ID
67
Permalink
Hoard name
BANCROFT ROMAN VILLA 1978
Alternative names
Bradwell Roman villa
Data type
Hoard
Date of discovery (from)
1 Jan 1978
(to)
31 Dec 1978
Total number of coins
76
Summary
"In the course of the 1978 excavations at Bancroft Roman Villa a small hoard of 76 folles of the 330s was recovered. The coins were not discovered in or near a container and it is possible that they were stored in something like a bag which has since perished. Unfortunately the hoard cannot be associated with any particular architectural feature - they were simply lying on the ground when found. The small size of the find suggests it was the property of an individual who may have been using them as 'current coin', a suggestion which is supported by the high percentage of imitations..
The Bancroft Roman villa hoard of folles of the 330s even though smaller than average is very like other contemporary British hoards in its composition and mint distribution except for the very high proportion of imitations it contains. The imitations must have been more-or-less contemporary with the pieces they copied and the fact that they were hoarded suggests they circulated as coins although what their value was in relation to genuine coins is unclear."
Cathy E. King, in CH VI (1981), 36, no. 175; and 40-9, types, mints, metrology, die axes, tables, full description of copies, fig. 5 of copies
Dr. Cathy King catalogued the 76 coins, according to mints, with a few numerical errors. They have been rearranged according to emperors, etc.
Constantine I 11
Constantine II, Caes. 19
Constans, Caes. 6
Constantinopolis 17 Urbs Roma 21
Theodora (after AD 337) 1
Constans, Aug. 1
76
(1 GLORIA EXERCITVS, 1 stand.; 5 b.)
(1 GLORIA EXERCITVS, 1 stand.; 6 b.)
(1 GLORIA EXERCITVS, 1 stand.; 1 b.)
(1 incuse; 3 b.)
(4 b.)
(GLORIA EXERCITVS, 1 stand.)
The 19 copies were all of the Constantinopolis (4), Urbs Roma (4) or GLORIA EXERCITVS, 2 stand. (11), types.
Dr. King assigned the GLORIA EXERCITVS, 1 stand., types to Constantine I, Constantine II, Caes. and Constans, Caes. and Aug., but gave the LRBC reference to Constans, Aug. as Trier 107, which is in fact of Constantine II, Aug.
