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Cashing in with the Ancient Britons: coinage in Iron Age, Roman and early Medieval Britain - four online talks by Dr Sam Moorhead FSA
Coins first arrived in Britain in the Iron Age, as early as the 4th or 3rd centuries BC and started to be produced there in the 2nd century BC. With the arrival of the Romans in Gaul (under Julius Caesar, 50s BC) and then Britain (under Claudius, AD 43), Roman coins started to enter the Province in increasing numbers. Certain coins struck in Rome bore types (designs) which referred directly to Britain. From soon after the Claudian conquest, many copies were made in Britain, a phenomenon that lasted until the end of Roman occupation. Furthermore, for brief periods in the late 3rd and 4th centuries, coins were struck at London and one or more other mints.
In the 5th century, after the collapse of Roman Britain, coin use markedly declined. However, recent discoveries are providing more information about the nature of coin use in ‘Dark Age’ Britain. This series will explore the coin circulated in Britain in the ancient period and also show how recent Treasure Hoards and single finds recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme (finds.org.uk) are increasingly helping broader archaeological and historical research.
They take place on Thursday 11 September and then for three consecutive Tuesdays until 30 September at 4.30pm (London) and, including Q&A, will last just under an hour. They are available for viewing for eight weeks after the last episode is streamed (until 18 November 2026).
Talks
The first coins to arrive in Britain were struck in the Mediterranean, by Greek, Punic (Carthaginian) or Numidian rulers and states. From the 2nd century BC, an increasing number of ‘Celtic’ coins started to arrive from the Continent. Coins were first cast in Britain in the 2nd century and during the 1st century BC several British tribes and rulers started to produce their own coins in gold, silver and bronze, culminating in highly sophisticated coinages issued just before the Roman invasion of AD 43.
This talk highlights coins relating to the Province. With the arrival of Claudius’ legions in AD 43, Roman money began to enter circulation in great amounts. The pay chests for the army were full of gold aurei, silver denarii and a selection of base-metal coins to be used as small change. This, ‘Augustan’, monetary system lasted for about 200 years and included several pieces which related specifically to Roman Britain. Many coins celebrated victories in the Province and we also see the first appearance of Britannia on our coins.
Soon after Claudius arrived, coins were being forged in Britain. Copies of silver denarii are commonly found in Britain, especially from the Severan dynasty, c.AD 193–235. There were enormous quantities of ‘Barbarous Radiates’ made in the late third century, with several episodes of copying of bronze nummi in the 4th century.
From the reign of the usurper Carausius to Constantine I, c.AD 287–324, and briefly under Magnus Maximus (AD 383–88), there was an imperial mint in London. Under Carausius and Allectus, c. AD 287–95/6, there was also at least one other mint operating in Britain.
Roman bronze coins ceased to arrive in Britain in significant quantities in AD 395; silver coins in AD 402; Gold in AD 408. However, we know that silver coins were clipped in the early 5th century, many probably after the collapse of the province in AD 409. It is quite likely that some form of Roman currency system existed for a decade or so after the end of Roman Britain. However, from the discovery of recent hoards, such as one from Patching, and finds recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme, we know an increasing amount about coins imported in Dark Age Britain.
Expert speaker
Dr Sam Moorhead FSA
National Finds Adviser for Iron Age and Roman Coins in the Portable Antiquities Scheme at the British Museum from 2006 to 2023. He specialises in the world of late antiquity across the Roman world, including the neighbouring cultures to the east. He is writing a major new edition of the Roman Imperial Coinage series for the British emperors Carausius and Allectus, and is cataloguing the 52,500 coins in the Frome Hoard. He is an Honorary Lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL, a Fellow of Goodenough College, London, and was awarded the Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society in 2019.
More tours led by Dr Sam Moorhead FSA
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Dates & prices
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2025
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