Coins DIG

A collection of extremely rare Roman coins were discovered in Bath. The exact location would be the site of a city centre hotel. Archaeologists so far have been able to find around 150 Roman coins during the works on the new Gainsborough Hotel and Thermal Spa.

However, archaeologists hope that the location of the Lower Borough Walls would bring more than 1,000 rare coins after the entire haul has been observed.

Specialists working on the unearthing of the site met the finding with excitement due to the fact that the rare Roman coins presumably date back to the middle of the 3^rd century. It is worth noting that this was one of the poorest times for coins issued in Britain.

The rare Roman coins were found by Cotswold Archaeology during the process of excavating the area around the site of the central pool of the new spa hotel. Just for information it is interesting to note that the spa hotel is being built by Trevor Osborne, who is a Bath-based businessman.

The head of archaeology for Bath and North East Somerset Council, Richard Sermon, noted: "The coins give us a great insight into the Roman monetary system, and provide a glimpse of life in third century Bath, a time of political and economic crisis throughout the Roman Empire.

"The hoard reveals that the citizens of Aquae Sulis (the Roman name for Bath) were no different from people today - hiding their money under the mattress or floor boards," he added.

The Roman coins have been reported to the Avon coroner under the Treasure Act. The coroner is the one to make the decision on the ownership of the treasure.

The mass of Roman coins includes items made of copper and silver. Specialists describe the coins as being in mixed condition. Several coins were found stuck together due to corrosion.

The two coins that maintained a good look have been temporary identified as Antoniniani. It is worth noting that Antoniniani were Roman coins used in circulation throughout the earlier and middle years of the 3^rd century AD.

One of the coins is presumed to have been issued during the reign of the Roman emperor Phillip I. It was placed against the inside face of stone wall in what scientists believe to be a small, oval hole, which was dug through the floor of a Roman structure. Usually such coins were placed and kept in leather or cloth bags.

Andrew Ryan, who works as a director of Bath Hotel and Spa Ltd, outlined: "We are delighted that such an important find has been made after extensive archaeological investigations on the site of the new Gainsborough Hotel. We hope that the discovery of the coins will further enhance knowledge of the history of Bath."