Metal detectorists in Wales have discovered Roman treasure. Announced on October 18, 2023, it's not the first find in Wales.
In this case, two sets of coins were found in Conwy. Conwy is a walled town in North Wales. According to the Welsh Amgueddfa Cymru Museum, the first set of coins was found in a ceramic vessel. Inside this ancient vessel lay 2,733 cons. Among the treasure were silver denarii (Roman) along with silver and copper alloy coins named antoniniani. All of the denarii were minted between 32 BC and 235 AD, while the alloyed coins were minted between AD 215 and 270.
A second cache of silver coins was minted between 32BC and AD221. The 37 coins were found strewn across an area near the larger accumulation. The detectorists had not been detecting long. The area was being rained upon, and the two men thought of ending their session. That's when a signal was picked up. Such is the luck of detectorists. What excitement to see the top of an ancient ceramic container.
All of the riches were taken to Amguedffa Cymru Museum for identification. Traces of thin leather were found in the vessels, thought to be from leather bags the coins were placed in inside the ceramic pot. Of course, from the leather information can be garnered about the times.
CT scans were made of the coins so the ancient hoard would not be damaged. Photos of the pot and coins showed them rather stuck together and showing some discoloration/browning.
When emptied, the pot revealed that the oldest coins tended to be toward the bottom, implying they were added over time. The biggest cache of coins was probably buried in 270 AD. These ancient coins of yore were placed in the collection during the reigns of Postumus (AD 260-269) and Victorinus (AD 269-271). Collected during the third century AD, the money was near a 2013 excavation of a Roman building believed to have been a temple. The building is believed to have been of the third century AD, also. The museum suggests that the coins may have been those of a soldier living nearby.
As stated by the museum, "It is very likely that the hoards were deposited there because of the religious significance of the site, perhaps as votive offerings, or for safe keeping under the protection of the temple's deity."
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