Trier/Milan/Britannia Connection

[Nathan Ross]

A little before lock down I was lucky enough to be a part of finding a hoard of Roman coins in South Northamptonshire not far from Towcester.

Exciting!

a distinct skew towards the mints of Trier and Milan.

Trier and Milan were the main mints for the western Roman empire, along with Lyons, so this isn't surprising. The London mint ceased production c.325, except for a brief period under the usurper Magnus Maximus.

We don't necessarily need a military explanation for the hoard - there's a belt of villas in the Towcester area that remained in occupation into the later 4th or even 5th century, so it was apparently an area of 'elite population'.

But several of the units from the late field army of Britain came from Gaul (and further afield) and one may perhaps have been billeted locally. Constantine III also took many units with him to Gaul in 406/7 - although I doubt any of them sent cash back home...