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their very high value. They effectively served as a guarantee of lower-value coinage in bronze and silver, quantities of which could be exchanged for solidi. In practice, those holding and using the coins were members of the economic and social elite such as wealthy merchants, landowners and soldiers receiving bulk pay. They would have used the solidi for high-value transactions such as buying land or bulk purchases of goods. The coins are in very good condition and do not appear to have been in general circulation.
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and went back to the field at the beginning of
October 2012 to continue the search. 119 more coins were found, bringing the total to 159. It is thought that they would have been deposited in an organic container such as a wooden box or cloth bag which has now decayed, as no other artefacts were found
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in St Albans, coins were usually buried either for religious reasons – as a sacrifice to the gods – or to keep wealth safe in the event of a potential threat to the owner's safety, such as war or unrest. The find of such a large hoard of solidi is unusual, as the coins were not in regular use due to
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who had just bought a beginner's metal detector from a shop in the town. He discovered 40 of the coins and brought them back to the shop to ask what he should do with them. The shop's owners reported the find to the local
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in conjunction with the coins. They were found scattered across an area of about 15 metres (49 ft). Their distribution was probably due to quarrying or plough action in the last 200 years, perhaps as recently as the
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in 1992, which included 569 gold solidi and nearly 15,000 other coins. It is not the first hoard found near St Albans, which was the site of the major Roman town of
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56:. After about 408, new Roman coins ceased to circulate in Britain, causing the collapse of the monetary economy and of mass-production industry.
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143:. The coins were bought by the local council for £98,500 in 2015. The hoard is now on display at the Verulamium Museum.
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A solidus of
Arcadius (r. 383–408) from the Mediolanum mint, of similar type to those found in the St Albans hoard
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to examine the coins and make a report to a local coroner to determine whether they should be considered
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44:, England in 2012. It is believed to be one of the largest hoards of Roman gold coins ever found in
277:"First-time Berkhamsted metal-detector finds one of UK's largest Roman coin hoards, worth £100,000"
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87:. The coins were found on private land to the north of St Albans by Westley Carrington from
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dating from the last decades of the fourth century AD, near the end of the
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The hoard probably dates to a little earlier than the larger
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in Italy. They were struck during the reigns of the
Emperors
135:, which requires an independent panel of experts from the
362:"Roman gold coin hoard purchased for St Albans District"
234:
Roman
Britain to Saxon England: An Archaeological Study
364:. St Albans City & District Council. 2 June 2015
261:. St Albans: St Albans Museums Service. p. 2.
101:, when the area was last used to cultivate crops.
59:Most of the coins came from the imperial mints in
384:"St Albans Roman gold coin hoard goes on display"
318:"English city to show off Roman gold coins find"
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183:"Roman coin hoard discovered in St Albans"
104:According to curator David Thorold of the
124:. In 1932, a hoard of 2nd-century silver
211:. Oxford University Press. p. 484.
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408:Archaeological sites in Hertfordshire
181:Burton, Madeleine (18 October 2012).
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275:O'Neill, David (17 October 2012).
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418:Metal detecting finds in England
340:"Pastscape: Monument No. 361921"
316:Barr, Robert (17 October 2012).
128:was found at Beech Bottom Dyke.
423:2012 archaeological discoveries
153:List of Roman hoards in Britain
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48:. The hoard consists of 159
305:. January 2013. p. 10.
131:The find is covered by the
54:Roman occupation of Britain
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209:A History of Roman Britain
433:Hoards from Roman Britain
236:. Routledge. p. 85.
28:is a large hoard of late
413:History of Hertfordshire
281:Hemel Hempstead Gazette
301:"A taxing discovery".
207:Salway, Peter (2001).
32:gold coins found by a
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232:Arnold, C.J. (1984).
94:finds liaison officer
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390:. 12 September 2015.
187:The Herts Advertiser
303:Current Archaeology
259:The Sandridge Hoard
342:. English Heritage
320:. Associated Press
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133:Treasure Act 1996
106:Verulamium Museum
34:metal detectorist
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366:. Retrieved
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77:Theodosius I
63:(Milan) and
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438:Coin hoards
116:, found in
114:Hoxne Hoard
89:Berkhamsted
402:Categories
346:19 October
324:19 October
286:19 October
192:19 October
159:References
122:Verulamium
61:Mediolanum
368:25 August
38:St Albans
388:BBC News
147:See also
85:Honorius
81:Arcadius
126:denarii
118:Suffolk
69:Gratian
65:Ravenna
46:Britain
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50:solidi
30:Roman
370:2018
348:2012
326:2012
288:2012
238:ISBN
213:ISBN
194:2012
83:and
24:The
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