evidence of invasion or roman occupation.

Agent_99 · 31-08-2012 10:53PM

The reason I ask is that I found a roman coin back in 1982 in Donegal, I know that there was no major invasion of Ireland by the Romans so I was wondering if any other verified finds. The coin is from the rein of Antonius Pius 138AD to 161AD. I still have the coin and the local newspaper cutting from the time kept for providence. But I have never heard of one being found so far north.

slowburner · 01-09-2012 07:31AM

How did you find it?

Agent_99 · 01-09-2012 09:00AM

slowburner wrote: »

How did you find it?

I thought it was 50p

Picked it up of the ground and it was a little caked in dirt but still shiny enough to glint and catch my eye. It was in Annagh, Co Donegal I had just arrived at the Gealteach, I was only 13 so I held on to it and when I returned home brought it to the Ulster Museum to see if I could find out more about it. (pre www).
I guy offered me €200 for it back then but I decided to hold on to it.

slowburner · 01-09-2012 09:10AM

Odd to find it on the surface and still with a glint.
What sort of terrain did you find it in?

Agent_99 · 01-09-2012 10:02AM

It was on a gravel driveway so the stones could have come from anywhere but I wouldn't imagine that they would have transported them to far probably from a local quarry. I'll see if I can post a picture later.

dubhthach · 01-09-2012 05:38PM

The north of Donegal is know for both La Tene and Roman finds. Some have proposed that this is due to contacts with Roman Britain during early AD era. I had posted following map over on "Who were the Celts?" thread which I had found online.

There's a better set of maps to be found in "Cenél Conaill and the Donegal Kingdoms AD 500-800" by Brian Lacey. Here's a quick snap I took with my iphone:

The interesting part is the second map which shows a zone of Roman influence in Northern Donegal near enough to Gaoth Dobhair.

Agent_99 · 01-09-2012 07:55PM

Location that I found it is roughly around the S (Swilly Cluster) on your photo.

slowburner · 04-09-2012 09:06AM

dubhthach wrote: »

The north of Donegal is know for both La Tene and Roman finds. Some have proposed that this is due to contacts with Roman Britain during early AD era.
The interesting part is the second map which shows a zone of Roman influence in Northern Donegal near enough to Gaoth Dobhair.

How has the author arrived at the conclusion that there was 'Roman influence' in this area?

dubhthach · 04-09-2012 09:55AM

slowburner wrote: »

How has the author arrived at the conclusion that there was 'Roman influence' in this area?

I don't have the book in front of me, but if memory serves right it's due to archaelogical finds. The author is Brian Lacey the CEO of the Discovery Programme. (well I'm assuming he's still CEO). Here's a map I found on the Discovery programme site that is of interest when it comes to Roman finds:

http://www.discoveryprogramme.ie/research/late-iron-age-roman-ireland/170.html

Einhard · 08-09-2012 02:00AM

Agent_99 wrote: »

I thought it was 50p Picked it up of the ground and it was a little caked in dirt but still shiny enough to glint and catch my eye. It was in Annagh, Co Donegal I had just arrived at the Gealteach, I was only 13 so I held on to it and when I returned home brought it to the Ulster Museum to see if I could find out more about it. (pre www).
I guy offered me €200 for it back then but I decided to hold on to it.

Any chance of a pic?

Collibosher · 08-09-2012 10:49PM

Einhard wrote: »

Any chance of a pic?

Four posts back is one.

2,000-year-old coins being dug up by experts...

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