Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
NUMISMATIC
AND
MONOGRAPHS
No.
65
IMITATIONS
ROMANO-BRITISH
COINS
BRONZE
OF
CLAUDIUS
BY
C.
The
H.
V.
SUTHERLAND
Numismatic
Society
American
at 156th Strbbt
Broadway
New York
1935
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OF
I
NUMISMATIC
NOTES
AND
MONOGRAPHS
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COPYRIGHT
I935BY
NUMISMATIC
THEAMERICAN
SOCIETY
THE
INTELLIGENCER
PRINTING
CO
PA.
LANCASTER.
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ROMANO-BRITISH
BRONZE COINS
IMITATIONS
OF CLAUDIUS
OF
I
BY
C. H. V. SUTHERLAND
Numismatic
Society
The American
ATI56THSTREET
BROADWAY
NEW
YORK
I935
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IMITATIONS
ROMANO-BRITISH
BRONZE COINS OF CLAUDIUS
OF
I1
By C. H. V. Sutherland
in Englandof
For nearlya century
theexistence
of "barbarous"bronzecoins,
considerable
numbers
imitatedfromtypesof ClaudiusI, has beenrecogof strayspecinized.2 But beyondthe recording
littlehasbeendonein theway
menshereand there,,
and it was
of a generalsurveyof theseimitations,
leftto Cohen3to voice the firsttheoryregarding
theirprovenance.His viewthattheyareofBritish
is at variancewithotheropinionsthat
manufacture
and theobject
morerecently:
havebeenexpressed
ofthispaperis to reopenthequestionand examine
evidencethan
it in thelightofmorecomprehensive
before.
to
have
been
available
appears
1Inpresenting
wishes
toemphasize
thewriter
thismonograph
andthe
ofthematerial
tothesporadic
distribution
that,
owing
ofthesubhistreatment
lackofrelevant
literature,
archaeological
He
exhaustive.
andbynomeans
preliminary
jectisnecessarily
andin
from
assistance
many
quarters,
acknowledges
gratefully
ofthe
andcurators
histhanks
areduetothecommittees
particular
the
toexamine
inthetext
for
their
mentioned
museums
permission
tothe
forcasting;
coins
intheir
andtoselect
collections
charge
number
for
thegenerous
Ashmolean
ofthe
Oxford,
Museum,
Keeper
forthe
both
andtoMr.Harold
ofcaststhere
Mattingly,
made;
coins
andfortheadvantage
ofcasts
ofBritish
Museum
furnishing
criticism.
ofhishelpful
2Cf.Roach
Chron.
Num.
p.147andCat.Museum
Smith,
1841,
ofLondon
Antiquities,
p.92,no.454.
3Description
sousl'Empire
desmdailles
frappes
historique
vol.i,p.257.
romain
(2nded".,1880),
I
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ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
When Augustusattainedsupremepowerafter
Actium,he found,as one of the mosturgentand
prevalentproblemsthat faced him,that of the
reform
ofthecoinage. Fiftyyearsofconstitutional
strifehad seen the issue of gold and silvercoins
of rival " imperabecomepart of the prerogative
the
at theirdiscretion:
tores
," exercisedanywhere
bronzetokencoinage,issuedby the Senate,had
ceasedaltogether
about 82 B. C. The plan ultielaborated
by Augustusmade Lugdunum
mately
thechiefsourceofgoldfortheEmpireand ofsilver
itssupfortheWest:theItalianpeninsula
received
plies of bronze moneyfromthe re-established
Senatorialmint,whileGaul,Spainand Africawere
independently
supplied,the firstby the Gallic
"Altar" series,and the two latterby local town
with
issues. The East supplieditselfabundantly
bothsilverand bronze.
as tokenmoneywas concerned,
So far,therefore,
as
thewestern
partoftheEmpiremaybe regarded
havingbeenadequatelysuppliedduringAugustus'
reign. It was probablyunderTiberiusthat a
ofbronzewas firstfelt. His disinclination
shortage
to continuethe "Altar" seriesin Gaul is balanced
in theissuesof Spainand Africa,
by a diminution
themeasureof hisantipathy
and bothfactsreflect
therevoltof Sacrovir
to theforcesof nationalism:
doubtlessincreased
and the war withTacfarinas4
his nativecaution. UnderCaligulaRomebecame
thesolemintin theWestforgold,silverandbronze:
4Cf.B.M.Cat.Rom.
i.p.xviii
note.
Emp.
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ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
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ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
KENT
Claudian
RichboroughSome50% of thenumerous
I p. 114,
coinsarecopies. (Reports:
II p. 122.)
some
Maidstone Abouttwentycopiesrepresent
ofClaudian
50%ofthetotalnumber
coins. (Museum.)
but
Rochester Claudiancoinsare notfrequent,
among
copiesare wellrepresented
them. (Museum.)
London
Newbury
MIDDLESEX
of Romancoins
Of thelargenumber
foundin the bed of the Thames,
copiesof Claudiancoins are exnumerous.(Num. Chron.
tremely
ofLondon
1841p. 147;Cat.Museum
p. 92,no.454.)
Antiquities,
BERKSHIRE
Claudiancopiesare foundamongthe
coinsof this
by no meanscommon
reign. (Museum.)
HAMPSHIRE
Claudiancoinsfromthe siteare exandthemajority
numerous,
tremely
of them are copies. (Reading
Museum.)
a good
Winchester Numerouscopies constitute
of the Claudiancoins.
proportion
(Museum.)
Silchester
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WILTSHIRE
Copiesarerepresented
amongthefew
orthodox
coinsof Claudianepoch.
(Museum.)
A considerable
ofClaudian
proportion
coins depositedhere consistsof
copies. (Num.Chron.1864p. 216.)
DORSET
Dorchester Copiesaccountforsome20%-^o% of
thefairnumber
of Claudiancoins.
(Museum.)
St. Albans
HERTFORDSHIRE
Claudiancoinsare infrequent,
butinclude severalexamplesof copies.
(Museum.)
*BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
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ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
coinsof
Cirencester Morethanhalfthenumerous
as at Gloucester.
Claudius
arecopies,
(Museums.)14
CaistorSt.
Edmund
Lincoln
York
NORFOLK
The twoClaudiancoinsso faryielded
by thissiteare bothcopies. (NorwichMuseum.)
LINCOLNSHIRE
At least 50% of the verynumerous
Claudiancoinsare copies. (Musein Num.Chron.
um) (cf.Mattingly
1931pp-313-5)
YORKSHIRE
of Claudian
Ofthesurprising
number
a third
are
coinsoflocalprovenance,
Museum.)
copies. (Yorkshire
SHROPSHIRE
the site producedeight
Wroxeter Originally
- few,ifany,orthoClaudiancoins,
dox (Report,1914). Subsequent
in theForumhave,acexcavations
to information
kindlysupcording
yielded
plied by Prof.Atkinson,
more Claudian coins, of which
are of theMinervatypeas,
twenty
at leastsix copies.
including
14
thoseof theCorinium
Thecollections
examined
include
House.
theCripps
andWatermoor
Museum,
(Bathurst)
Museum,
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Thereare frequent
examplesfromotherlocalities
of Colchester,15
at
also, as fromthe neighborhood
in
Somerset
R.
S.
1929p. 203),Sandy
(J.
Keynsham,
in Bedfordshire
(Num.Chron.1889p. 333),Asthall,
in Oxfordshire
Ewelme,and Dorchester
(Ashmolean
(Gloucester
Museum), Bolitreein Herefordshire
Museum),BurySt. Edmunds(Museum),Stoke-onTrent(twoexamples:forone Cf. J. R. S. 1930,p.
225: a castofthesecondis in theAshm.Mus.) and
Chester(Museum).
imof mainlychronological
Furtherspecimens,
occurin thefollowing
hoardsor groups:
portance,
Croydon (Surrey) One copy in 2nd. Century
Hoard
hoard. (Num.Chron.
1907
PP-353ff-)
Southants Hoard Thirteen
copiesand fouror(foundnear Dor- thodoxcoinsin 2nd.CenSETborder)
turyhoard. (Num.Chron.
1911 pp. 42 ff.)
Clapton-in-GordanoOne copy in 3rd. Century
hoard. (Num.Chron.
(Somerset)Hoard
1927
pp.209ff.)
Nunney (Somerset) Twocopiesandtwoorthodox
Hoard
coinsinist.Century
hoard.
(Num.Chron.1861pp. 1
ff.)
Astrop (Northants) An exclusively
3rd.Century
Group
coin-groupincludes one
copy. (Rept.Oxfordshire
Arch.Soc. 1911, pp. 12 ff.
16Inthepossession
oftheRev.G.M.Benton,
ofthe
Secretary
Essex
Archaeological
Society.
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IO
ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
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ii
in theparts
thesecopiesoccuronly,orevenchiefly,
to Gaul. Thisis notto deny
of Britaincontiguous
ofexamplesmayhavefound
thata certainnumber
it
theirway across the Channel. Nevertheless
wouldbe illogicalto attributea Gallic originto
a groupof coins spreadover the greaterpart of
Britainon the groundthat a fewexamplesmay
fromthecontinent.
havebeenimported
little
is of comparatively
Hill's thirdhypothesis
coinagemayormay
importance.The nativeBritish
nothavebeenrecalled,and in anycase it doesnot
seem to have providedan abundantsupplyof
bronze small change. Hoards containingboth
and
Britishand Romancoinsare notuncommon,18
the generalimpression
gainedfromthemis that,
whilethe autonomous
gold,silverand evenbillon
continuedto circulatefairlysteadilyduringthe
firstcenturyA. D., the Romanbronzealmostat
theneedfora
oncecameintoitsownas supplying
tokencoinage.
whichascribes
thatno theory
It appearstherefore
a continental
originto thesecopiescan be basedon
or of their
groundseitherof theirinfrequency
restriction
to theextreme
South,or of theirsuperhave
theRomanoBritish
sites
berather
tentative
until
necessarily
as
inasmuch
examined.
Buttheabove
beensystematically
lists,
arefairly
ofthevarious
Romano-British
areas,
they
representative
for
ourmain
suffice
hypothesis.
18SeetheTimsbury
Chron.
1908,
Lightcliffe
(Num.
pp.80-1),
Santon
Downham
Chron.
1861pp.79ff.),
Chron.
(Num.
(Num.
Bitterne
Chron.
1869
Honley
1897
pp.293ff.),
pp.319ff.),
(Num.
Hoards.
Chron.
Proc.1908p. 11),andSouthants
(Num.
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12
ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
besidethenativeBritish
issues. Thereappear
fluity
to be no otherobviousreasonsforsupposing
them
to be importations,
and we are drivento theconclusionthattheywerestruckfrequently,
andovera
widearea, in Britainitself. This suddenfloodof
irregularcoins can be associatedonly with the
Claudian invasion. The actual area over which
of the
theyare foundexactlycoversthe districts
firstconquests:examplesfoundbeyondthe Fosse
Waybearwitnessto thespreadofthenewcoinage,
and also to its continuance
duringthesubsequent
of the actual
yearsof conquest. An examination
typesfoundis equallystrongevidencefortheconnectionof thesecopieswiththe Claudianlegions.
Sestertii
are of rareoccurrence,
as copies. In the
listof coinswhichservedas a basisforthispaper,
less than5% werecopiedsestertii.Dupondiiare
muchcommoner,
and accountforsome25%. But
it is the as thatwe findmostfrequently
imitated:
some70% oftheClaudiancopiesfoundin England
areso accounted
for. Therecanbe smalldoubtthat
of Clauthewidespread
and suddendissemination
diancoinsbythelegionsoftheconquestleddirectly
to theirmoreor less generalimitation
throughout
thearea undercontrol,
the commoner
typesnatuto
rallybeingmostoftencopied. It is interesting
note that the titleP. P. is hardlyeverfoundon
in Britain:the exampleswith
thecopiesoccurring
P. P. quotedbyHill fromtheSouthants Hoardare
to differrareexceptions.Althoughit is difficult
entiatein datebetweentheissueswithandwithout
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13
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14
ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
fourgradesofdebasement,
as
adopteddistinguishes
follows:
Grade I containscoinswhichshowall thedetail,
and muchof the excellenceof fabric,possessed
butlacktheessentially
Roman
bytheirprototype,
ofthemodel. The legendsare correct.
character
Grade II embracescoinsof rougherfabricthan
inadditiona growing
GradeI, showing
inaccuracy
of detail. The legends,wherever
thesize of the
flanallowsoftheirbeingproperly
seen,appearto
be correct.
Grade III includestheroughand unskilful
produccrudeand barbarousstyle.
tionsof. thoroughly
thelegendsare eitherhopeWithfewexceptions
or non-existent.
lesslyblundered
Grade IV is reservedfor the rare instancesof
reversalof one or bothtypes;i. e. as whenthe
head is facingr. insteadof 1.,withor withouta
reversaloftherev
. type.
corresponding
Techniqueand style are the only criteriaby
whichthesecopiescan be compared:weight,alofspecithoughwhenaveragedout overa number
mensit givesresultsofconsiderable
interest,21
may
in the case of singlecoins.
be highlymisleading
Under the headingof technique,or fabric,are
includedthe following:
a. The shapeoftheflan.
b. The reliefoftheobv.and rev.types.
21Seebelow,
p.20.
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15
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i6
ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
The FirstGradeofdegradation
is subtleandoften
hardto analyse. But,in a generalway,it maybe
theRomano-British
said that,fromthefirst,
copies
characterof the originals.This
lack the definite
impliesneitherunskilful
techniquenorpoorstyle:
theflanscontinued
on thecontrary,
to be of fairly
goodshape,thoughtheymayfallto as littleas 25
is not frequent
mm.in diameter.Die-adjustment
in the
in thisGrade,butit occursfarlessfrequently
is
second,thirdand fourthGrades. The striking
in mostcasescareful
and therelief
good,thoughthe
reversestend to sufferin comparisonwith the
oneofthecharacteristics
obverses,
forming
thereby
ofthisGrade:italmostseemsas ifthedie-engravers,
whileanxiousto reproducethe fulldetail of the
in rendering
thecomplexifounddifficulties
original,
of Minerva
ties of the reverse,and particularly
these coins are not
(cf. Plate V). Stylistically,
is clearlydelineated
and
merit:theportrait
without
althoughthe characterization
fullyrecognizable,
(cf.PlateII, 2, 6 and V, 3, 6).
mayappearuncertain
of Claudius,twoofthe
In thecase of theportraits
of theprototypes,
chieffeatures
namely,thelong,
and theindication
muscular
neck,neatlyindented,
of the bust below,are almostalways faithfully
in
copied. The reversetypes,althoughfrequently
lowrelief,
showaccuracyand vigour. The legends,
withperhapsa
011bothobv.and rev.,are correct,
ofA (A): thelettersare
fortheopenform
preference
regular,orthodoxin size, and properlyspaced.
finished
off
Bothsidesof thesecoinsare commonly
witha borderofdots(cf.PlateII, 4).
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17
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18
ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
understood
in use orat leastso commonly
generally
in thecopying.The ThirdGrade
as to losenothing
,
embracingthe Minervatype almost exclusively
(Plate VII: cf.PlateIII , 6-8), is composedchiefly
of the workof illiteratesto whomLatin was a
closedbook,forthe majorityof legendsare either
blundered
or, in the worseexamples,non-existent.
In all respects,
thesecoinsare crudeand barbarous.
The flansare of all shapes,and varyin size from
- hardlygreaterthana largedebased
28-22 mm.,
antoninianus.In somecases theyhave obviously
mostof
a longprocessof restriking:
beenthrough
themare too smallforthe dies,and nearlyall of
themhave one or both dies badly centred(cf.
PlateIII , 6, VII , 1). Reliefis forthemostpartlow.
Fromthepointofviewofstyle,thisgroupincludes
coins almostworthyof inclusionin the Second
to GradeIII on account
Grade,whicharerelegated
fabric(cf. Plaie VII , 1): and at
of greatlyinferior
theotherend of the scale appearexamplesof the
utmostdegreeof barbarism.In nearlyeverycase
the head is of a newand purelyformaltype,reabsenceofmodelmarkableforan almostcomplete
ling:theheadis blockedout in a mass,theeye,ear
or
and mouthbeingrepresented
by indentations
to
It
is
Plate
incisions
6,
VII, 3, 7).
interesting
(cf.
observethat,in thisgroup,Claudius'chinis usually
- a characterization
neverpresent
andsquare,
strong
in theRomanprototypes.He is givena rudeshock
of hair,and his neck,whetherthinor thick,is
in a plaintruncation.
longand terminates
generally
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19
The rev
. typeis as devoidofskillas theobv
., butit
a certainvigour. In manycasesthe
stillpreserves
has changedits sex, and has conMinerva-figure
shedall drapery
(PlateVII , 3) : frequently
sequently
tracesof draperyremainin purelyconventional
betweenthe legs (Plate
form,such as _L,vL,
VII , 2, 6, 7). Rareexamplesshowthetypeundergoinga moreradicalchange,in whichpostureand
action are such that the type may properlybe
calleda newone. Coinsof thisgroupare notunfoundpiercedforsuspension.
commonly
The FourthGradeis no morebarbarousthan
GradeIII in respectofdegreeofdebasement,
being
designedmerelyto includeexamplesof reversed
typesuppliesthe only
types. Here the Minervaspecimens(Plate VIII). In one sensethesecoins
sinceit seemsas
are theresultofpainstaking
effort,
so
his
ifthedie-engraver
uponhis
kept eye carefully
modelthat he forgotto engravehis designin a
! Oftherareexamplesthatoccur,
reversed
position
interest.These two coins
two are of exceptional
in
VIII
are
the BritishMuseumand
, 1-2)
(Plate
both obverses
Maidstone Museum respectively:
,
head to r., with
whichshowa crude,blocked-out
blundered
legend,are fromthesamedie:
retrograde
hasa revwithMinerva1.,
coin
while
the
B.
M.
but,
and legendD 3, the Maidstonespecimen,which
oftheobv.die to be a later
appearsbythecondition
showsthe rev.typer., withlegendS C.
striking,
reversalof typescarriedto the
This mayrepresent
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20
ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
TYPE
ORTHODOX
Exx. Av.
Sestertius.
[General]
Ceres
Dupondius.
Antonia
Dupondius.
As.Constantia
13 26. 70
5 154
4
14.88
As. Libertas
7 10.89
7 10.20
As.Minerva
6 10.97
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21
Dorchester
(Oxon.),bothof GradeII, weigh10.65
and Minerva-type
gm. and 4.99 gm. respectively,
assesfromLincolnand Winchester,
bothof Grade
III, weigh8.75 gm. and 2.60 gm. respectively.
But a calculationof the averageweightsof coins
COPIES
GradeI.
GradeII.
GradeIII.
GradeIV.
15.49
12.12
12.96
4
2
4
2
9-39
8.55
8.75
[il
[8.85]
27
8.53 14
9.00
6.78 15
5.60
9.46
5.32
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22
ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
availableforweighing,
thesefigures
conspecimens
firmin a remarkably
thorough
way the resultsof
previousclassification
by style. The rarecopiesof
sestertii
in GradeI,
droplittlemorethana gramme
but GradeII showsa further
dropof 10 grammes.
Withthesmallerdenominations
thedecreaseis less
uneven. GradeI is from2-4 grammes
lowerthan
the orthodoxweightin the case of the dupondii
,
andfrom1-2grammes
lowerinthecaseof theasses.
The lowerGradesof bothdenominations
showa
consistently
decreasing
weight:in GradesIII and
IV of theMinerva-type
as, theweightis onlyabout
one halfof the fullorthodoxweight. In general,
it maybe saidthattheweightofGradeI specimens
of all denominations
and typesshowsonlya small
reduction,and that Grade II specimensof the
commoner
denominations
and typesshowno very
drasticreduction:it is in the Grade III and IV
of the frequent
Minervaexamplesthat
specimens
new weightstandardseemsto have
a completely
beenreached.
Evidenceof provenance,frequency,
style and
weighthas nowbeengiven,and reasonshavebeen
it to be certainthatthesecopies
shownforthinking
in Britain. It remains
werewidelymanufactured
and by whom
to inquireunderwhatcircumstances
and to determinethe
they were manufactured,
periodof time throughwhichtheirmanufacture
persisted.The sharpdivisionofthefourGradesof
one literateand one
copiesintotwomainsections,
formsa possiblestarting
almostentirely
illiterate,
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23
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ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
is againstthislatterhypothesis.Gloucesimitation
terprobablysaw thelegionsof Claudiusas partof
of conquest:hereagainthe
theregularprogramme
number
ofhigh-class
copiesis verygreat.26
that
It is, then,difficult
to resistthe conclusion
oflocal
theRomanofficials
saw to themanufacture
the paymentof
coinageas a meansof continuing
suchsemi-official
thelegionaries:27
copieswouldbe
or by native
executedeitherby camp-moneyers
be inwould
since
Britishcraftsmen,
and,
they
theirstyle and
tendedfor militarycirculation,
weightwould be fairlyaccurate. The Grade I
fulfiltheseconditions.In time
copies faithfully
to circulatethroughthe tribal
would
come
they
that
or country
townsof thecivildistricts
centres,
lay betweenand behindthe chiefRomanmilitary
posts,and musthave been welcomedas a muchneededadditionto the existingsuppliesof small
theywould
change. Onceabsorbedintocurrency,
themselvesbe subject to imitation,the secondand
lessfaithful
degreecopiesbeingproportionately
token
a
were
in
since
purely
they
lighter weight
unitof payment.
coinage,and no longera military
It is in theGradeII copiesthatwe shouldexpectto
findthis class of coinage. They are extremely
as Cirencester,
numerous
at suchcentres
Silchester,
and Dorchester(Dorset),whichwere
Winchester
26It maybeadded
atthe
found
ofcopies
thattheproportion
beexplained
ofWroxeter
Claudian
parallel
byexactly
may
outpost
causes.
27Richborough
where
addioneofthefirst
wasmanifestly
places
numerous.
arethere
andcopies
issues
would
bestruck,
tional
very
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25
ofthebest
towns,composed
civil,and notmilitary,
nativeBritishelementsand capableof producing
passablecopies. In theprocessoftradetheymust
as is perhapsto be
widecirculation
havehada fairly
seenby theexamplesfoundat Dorchester
(Oxon.)
(Plate IV , 6), Woodeaton(Plate IV , 5), Asthall
(Plate VI, 2) and at Bolitreein Herefordshire
theymusthavefrequently
(PlateVI, 5) : moreover,
foundtheirwayintothelargerand military
towns,
as specimensat Richborough,St. Albans and
Gloucester
go to show.
anddistinctions
cannotofcourse
Ourattributions
sincetheremusthavebeen
be entirely
water-tight,
manyexamplesof Grade II copiesmade in the
imitation
townsas a resultofsuccessive
Romanized
of GradeI copies:in the second-class
towns,too,
such as Silchester,
regularimitationof Grade II
coinsprobablyled to theproduction
of manyexamplesofGradeIII, as thecoinsfromthesitetend
of
to show. But it is unlikelythatthe imitation
as longin eitherfirstor
Claudiancoinscontinued
secondclasstownsas it did in smalland essentially
whitherfreshissues of
un-Romansettlements,
orthodox
coinagewouldfindtheirwayonlyslowly
and it is in dealingwiththelower
and irregularly:
Gradesthatwe arebrought
illiterate
and chiefly
up
mostseriously
againstthequestionof theduration
of theSeries. It is perhapsa legitimate
conjecture
thatcopiesofGradesIII and IV, whichclearlyinvolved no specialistknowledgeof coining,were
in the remoterand less civilized
manufactured
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26
ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
of the
centresfairlysoonafterthefirstcirculation
Claudianseries. Suchcopieswouldvaryin degree
to thenaturalcapacityor
ofdebasement
according
debasement
ofthecopyist.Butextreme
incapacity
a seriesof everof stylemay also resultthrough
and since thereis some
increasingdegradation,
circulation
ofthese
evidenceforthelong-continued
to accountfora proporcopies,it maybe necessary
tion of the morebarbarousexamplesby the hylatenessof
pothesisthattheyareofan unsuspected
manufacture.
of Claudiancopiesin the
The regularcirculation
A. D. is shownbysuchhoardsas those
first
century
and Nunney,25
and further
at Timsbury28
examples
to be recognized
areprobably
amongthemanyworn
in
theearlycurrency
Claudiancoinswhichformed
is atcirculation
RomanWales.30Second-century
and CroydonHoards;32
testedby the Southants31
ofthese,buriedaboutA. D. 150,contained
thefirst
thirteen
examples,whilethe second,dated a few
yearsearlier,also includeda specimen.That they
is
wellon intothethirdcentury
werestillcurrent
comHoard,33
provedby the Clapton-in-Gordano
88Num.
Chron.
1908,
pp.80-81.
18Num.
Chron.
1861,
pp.1ff.
80Cf.Wheeler,
Rom.Fortat Brecon
, (1926),
p. 90:Gardner,
Cambr.
atCaerhun,
Co.Carnarvon
Rom.
Fort
1925),
p.322;
(Arch.
Fort
at Caerleon
Cambr.
Rom.
NashWilliams.
Legionary
(Arch.
Castle
Grimes,
, Denbighshire
(Y CymmLyons
1932)
pp.100ff.;
rodor
1930)
p.89.
31
Loc.cit.
88Num.
Chron.
1907.
PP-3S3ff.
uNum.
Chron.
1927,
PP-209ff.
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27
Gallienusto Maximian,
together
posedofcoinsfrom
of
Minervawitha barbarous
typeas. Theevidence
this last hoardis confirmed
by a groupof coins
none
foundat Astrop,King's Sutton,Northants,
of which,exceptfora Grade IV Minervatypeas
{Plate VIII j 3), was struckbeforethe reignof
Tetricus.34
Of the foregoing
hoards,thatfromSouthantsis
since
themostvaluableforpurposesofchronology,
it servesto remindus that,evenin the middleof
was
thesecondcentury,
coinageofa nativepattern
still extant,if not being actuallymanufactured.
The presencein thissamehoardof a considerable
of Claudian copies gives rise to the
proportion
whoperhaps
thatthe Britishworkmen
speculation
of autonomous
still specializedin the production
mayhavelookedupontheClaudiantypes
currency
witha respectanalogousto thatfeltby theancient
or by their
ArabiansfortheAtheniantetradrachm,
modernsuccessorsforthe Maria Theresadollar.
If we could postulatea productionof Claudian
the
copiesdownto themiddleofthesecondcentury,
laterwouldbe a
a century
occurrence
ofspecimens
verynaturalpossibility.AfterA. D. 150 thesupthe
plies of bronzein Britainprobablysufficed
have
been
it
well
before
districts:
that,
may
country
and
to resortto fairlyregularimitation,
necessary
is morenaturalthanthatthechoiceof the
nothing
copyistsshouldfallupontheearliestRomanseries
knownto thecountry.It is therefore
possiblethat,
MRept.
Arch.
Oxfordshire
Soc.,191
1,pp.12ff.
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28
ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
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ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
gm.,isa remarkable
example
of debasement. (All in
TauntonMuseum.)
One imitatedas belongsto
Wells
thisdistrict.(Museum.)
ESSEX
as. (Rev.G. M.
Colchesterdistrict Oneimitated
Benton,
Fingringhoe.)
YORKSHIRE
Four imitatedasses in the
(? near York)
BlackGate Museum,Newcastle(Stephens
Collection)
are, accordingto Mr. G.
to be given
Askew,
probably
a Yorkshire
provenance.
HamHill ( Cont
.)
NORTHUMBERLAND(cf
p. 10)
coins
bronze
Coventina'sWell, OfsevenClaudian
on loanfor
Procolitia
kindlyprocured
the writerfromChesters
Museumby Mr. G. Askew,
nofewer
thansixarecopies,
and
one beinga dupondius
fiveasses, the lightestof
whichweighs
only3.37gm.
in
The coins accumulated
ofcourse,
thisdeposit
cannot,
be subjectedto the strict
local analysiswhichis applicableto other groups:
nevertheless,
copiesofClaudian bronzewereevidently
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31
incirculation
intheextreme
northof England,and the
viewadoptedin noteno 16
to p. io preceding
requires
modification.
consequent
Other examplesare recordedas havingbeen
foundat Boughton Monchelseain Kent (Archaein Hampshire
ologia,Vol.29, 1842,p. 418), Bitterne
in
(Num. Chron.1934,p. 223), GreatChesterford
in
Essex (Num. Chron.1934,p. 225), Kingsholm
Vol. i8, 1817,p. 122),
Gloucestershire
(Archaeologia,
Dustonin Northamptonshire
(Num.Chron.1934,
(Victoria
p. 221) and at Stapenhillin Derbyshire
i, p. 275). Specimens
CountyHistory,Derbyshire
of bothdupondiiand asses fromHuntingdonshire
Museum
are recordedas being in Peterborough
i, p.
(VictoriaCounty History,Huntingdonshire
236).
Coventina'sWell,
Procoltia (Cont
.)
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32
ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
LIST OF COINS
ILLUSTRATED IN THE PLATES41
PLATE I
(Type:M. and S. 64)
1. Sestertius.LegendE. Orthodox.29.77.Ashm.
2. Sestertius.LegendD. Copy. GradeI 25.92.
B. M.
3. Sestertius.LegendD. Copy. GradeI 24.62.
Maidstone.
4. Sestertius.LegendD. Copy. GradeII 14.59.
B. M.
5. Sestertius.LegendD. Copy. GradeII 16.00.
Ashm.
6. Sestertius.Legend?. Copy. GradeII
B. M.
PLATE II
(Type:M. and S. 67)
1. Dupondius.LegendD. Orthodox.
12.71. Ashm.
2. Dupondius.LegendD. Copy. GradeI 13.03.
Cirencester.
3. Dupondius.LegendD. Copy. GradeI
Author.
4. Dupondius.LegendD. Copy. GradeI 14.25.
York.
5. Dupondius.LegendD. Copy. GradeI 10.95.
Ashm.
6. Dupondius.LegendD. Copy. GradeI 11.28.
Lincoln.
7. Dupondius.Legend?. Copy. GradeI 12.94.
Maidstone.
Theillustrations
either
in the
ofcoins,
include
a number
Museum
Museum
British
( = Ashm.),
( = B.M.)ortheAshmolean
these
are
cannot
beguaranteed:
a British
towhich
provenance
References
ofdegraded
togive
a fuller
series
inserted
types.
merely
aretoMattingly
andSydenham
descriptions
( = M.andS.),whose
oflegends
inthespecification
title
areobserved
oftheimperial
D andE.
without
P.P.asLegends
andwith
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33
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34
ROMANO-BRITISH IMITATIONS
1. As.
2. As.
3. As.
4. As.
5. As.
6. As.
7. As.
8. As.
9. As.
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35
B. M.
B. M.
B. M.
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PLATES
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ANCOIN-TYPES
BRITISH
IMITATIONS
OFCLAUDI
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Pl. I
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ANCOIN-TYPES
BRITISH
IMITATIONS
OFCLAUDI
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PLATEII
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BRITISH
IMITATIONS
OFCLAUDIAN
COIN-TYPES
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PLATE
III
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OFCLAUDIAN
BRITISH
COIN-TYPES
IMITATIONS
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IV
PLATE
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ANCOIN-TYPES
BRITISH
IMITATIONS
OFCLAUDI
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V
PLATE
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BRITISH
OFCLAUDIAN
COIN-TYPES
IMITATIONS
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VI
PLATE
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COIN-TYPES
OFCLAUDIAN
BRITISH
IMITATIONS
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VU
PLATE
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PLATE
VIII
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