A rare Roman coin minted in London thousands of years ago is among record amounts of treasure declared today (Tuesday).
The bronze coin is thought to be one of the last made during the reign of the British rebel emperor Carausius.
It has been donated to the British Museum, which today revealed the number of treasure discoveries — which covers gold and silver more than 300 years old and other ancient objects — has hit a record level again.
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| A vessel from the Iron Age |
According to its annual report there were 1,311 finds across England, Wales and Northern Ireland last year.
Among the major discoveries is a 1,100-year-old medieval brooch found in Norfolk and a solid gold Bronze Age arm ring which is so rare experts cannot work out where it came from.
Caroline Dinenage, minister of state for digital and culture, said: “I am very pleased that a record number of treasure finds have been unearthed and it is brilliant that they will now go on display in local museums across the country.
“Each one of these valuable discoveries tells us more about the way our ancestors lived.” Data published by the museum also reveals more about smaller finds dating back to 2017, including gold jewellery and buttons found by Thames mudlarks and copper coins found during the upgrade of Bank station.
The 23 coins have gone to the collection of the Museum of London, while the future of other finds is still to be decided.
Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum, said: “It is encouraging that so many finds have been voluntarily recorded through the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS).
“PAS and Treasure are truly national partnerships with museums, experts, finds liaison officers and the public collaborating to aid our understanding of the past.”
