Latest news with #AdrianMarsden
New York Post
31-07-2025
- General
- New York Post
Ancient Roman soldier's monthly paycheck unearthed in pristine condition
What may have been a Roman soldier's monthly paycheck has emerged from under the ground, officials announced this month. British officials recently unveiled the discovery of a 1,900-year-old Roman coin hoard in the county of Norfolk, England. Advertisement The hoard consists of 25 silver denarii in total, equal to the monthly salary of a Roman legionary — or citizen soldier. Adrian Marsden, a coin specialist for the county, told Fox News Digital the hoard was found in 2023, near the village of Great Ellingham. The numismatist said the cache was found by a lucky metal detectorist, who handed it over to local authorities. The coins were spread throughout the field due to farming activity over the centuries, said Marsden. Advertisement 'We've had a few hoards like this over the years, scattered by the plow and often of a similar size,' he said. 5 British officials recently unveiled the discovery of a 1,900-year-old Roman coin hoard in the county of Norfolk, England. serpeblu – 5 Adrian Marsden, a coin specialist for the county, told Fox News Digital the hoard was found in 2023, near the village of Great Ellingham. Robert – Historians estimate the coins were lost between the 160s and the 170s. Advertisement 'The latest coins [in the hoard] show very little wear and cannot have seen much circulation before the hoard's deposition,' Marsden added. Seven of the denarii depict Emperor Hadrian, while others show the profiles of Emperor Vespasian and Trajan. Two coins feature Marcus Aurelius — one during his time as Caesar, another as emperor. The coins had a variety of reverse types, or symbolic images on their tail sides. One is a personification of Africa, as a celebration of Rome's provinces on the continent. Advertisement 'This was a wealthy agricultural area in the Roman period.' Another artifact was a Judaea Capta coin, minted to commemorate Rome's capture of Judaea and destruction of the Second Jewish Temple. 5 Seven of the denarii depict Emperor Hadrian, while others show the profiles of Emperor Vespasian and Trajan. íâscar – 5 Two coins feature Marcus Aurelius — one during his time as Caesar, another as emperor. Andrew Williams, Norfolk County Council Though an exciting discovery, Marsden noted it's not unusual for the area. 'There are plenty of Roman discoveries in the area, including the occasional small hoard,' he said. 'This was a wealthy agricultural area in the Roman period.' Ancient Romans began settling in Britain in 43 A.D. through an invasion led by Emperor Claudius, after a previous invasion under Julius Caesar failed. Advertisement 5 Ancient Romans began settling in Britain in 43 A.D. through an invasion led by Emperor Claudius, after a previous invasion under Julius Caesar failed. Andrew Williams, Norfolk County Council After nearly four centuries, the Romans began withdrawing in 410 A.D. – but not without leaving remnants behind that are still found today in the U.K. In late May, volunteers at an Ancient Roman fort in Northumberland were shocked after they discovered two different 2,000-year-old shoes. Advertisement In June, a museum in London announced that a giant 'archaeological puzzle' had been solved some 1,800 years after it was left by Roman residents. Fox News Digital's Sophia Compton contributed reporting.
Fox News
31-07-2025
- General
- Fox News
Ancient Roman soldier's monthly paycheck unearthed in pristine condition in countryside
What may have been a Roman soldier's monthly paycheck has emerged from under the ground, officials announced this month. British officials recently unveiled the discovery of a 1,900-year-old Roman coin hoard in the county of Norfolk, England. The hoard consists of 25 silver denarii in total, equal to the monthly salary of a Roman legionary — or citizen soldier. Adrian Marsden, a coin specialist for the county, told Fox News Digital the hoard was found in 2023, near the village of Great Ellingham. The numismatist said the cache was found by a lucky metal detectorist, who handed it over to local authorities. The coins were spread throughout the field due to farming activity over the centuries, said Marsden. "We've had a few hoards like this over the years, scattered by the plow and often of a similar size," he said. Historians estimate the coins were lost between the 160s and the 170s. "The latest coins [in the hoard] show very little wear and cannot have seen much circulation before the hoard's deposition," Marsden added. Seven of the denarii depict Emperor Hadrian, while others show the profiles of Emperor Vespasian and Trajan. Two coins feature Marcus Aurelius — one during his time as Caesar, another as emperor. The coins had a variety of reverse types, or symbolic images on their tail sides. One is a personification of Africa, as a celebration of Rome's provinces on the continent. "This was a wealthy agricultural area in the Roman period." Another artifact was a Judaea Capta coin, minted to commemorate Rome's capture of Judaea and destruction of the Second Jewish Temple. Though an exciting discovery, Marsden noted it's not unusual for the area. "There are plenty of Roman discoveries in the area, including the occasional small hoard," he said. "This was a wealthy agricultural area in the Roman period." Ancient Romans began settling in Britain in 43 A.D. through an invasion led by Emperor Claudius, after a previous invasion under Julius Caesar failed. After nearly four centuries, the Romans began withdrawing in 410 A.D. – but not without leaving remnants behind that are still found today in the U.K. In late May, volunteers at an Ancient Roman fort in Northumberland were shocked after they discovered two different 2,000-year-old shoes. In June, a museum in London announced that a giant "archaeological puzzle" had been solved some 1,800 years after it was left by Roman residents. Fox News Digital's Sophia Compton contributed reporting.
BBC News
06-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Great Ellingham hoard find worth Roman legionary's monthly wage
A Roman silver coin hoard worth almost the same as a legionary's monthly wage in the 2nd Century has been uncovered by a metal detectorist. The discovery of 25 coins was made in a field near Great Ellingham, north of Attleborough, Norfolk, with the latest denarius unearthed in 2023. Coin expert Adrian Marsden said the purse loss was probably disturbed by a plough "and had been sloshing around in a field ever since". It is one of two denarius hoards currently going through the treasure process in Norfolk. Dr Marsden, from the Norfolk Historic Environment Service, said: "A silver denarius is reasonably valuable and about one day's pay for a legionary, so with the Great Ellingham hoard we're looking at nearly a month's wages - they were well paid."Legionaries were the Roman Empire's citizen soldiers, men who had to meet strict physical and social requirements for meant they had to be at least 1.72m (5ft7in) tall, needed a letter of recommendation, faced gruelling training and had to take an oath to serve in the army for at least 25 retirement, they received a pension worth a decade's pay. The second hoard of 13 denarii was found near Walpole Highway, a village north of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. Coins in both hoards range from the AD60s to AD180s, including for emperors such as Trajan, his cousin Hadrian and Marcus also include coins minted for imperial wives such as Faustina I, her daughter Faustina II - and Sabina."What's nice about these little silver denarii is the people in them are instantly recognisable, with hooked noses or beards," said Dr Marsden."If you walk around a Roman sculpture collection, you can pick them out one by one - and they are not idealised like later Christian emperors, these are real people getting the warts and all treatment on the coinage."In the vast 2nd Century empire, stretching from the Tigris-Euphrates river system in Turkey to the borders of Scotland, "it's certain everyone knows what the emperor looks like as a result of coins," the numismatist added. If declared treasure, museums will get first refusal over whether to acquire the hoards. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
15-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'Saddest story' for Northamptonshire owner who lost ring in 1600s
A gold posy ring discovered in a 17th Century token box was probably stored there for safekeeping only to be lost after all, making it the "saddest story", a coin expert small copper container, found at Dingley between Market Harborough and Corby, also held four trading tokens - a type of small change currency issued by merchants to keep the local economy Marsden said the box was only the 10th one to be found in the country, with all of them made by the same London manufacturer. The discovery offered "insight into the businesses of very ordinary people", said Northamptonshire's finds liaison officer Eleanore Cox. She said the detectorist who found it initially thought it was a Victorian or 20th Century door-knob and took it home for a wash."Thank goodness he did, because once it was clean it started rattling - and then out popped the ring."Dr Marsden, a numismatist from the Norfolk Historic Environment Service, said: "We all know how rings can get lost – they can slip off fingers that have shrunk ever so slightly in cold water."Yet, despite apparently tucking it away in the box for safekeeping, the owner still managed to lose it, making it "the saddest story of all", he said. Token or money boxes have a very sophisticated screw thread construction, which has led to them being misdated to the 19th Century, he was because screw threads "were hardly seen" before the 18th Century Industrial Revolution, when new technology made them easier to he said the Northamptonshire find was "incredibly similar" to nine others, "and now it very much looks like a workshop in London had the know-how to make these things for a brief period in the 1660s". Trading tokens were commissioned from the Tower of London mint, where the country's official coins were Cox said: "Tokens were pivotal to day-to-day life, used by people to buy bread and candles and clothes, and offer not only insights into the businesses, but about the very real difficulty of shopping when there is a lack of small denominations."I genuinely feel bad for whoever lost it [the box], and there must have been a bit of heartbreak when the ring was also lost."The discovery is going through a process where a coroner decides whether it can be classed as treasure. If so, a museum usually gets first refusal over whether to store it. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A Metal Detectorist Found an Ancient Gold Coin That May Mark the Rise of Christianity
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: A metal detectorist discovered a rare gold coin from the seventh century in an English field. The coin is the first schilling of its kind ever found and includes a depiction of a man dancing. The newly discovered shilling tested at about 60 percent gold content. A gold shilling located by a metal detectorist near Norwich may be no larger than a fingernail, but it wields quite a bit of history—and some distinct designs. The small gold coin discovered in the fall has led coin expert Adrian Marsden of the Norfolk Historic Environment Service to research the unique emblems marking the coin. He published his view on the find in The Searcher, highlighting that the coin is the first of its kind ever found. 'It's of a wholly new type, undoubtedly English—and East Anglian,' he wrote, adding that it's likely from the seventh century A.D., likely between 640 and 660 A.D., when Pagan beliefs were giving way to Christianity in Britain. Located in an area that has yielded other seventh-century coins, the decorated schilling is connected to a series of shillings Marsden has seen before. But this one is still in a class on its own, thanks in part to the design that packs plenty in a small space. 'The obverse of this one has a man, with a rather oversized head, performing what appears to be a jig with his legs crossed whilst placing a cross, held out in his left hand, over an odd design composed of three interlocked triangles,' Marsden wrote. He said the Christian elements with the cross are obvious, inspired by the standard depiction of Christian emperors of the late Roman empire. The interlinked triangles are better known as a valknut, he said, a pagan design that has an uncertain meaning. They could be associated with the Scandinavian god Odin, who helped bring the dead to the afterlife, but the expert calls that 'speculation,' since nobody is quite sure what the valknut—the word is a modern compound meaning knot of those fallen in battle—symbol really stands for. The other side includes a cross-like design enclosed by a border of small pellets. The questions surrounding the symbolism point to a time where both Pagan and Christian images were used, Marsden says. The unique design could be a form of a cross or even a swastika, which at the time was likely a good luck symbol. The coin also had a poor attempt at a Latin-style inscription that Marsden said really didn't amount to any language. The coin was tested for purity, and all results rendered it with a gold content of over 56 percent to over 60 percent, in line with a modern-day wedding ring, giving the coin a pure look that would have likely been uncommon in the seventh century. Under the nation's updated Treasure Act, the coin will likely be displayed at a museum, possibly the Norwich Castle Museum. 'I think that this shilling does stand at the head of an East Anglian Royal coinage that quickly—as the kingdom became Christian—got rid of the valknut and retained the cross,' Marsden surmised about the provenance. 'The new coin straddles two eras, the Pagan and the Christian.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
