Stanchester Hoard facts for kids

The Stanchester Hoard is a big collection of 1,166 Roman coins. These coins are very old, from the fourth to early fifth century. They were found in 2000 in a place called Wilcot, in the Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire, England. This discovery was important because it had many silver coins that were still in great shape, meaning they hadn't been "clipped" (shaved down for metal). It was also the newest set of Roman coins found in Wiltshire at that time.

Finding the Ancient Roman Coins

The Stanchester Hoard was found on July 25, 2000. Two people, John and David Philpotts, discovered it in a field. They used metal detectors, which are tools that can find metal objects buried underground.

The coins were hidden inside a pottery flagon (a type of bottle or jug). This pottery was made in a style called Alice Holt. The hoard was named after the Stanchester villa. This was a large Roman country house nearby. The coins were likely connected to this villa. The Wansdyke earthwork, an old defensive ditch, was also close by.

Digging Up the Stanchester Villa

People had dug at the Stanchester villa before. In 1931 and 1969, they found parts of a wall. They also found proof of a Roman central heating system. This system used hot air under the floors to warm the rooms. Tiles from roofs and flues (chimneys) were found. Pottery pieces were also discovered. Coins found with these items showed they were from the 2nd to the 4th centuries.

The Hoard Goes to a Museum

The Wiltshire Museum in Devizes bought the Stanchester Hoard. They paid £50,000 for it. This happened after a special meeting called a coroner's inquest. At this meeting, the hoard was officially declared "treasure trove". This means it was an old, valuable find whose owner was unknown.

What Was Found in the Hoard?

The Stanchester Hoard has many different types of coins. It includes three gold solidi, which were valuable gold coins. There are also 33 silver miliarenses. Many of these silver coins were in "mint condition," meaning they looked brand new. The hoard also has 1,129 silver siliquae and one copper-alloy nummus (a common bronze coin). A small piece of a bronze ring was found too.

The oldest coin in the hoard was made during the time of Constantine I. His rule started in 307 AD. The newest coin was made in 406 AD. This was during the time when Arcadius and Honorius were both emperors. The silver coins in the hoard were not "clipped." This suggests they were not used much in daily life.

When Were the Coins Made?

The coins in the hoard were made during different periods of Roman rule. Here is a breakdown:

Where Did the Coins Come From?

These coins came from many different mints across the Roman Empire. Mints were places where coins were made. Some of the cities where these coins were minted include Siscia, Sirmium, Constantinople, Trier, Aquileia, Lyons, Rome, Thessaloniki, Milan, and Antioch. This shows how widespread the Roman Empire was.

Other Stanchester Discoveries

The name "Stanchester" appears in other places where Roman items have been found. In 1865, in a place called Stanchester in Curry Rivel, Somerset, people found Roman tesserae (small tiles for mosaics). They also found coins, bronze pieces, shale whorls (tools for spinning thread), pottery, and a flint knife.

Another Roman site in England named Stanchester is a villa in Pitchford, Shropshire.