The Seaton Down Hoard is a
hoard
A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...
of 22,888
Roman coins found in November 2013 by
metal detectorist
Laurence Egerton near
Seaton Down in
Devon, England.
History
The coins were found near the site of a Roman fort and possible villa in Honeyditches which was built in the second to third century. The coins date from AD 260 to 348. The coins are made from copper-alloy. The hoard is one of the largest ever found of
4th-century coins in the former Roman empire and consist of coins from the reign of
Roman emperor Constantine I
Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterranea ...
and his family in AD 306 and the joint reign of
Constantius II and his younger brother
Constans, from AD 337 to 340. The
Royal Albert Memorial Museum in
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
acquired the coins in July 2016.
Coins from the hoard were displayed at the
British Museum on 25 September 2014. In the Portable Antiquities Scheme Annual Report 2013, the hoard was named as the one millionth find to be recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
See also
*
List of Roman hoards in Great Britain
The list of Roman hoards in Britain comprises significant archaeological hoards of coins, jewellery, precious and scrap metal objects and other valuable items discovered in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) that are associated with per ...
*
Roman currency
Roman currency for most of Roman history consisted of gold, silver, bronze, orichalcum and copper coinage. From its introduction to the Republic, during the third century BC, well into Imperial times, Roman currency saw many changes in form, denomi ...
References
{{Reflist
2013 in England
Treasure troves in England
Treasure troves of Roman Britain
History of Devon
2013 archaeological discoveries
Metal detecting finds in England
Seaton, Devon
Hoards from Roman Britain
Coin hoards