Hellenic Society & Roman Society Online Course
6.00pm - 7.30pm (UK time) + recordings will be available
Dr Peter Guest: Roman Coinage in Britain
Coinage was a defining feature of ancient Roman society and culture, and coins played a vital role in the expansion and longevity of the Roman Empire. Roman coins are also very common finds from provinces such as Britannia and many thousands of these objects continue to be recovered, especially from excavations of Romano-British settlements and in hoards.
Roman coins are unique among archaeological artefacts in that they were produced by the state in order to serve the state’s needs - the emperors’ coins were issued in order to pay for the costs of the army and the civil service, to facilitate trade and commerce, to distribute imperial largesse, as well as to store wealth. Although Roman coinage changed significantly from the 1st to the 4th centuries, in theory Rome’s currency always consisted of a tri-metallic system (gold, silver and bronze), composed of interchangeable denominations of different monetary values.
This online course will explore Roman coinage in Britain, both as numismatic objects and as archaeological artefacts. How Roman coinage changed over time, where they are found and what they tell us about life in Roman Britain are key themes that will be explored during the 5 sessions.
Session 1. Wednesday 17 September
Coinage and Currency in ancient Rome. Rome started striking her own coins from the 3rd century BC, but the Roman currency system we recognise from finds in Britain was introduced in 23 BC following reforms by the emperor Augustus. This talk will present the background to Rome’s coinage, as well as the study of Roman coins as numismatic and historical objects.
Session 2. Wednesday 24 September
The Age of Silver: Claudius to Carausius. Roman coins have much to tell us about the economic and political histories of the Roman world. This session will look at how Rome’s coinage developed between the 1st and late 3rd centuries, charting the rise and fall of the silver denarius and its eventual replacement, the radiate. How coin use became increasingly widespread in Britain during this time will also be examined.
Session 3. Wednesday 1 October
Rome’s single currency: Diocletian to Honorius. Diocletian’s monetary reforms around 294 replaced the previous coinage with an entirely new trimetallic currency system, while later reforms during the 4th century saw the introduction of new gold and silver denominations, as well numerous reforms of the bronze coinage. It is at this time that the monetisation of Roman Britain reached a highpoint, when coins must have been a familiar part of everyday life for many people.
Session 4. Wednesday 8 October
The Use of Roman Coinage in Britain. The study of Roman coins from excavated military sites, towns and cities, villas, temples and rural settlements is the subject of this session, which will examine what these finds tell us about coin use and the monetary economy in Roman Britain. Case-studies will also look at the growing evidence for the exchange of Roman coins as objects with cultural and social values in addition to their use as money.
Session 5. Wednesday 15 October
The hoarding of coins in Roman Britain. More than 3000 hoards of Roman coins have been recovered from Britain, including some of the most largest caches known from anywhere in the Empire. Why coins were hoarded and why coins where hoarded more often at some periods than others are the main themes of this session, which closes with an examination of the spectacular hoards of late gold and silver objects unearthed in Britain – such as the Hoxne treasure – and what these tell us about ‘The End’ of Roman Britain at the beginning of the 5th century.
Peter Guest is an archaeologist and numismatist with many years’ experience as a finds specialist, excavator, researcher, teacher and curator. Peter specialises in the Roman period and is particularly interested in coinage and the economy. He has identified over 40,000 Roman coins for commercial units, museums and universities, including numerous excavated assemblages as well as important coin hoards such as finds from Hoxne, Bishops Cannings and Walbottle on Hadrian’s Wall. Other coin projects include Iron Age & Roman Coins from Wales that published over 52,000 ancient coins from Wales, as well as the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists’ Toolkit for Finds Reporting: Roman Coinage, which is designed to ensure the reliable and consistent identification and quantification of Roman coins in the UK.
Fees and Practical Information
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Members of the Hellenic Society and Roman Society may book at a heavily discounted rate.
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Hellenic Society and Roman Society Members: £60
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Hellenic Society and Roman Society Student Members: £30
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After booking, and before the course starts, you will receive an email with the Zoom link and any preparatory reading.
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The course will be held on our Zoom platform. You will be able to ask questions using the chat or Q&A functions. It is not necessary to have a microphone or camera.
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Additional reading / documents will be held on Google Drive and you will be sent the link.
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