Maryport area, Cumbria

David Shotter, Eleanor Ghey & Richard Abdy

143 AR denarii and 1 AE sestertius to AD 161 BM ref.: 2012 T529

PAS ref.: LANCUM-E88322

Discussion and circumstances of discovery

This deposit, which was discovered in 2012 by a metal-detectorist, consists of 91 denarii, which range in date from the late Republic to the early years of the reign of Marcus Aurelius (32 BC - c. AD 161); the coins are preserved in a generally good condition. There was, however, no sign of a container or wrapping, and no indication at the findspot of the nature of the concealment; it is thus left in doubt whether this group of coins should be regarded as a savings-hoard of some nature or as a ritualistic deposit.

During March, 2013, detectorists presented for examination a further 27 denarii and a single sestertius, which had been recovered from the same site near Maryport as the 91 denarii, which had been reported in 2012. These coins are marked * after their weights. Further addenda consisting of eight denarii was discovered on 18th April 2013. These coins are marked § after their weights. Third addenda of 17 denarii were recorded in November 2013 and are marked † after their weights.

The coins range from the legionary denarii of Marc Antony to a commemorative issue for Antoninus Pius and two coins of Faustina II struck during the reign of Marcus. The absence of coins issued for Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus as Emperors suggests that the closing date should be placed in, or only a little after, 161. In terms of the history of the Northern Frontier in Britain, this date coincides, of course, with the process of abandonment of the Antonine Wall and the full reoccupation of Hadrian's Wall.

However, whilst it might be tempting to associate this coin-find, and indeed others which terminated in the Antonine period, with an episode of uncertainty on the frontier or (as often) with a putative rebellion amongst the tribe of the Brigantes, it might be equally appropriate to see it simply as a savings-hoard which was left unretrieved for natural reasons. Not only this, but it should also be borne in mind that the mid-second century AD was a period of considerable uncertainty for economic and financial, as well as for military and political, reasons: earlier denarii may well have been hoarded at a time when the current silver coinage was being increasingly alloyed with other metals - and thus decreasing in public confidence. Similar fears, caused by a range of uncertainties, might also have accounted for an urge to use such coins as offerings to the gods, in the hope of warding off an impending doom.

In due course, a more complete account and discussion of this find will be offered to the Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society.

The contents of the hoard can, therefore, be summarised thus:

Original find addenda 1 addenda 2 addenda 3

Marc Antony (32-31 BC) 3 - 1 -

Nero (AD 54-68) 2 - - -

Galba (AD 68-9) 2 - - -

Vespasian (AD 69-79) 21 13 2 4

Titus 3 - - -

Domitian 2 - - -

Titus (AD 79-81) 1 - - -

Domitian (AD 81-96) 4 - - -

Nerva (AD 96-8) 1 - - -

Trajan (AD 98-117) 15 4 2 1

Hadrian (AD 117-38) 15 5 1 5

Sabina 1 - - -

Antoninus Caesar - - 1 -

Antoninus Pius (AD 138-61) 10 3 - 3

Diva Faustina I 2 2 - -

Aurelius Caesar 5 - 1 1

Faustina II 1 - - 1

Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-181)

Divus Antoninus Pius 1 - - 1

Faustina II 2 - - 1

Uncertain Emperor - 1 sestertius - -

The fact that the only coins of the reign of Marcus Aurelius are the Commemorative issue for Antoninus and the two fresh coins of Faustina II suggests that the hoard must have terminated very early in the reign of Marcus. This was a time of change on the northern frontier, with the abandonment of the Antonine Wall in Scotland, which will have precipitated a degree of movement, even uncertainty, among frontier personnel (Breeze 2006, 160ff).

Given the likely date of closure, the chronological distribution of the coins may be regarded as standard, though the number of issues of Vespasian's reign does appear rather high. It may be that the hoard has absorbed a number of coins of Vespasian from another source. - perhaps an earlier hoard. This 'peak' of coins of Vespasian is accentuated by the much lower showing of issues of Titus and Domitian.

The effect of Trajan's withdrawal from circulation in c. AD 108 of 'old silver' (Dio Cassius History of Rome 68.15,4) is clearly demonstrated by the fact that this Antonine hoard contains no silver pre-dating Nero's reform of AD 64, except for the three legionary denarii of Marcus Antonius, the circulation-life of which was much more free than that of other Republican denarii.