Cunetio Hoard
Roman hoard From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cunetio Hoard, also known as the Mildenhall Hoard,[1] is the largest hoard of Roman coins found in Britain. It was discovered in 1978 at the site of the Roman town of Cunetio, near modern-day Mildenhall, Wiltshire, and consisted of 54,951 low value coins. The coins were contained in a large pot and a lead container.[2] The coins are now in the British Museum[3] and the pot is on display at the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes.
Overview
Cunetio developed from a small settlement into an important economic market for the area, which is thought to explain the concentration of coins.[4] Excavation of a nearby well in 1912 uncovered 102 coins, possibly from another hoard.[5] A smaller hoard had been found at this site in 1960.[6]
The 1978 hoard consisted of 54,951 coins weighing over 180 kilograms (390 lb).[7] Most of the coins were low value Radiates,[8] however there were significant numbers of Antoniniani,[9] some of which dated from the reign of Gallienus (253–268).[10] The dates of the coins were between AD 250–275, however the majority are from the independent empire established in Gaul by Postumus in 260.[11][12] Larger hoards of Roman coins have been found at Misrata in Libya[13] and are believed to have been found at Evreux in France (100,000 coins) and Komin, Croatia (300,000 coins); however, at the time of its discovery the Cunetio Hoard was by far the largest in Britain.[2]
The site of the hoard and the wider settlement were surveyed and excavated for the Channel 4 television programme Time Team in 2009.[14]
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