West Bagborough Hoard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids West Bagborough Hoard
Coins from the West Bagborough Hoard on display at the Museum of Somerset
Material	Silver and hacksilver coins
Size	681 coins
Period/culture	Romano-British
Discovered	Near West Bagborough, Somerset, by James Hawkesworth in October 2001
Present location	Somerset County Museum, Taunton
Identification	2001 (Fig 196)

The West Bagborough Hoard is a special collection of ancient Roman coins and pieces of silver. A "hoard" is like a hidden treasure, often buried a long time ago. This amazing find includes 670 Roman coins and 72 pieces of "hacksilver." Hacksilver is silver that has been cut into smaller pieces, often used as a form of money or for trading.

This hoard was discovered in October 2001 by a metal detectorist named James Hawkesworth. He found it near a place called West Bagborough in Somerset, England.

Finding the Treasure

How the Hoard Was Discovered

The West Bagborough Hoard was found by James Hawkesworth, who was a policeman from a nearby town called Bishops Lydeard. He was using a metal detector, which is a device that can find metal objects buried underground. Imagine his surprise when his detector signaled something big!

When experts checked the area, they didn't find any signs of old buildings or other structures. This suggests the treasure was simply buried in the ground, perhaps for safekeeping, rather than being part of a larger settlement.

What Happened After the Discovery?

After the hoard was found, it was taken to Taunton for a special meeting called a "treasure inquest." This meeting is held to decide if a discovery is officially "treasure." If something is declared "treasure," it means it's very important and usually belongs to the public, not just the person who found it.

The West Bagborough Hoard was indeed declared "treasure." Experts then valued it at £40,650. This is a lot of money! The Museum of Somerset in Taunton was able to buy the hoard. They got help from different groups, including the Heritage Lottery Fund. Now, you can see this incredible collection on display at the Museum of Somerset, which is located near Taunton Castle.

What Was in the Hoard?

The West Bagborough Hoard contains 681 coins in total, along with the pieces of hacksilver. Most of the coins are made of silver.

Types of Coins

The coins in the hoard come from different times in Roman history:

• Two coins, called denarii, are much older, from the early 2nd century AD.
• The rest of the coins, including eight miliarense and 671 siliqua, are from a later period, between AD 337 and 367.
• Many of these later coins were actually copies. Some were made of real silver, while others were copper coins covered with a thin layer of silver.

The newest coins in the hoard suggest that the treasure was buried around the year AD 365. Most of the coins were made during the rule of emperors like Constantius II and Julian. These coins came from many different Roman mints (places where coins were made) across the empire. Some were from cities like Arles and Lyons in modern-day France, Trier in Germany, and even Rome itself.

The Hacksilver

Besides the coins, the hoard also contained 64 pieces of hacksilver. These pieces weighed a total of 722 grams. Hacksilver was often used when people needed to make payments or trade goods, but didn't have the exact coins. They would cut up larger silver items to get the right amount.

Coin Breakdown by Emperor

Here is a quick look at how many coins were found from different Roman emperors or periods: