Huge Roman coin find in Somerset

One of the largest ever finds of Roman coins in Britain has been made by a man using a metal detector.
The hoard of more than 52,000 coins dating from the third century AD was found buried in a field near Frome in Somerset.
The coins were found in a huge jar just over a foot (0.3m) below the surface by Dave Crisp, from Devizes in Wiltshire.


I have been waiting for the full story on this since I saw it hinted at on Forum Detectorist.co.uk


What should be noted here is the way the finder Dave Crisp, got the archaeologists involved so that the huge jar of coins could be excavated out to gain the maximum knowledge about the circumstances of the hoard. This is the second such hoard since another smaller (but) silver one (over 9000 coins) found in 1978 nearby.



It is perhaps a sign of the responsibility that has been growing over the years. It would have been a temptation to dig out teh 160kg of coins... but he did not, and got in touch with the Finds Liaison Officer for the area - who acted to ensure the archaeology was done.


"Because Mr Crisp resisted the temptation to dig up the coins, it has allowed archaeologists from Somerset County Council to carefully excavate the pot and its contents," said Anna Booth, local finds liaison officer.


So have a look at the story, watch the video and hope that more stories like this (and many many others) shows that although the unproductive battle between detectorists and archaeologists is still not quite over, it is looking more like a throwback to the past itself.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10546960.stm