Rijksmuseum van Oudheden—In the autumn of 2023, 404 silver and gold coins dating back to the start of the Common Era were found in the Dutch municipality of Bunnik, not far from Utrecht. The find contains a unique combination of Roman and British coins, buried in the northern border region of the Roman Empire (the Lower German Limes). At the time, this frontier ran right through what is now the Netherlands. A Roman-British coin hoard of this kind has never been discovered in mainland Europe before. The most recent of the Roman coins were struck in the years 46-47, during the reign of the Emperor Claudius. It was during this period that Roman troops crossed the North Sea to conquer the land they called ‘Britannia’. Forty-four of the gold coins come from what we now call Britain and bear the inscription of the British king Cunobelin. The coins were probably brought to Bunnik after the initial conquests by Roman soldiers returning from Britannia: the Roman coins were their pay, while the British coins were the spoils of war. The coins have been acquired by the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities) and now form part of its permanent exhibition The Netherlands in Roman Times.
Historical context and interpretations
The discovery of these coins highlights the importance of the Lower German Limes for the Roman invasions of Britannia. Not only was this frontier the site for preparations for the first crossing in the year 43 CE, but it also transpires that Roman troops returned to the mainland via the limes, bringing all kinds of possessions back with them, including British coins.
Roman and British coins
This collection of coins is the largest such find from the Roman period ever made in the Province of Utrecht. In addition, it is the first in mainland Europe to contain a mix of Roman and British coins. Only in Britain has a similar hoard been discovered.
The Utrecht find was discovered in the region of the Roman frontier, but outside the major known Roman sites such as the fort Traiectum (Utrecht) and Ulpia Noviomagus (Nijmegen). They were probably buried in or shortly after 47 CE. The reason remains unknown. They may have been hidden with the idea of digging them up at a later date. Then again, they might have been an offering, perhaps to thank the gods for a safe return from battle.
Gold coins from Britain are called staters. They are not made of pure gold, but of an alloy of gold, silver and copper. They were struck between about 5 and 43 CE, during and shortly after the reign of the British king Cunobelin, and up to the first Roman conquests. Cunobelin’s name appears in Latin on the coins: CVNO[BELINVS].
The Roman coins bear portraits of Roman rulers and emperors. The most recent of these, both silver and gold, bear the portrait of the Emperor Claudius. They were struck in 46-47 CE, around the end of the first Roman conquests in Britain.
A total of 72 gold Roman coins known as aurei (singular: aureus) were found, dating from the period 19 BCE to 47 CE. Two of the gold coins were struck using the same stamp and appear to be unused: they show no signs of wear. The owner apparently received them from a stock of newly minted coins.
Most of the Roman specimens, 288 of them, are silver. These denarii (singular: denarius) were struck between 200 BCE and 47 BC. They include special finds, such as coins from the time of Julius Caesar and one coin featuring Juba, the king of Numidia in northwest Africa (present-day Algeria).
From report to exhibition
The coins were discovered by detectorists Gert-Jan Messelaar and Reinier Koelink. After the find was formally reported to Landscape Heritage Utrecht’s Archaeology Hotline, archaeologist Anton Cruysheer examined the coins. They were then entered into the Portable Antiquities of the Netherlands (PAN) database and professionally cleaned by Restaura, a Heerlen-based restoration firm.
To gain a fuller understanding of the area around the find site and why the coins were buried there, the National Cultural Heritage Agency conducted an excavation, in collaboration with the two finders. Their find, 381 of what turned out to be a hoard of 404 coins, has since been acquired by the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden/National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden. With this the coins became part of the Netherlands’ National Archaeology Collection and available for research. They can now be viewed in the museum’s permanent exhibition The Netherlands in Roman Times. The purchase was co-funded by lottery company VriendenLoterij.
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Part of the complete Roman coin find from Bunnik. Photo and collection © National Museum of Antiquities
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Aureus with Emperor Claudius – obverse | Struck during the reign of Emperor Claudius, from 44 AD.
Photo and collection © National Museum of Antiquities
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Coin of King Juba the First – obverse | Ruler of Numidia (North Africa, present-day Algeria) from 60 to 46 BC. So it is not an official Roman coin. Photo and collection © National Museum of Antiquities
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Stater of King Cunobelinus – obverse | Gold, silver and copper alloy, minted in Britannia around 43 AD.
Photo and collection © National Museum of Antiquities
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Roman aureus , before and after cleaning | Roman aureus (gold), minted during the time of Emperor Claudius, from 44 AD. before and after cleaning by Restaura. Photo and collection © Restoration studio Restaura
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Field research RCE | Tessa de Groot (middle) and the finders of the Bunnik coin hoard, Reinier Koelink (left) and Gert-Jan Messelaar (right), during the RCE excavation near the find location. Photo and collection © Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands
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Article Source: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden news release
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