The Roman and British coins, Image: ©RMO
In the autumn of 2023, 404 coins of silver and gold from the beginning of the era were found in the municipality of Bunnik. It is a unique combination of both Roman and British coins, which are buried in the northern border region of the Roman Empire (the Lower Germanic limes), which ran right through the Netherlands at the time. Such a Roman-British coin has never before been found on the European mainland.
The 'youngest' Roman examples were minted in the years 46-47, during the time of Emperor Claudius. In that period, Roman army troops crossed the North Sea to conquer 'Britannia'. 44 gold copies come from present-day Great Britain, on which the name of the British king Cunobelinus is written.
The coins were probably brought from Britannia to Bunnik after the first conquests by returning Roman soldiers: the Roman ones as pay and the British ones as spoils of war. The coins were purchased by the National Museum of Antiquities and can be seen there in the 'The Netherlands in Roman times' section.
Historical context and interpretations
The coin find shows the importance of the Lower Germanic limes for the Roman invasions of Britannia. From the border area, not only was the first crossing in 43 prepared, but apparently Roman troops also returned to the European mainland via the limes, taking all kinds of things back with them, such as the British coins.
Roman and British coins
The coin find is the largest from Roman times ever made in the province of Utrecht. In addition, it is the first on the European mainland with a mixed Roman-British composition. Only from Great Britain is a comparable coin hoard known.
The coins were found in the region of the Roman border area, but outside the large known Roman sites such as Fort Trajecum (Utrecht) and Ulpia Noviomagus (Nijmegen). They were probably buried in or just after 47 AD. Why is not known. They may have been hidden with the idea of digging them up later, or perhaps it was a sacrifice, for example an expression of gratitude to the gods for a safe return from battle.
Tessa de Groot (centre) and the finders of the coin find in Bunnik, Reinier Koelink (left) and Gert-Jan Messelaar (right), during the excavation of the RCE near the find site.
Staters
The gold coins from Great Britain are called staters. They are not made of pure gold, but of an alloy of gold, silver and copper. They were minted between about 5 and 43 AD, during and just after the reign of the British king Cunobelinus, and until the first Roman conquests. The name of Cunobelinus is written in Latin letters on the coins.
The Roman coins show portraits of Roman rulers and emperors. The youngest of these, made of silver and gold, belong to the emperor Claudius. They were minted in 46-47 AD, around the end of the first Roman conquests in Britain.
A total of 72 Roman gold coins (aurei, singular aureus) have been found, dating from the period 19 BC to 47 AD. Two gold copies are struck with the same stamp and unused - they show no signs of wear. The owner apparently received them from a pile of coins that had just been minted.
Most of the Roman copies, 288 pieces, are made of silver. These denarii (singular denarius) were minted between 200 BC and 47 AD. There are special specimens among them, such as coins of Julius Caesar and a coin of Juba, the king of Numidia (North Africa, present-day Algeria).
From notification to exhibition
The coins were discovered with a metal detector by Gert-Jan Messelaar and Reinier Koelink. After the formal report of the find to the Archaeology Hotline of Landscape Heritage Utrecht, archaeologist Anton Cruysheer examined the coins. They were then included in the Portable Antiquities of the Netherlands (PAN) find database and cleaned by restoration company Restaura in Heerlen. The Archaeology Hotline is part of Landscape Heritage Utrecht and is made possible by a financial contribution from the province of Utrecht.
To gain insight into the surroundings of the find location and the reason why the coins were buried, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) conducted an excavation there, in collaboration with the two finders. Their find, 381 copies of the eventual 404 coins, was purchased by the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden. The coins have thus been added to the National Collection of Archaeology and are available for research. They can be seen in the section 'The Netherlands in Roman times'. The purchase was made possible in part by the VriendenLoterij.
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