Life Experience of Roman Coinage

When looking at coins, we mustn't forget that these were ultimately tools for trade. Whilst we may study and appreciate them for their intrinsically beautiful imagery, they were primarily money. For this reason, I will give some potential histories as to the lives of some of these coins and show just how much of the empire they may have seen, either through staying with the legion they were issued to or through likely patterns of trade.

My aim is to show you how interconnected the Roman world was and how wide-reaching their trade network was.

Coin 288:

Shows the head of the god Honos (Honour) on the obverse and a Parthian returning a military standard on the reverse!

But more importantly, it was minted in Rome and yet was found at the other end of the empire in Britain.

All coin's lives are impossible to track, we can never know exactly how they got to where they were found but for this one I shall take it through a potential standard trading route from the Eternal City.

It originated in Rome, most likely early into the Imperial period, then could well have been traded in exchange for some ceramic pottery of Gaul. The Gauls were famous for their pottery, such as the one shown to the left, and thus there was a prevalent trade route exchanging Roman money for Gallic pots!

(image can be found on wikimedia commons: "Céramique sigillée Metz 100109 2.jpg")

From there, it may have made its way up to Britain through the lucrative tin business which existed from Cornwall. Cornish tin has been used throughout lots of history due to its abundance and use in bronze manufacturing! This meant that there was a longstanding tin trading route out of Britain for most of history. After being entered into Britain, it would have made its way to the fin site through regular trade and living costs within the island until it finally entered into its last owner's hands and eventually, lost to time.

(image can be found on wikimedia commons: "Cassiterite09.jpg")

This is just one, short, potential route that this coin could have taken into Britain. Of course, it most likely does not reflect the real journey but is a brief introduction to the unbelievably massive and connected world of Roman trade.

The typing information for this coin came from the British Museum's website.

Coins 219 / 220 / 221 / potentially 249:

(Coin 220 is pictured).

The Second Augustan Legion was an old legion first raised by Caesar against the Republicans. Civil War was a reoccurring theme in its life and it fought at Actium in 31BC which this coin was made to commemorate!

From here, it was sent to Hispania before being drafted into Germania to help restore order after the disastrous defeat in the Teuterburg forest. After this, it invaded Britain alongside the Emperor Claudius and was stationed in Britain into the year of the four emperors, when the coin hoard was almost certainly buried.

The coin most likely was likely minted soon after Actium and given to one of the soldiers as payment for their service and loyalty to the new emperor Augustus. Soldiers did not necessarily keep all their money themselves however, it would have been added to a large strongbox with the legions finances in and taken with the legion as they travelled throughout the world. This could have lead to the coin going through at least six countries with the army in just ninety years, before finally winding up in a hoard with hundreds of other coins who had also travelled throughout the world.

A potential route below, assuming it followed the soldiers:

(The map base is from wikimedia commons)