Beau Street Hoard

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In November 2007, a group of archaeologists made a shocking discovery in Bath, England. While excavating on Beau Street to prepare for the development of a hotel, they found the largest coin hoard ever discovered in a Roman Britain town. 

Contents

Over the course of 2,000 years, the ancient coins of the Beau Street Hoard had solidified into a large block. X-ray imaging shows they were originally sorted into eight bags. Within these bags, the coins were grouped by type and denomination. Of the 17,655 coins, 67 percent are silver radiates, 22 percent are bronze radiates, and 11 percent are silver denarii. Curiously, the pieces date from 32 B.C. to A.D. 274. This means that when these coins were buried, some were already over 300 years old.

Silver and Bronze Radiates

Radiates are named for the radiate crown worn by the figures depicted on these coins. The crowns are intended to represent the rays of the sun, which symbolize the wearer’s power and divinity.

Radiate coins were extremely common throughout the Roman Empire. They were used to pay the military and were often used for day-to-day transactions. During shortages, crude copies, called barbarous radiates, were minted locally. The existence of these unofficial coins indicates times of economic hardship and unrest throughout the Roman Empire. 

Denarii

The oldest denarii in the Beau Street Hoard are the legionary denarii of Marc Antony, which were minted around 31 B.C. to pay the soldiers who were going to fight in the Battle of Actium. An estimated 25 to 35 million were minted. 

The obverse is inscribed with ANTAVG, which signifies Marc Antony’s name and his title of augur, and III VIR·R·P·C, which stands for Tresviri Rei Publicae Constituendae (or “the Triumvirate for Organizing the State”). The coins bear this inscription as a reminder of Marc Antony’s power and position as a member of the Second Triumvirate. 

On the reverse is a depiction of a legionary eagle, a bird associated with the Roman god Jupiter that was a symbol of imperial power and glory. On either side of the eagle are legionary cohort standards. Roman cohort standards were decorated poles used for military formations, rallying, and identifying units. The standards depicted on these coins have discs and crescents attached to them, which could represent the sun and moon. The reverse is inscribed with LEG X, which means Legio X Equestris (or “the Tenth Mounted Legion”). This legion was Julius Caesar’s favorite and went on to fight for the founder of the Roman Empire, Augustus, and Marc Antony.  

Who, When, Where, and Why?

At the time of its burial, the hoard was located in the ancient Roman Britain town of Bath. It was discovered less than 500 feet from the Roman baths and Temple of Sulis Minerva. The Roman baths were a place to socialize, exercise, relax, and of course, bathe. At this particular location, visitors also worshiped the goddess Sulis Minerva. People not only left offerings for her at the baths, but also curse tablets. These worshipers inscribed lead tablets with their prayers, asking the goddess to seek revenge on people who had wronged them. 

Due to the large date range and sorting of the coins, it is possible that the Beau Street Hoard belonged to a wealthy person, family, or establishment, who hoarded the money for generations. Alternatively, this hoard could be the bath house’s earnings, as Roman baths typically charged a small entry fee. This theory would explain why the hoard doesn’t contain any gold coins. Another possibility is that it was intended to be a donation. Charity was common around the time these coins were buried, with prevalent citizens seeking the honor that came with being a benefactor. 

When it comes to ancient coin hoards, we can’t help but wonder why they were buried in the first place. Because so much time has passed, it is difficult or even impossible to determine why an ancient coin hoard exists. However, we can use historical events from around the time the coins were buried to form theories about this hoard. Around this time, the Roman Empire was experiencing what is now known as the Crisis of the Third Century. This was a tumultuous period that followed the assassination of Emperor Alexander Severus. During this time, over 20 emperors would take the throne in 50 years, and the empire temporarily was split in three. It is possible these tumultuous times drove someone to bury their riches for safekeeping. 

What It Isn’t

It is difficult to know for certain what the Beau Street Hoard was, or who it belonged to, but we can definitively say what it is not. 

• Tax Collector’s Hoard: The date range of this hoard is too large for it to have been collected by one person as payment. Additionally, a tax collector’s hoard wouldn’t contain coins that were no longer in circulation. 
• Gift for the Gods: There is evidence that the hoard was buried within a wooden box or on a wooden platform. This, combined with the organization of the coins into bags, indicates that monetary value was significant to the owner, and the coins were intended to be retrieved later.
• Bullion Hoard: The contents of this hoard are relatively low-value bronze and silver coins. A bullion hoard would likely include higher value gold coins.  
• Military Pay Chest: A military pay chest contained the salaries of Roman legionnaires. This hoard could not have been used to pay soldiers because it contained coins that were no longer in circulation. 

Conclusion

This collection is exceptionally valuable because of the rarity of large coin hoards from Roman Britain. This find gives us historical insight into Roman Britain and provides a glimpse into the lives of people living at this time. You can visit the Beau Street Hoard in Bath, England, where it is currently on display in the Roman Baths Museum.

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