Second rare Roman coin hoard found in Warwickshire

Warwickshire museum service needs help to raise the funds to buy a major Roman hoard, found recently in Warwickshire.

Coins from Year of the Four Emperors and pot found in Warwickshire
[Credit: Warwickshire County Council]

The hoard made up of 440 silver denarii coins was uncovered during an archaeological dig at a Roman site on the Edge Hill in 2015. They were buried in a ceramic pot over 1900 years ago, under the floor of a building. This is the second hoard of denarii to be found in this area and this new discovery contains 78 coins dating to AD 68-69, a turbulent time in Roman history known as the ‘Year of the Four Emperors’.

This important period in Roman history saw a civil war sparked by the death of Nero in AD 68, resulting in four successive rulers in a short span of time: Galba, Otho, Vitellius and finally Vespasian. As they vied for power, each contender struck their own coins to fund their armies, and these coins are incredibly rare. Within a roughly 18 month period the title of Emperor changed hands four times. Very few of these coins from this turbulent time survive. The second South Warwickshire hoard contains the largest collection of civil war-era coins ever found.

Some of the coins found in Warwickshire  [Credit: Warwickshire County Council]

As with all finds of gold or silver of this date, the hoard was declared Treasure and has been with the British Museum for formal identification and valuation. Warwickshire Museum now has four months to raise £62,000 to acquire the coins to display them at the Market Hall Museum in Warwick.

Councillor Dave Reilly, Portfolio Holder for Environment, Heritage and Culture says: “This is an amazingly important find for Warwickshire and our Roman past. Bringing the hoard back to the county and the Market Hall Museum will mean that Warwickshire’s residents can enjoy them for generations to come. The international significance of some of the coins in this hoard will increase visitors not only to Warwick, but the wider county, which can only contribute to our key objective of making the Warwickshire economy vibrant.”

Source: Warwickshire County Council [February 19, 2019]