321 Rare Silver Coins From The 11th Century Were Unearthed At A Construction Site In England
A hoard of 321 silver coins was unearthed from the construction site of a nuclear power plant in England. The coins were in mint condition and found wrapped in cloth and lead.
By burying them, the owner of the coins may have been trying to protect them from being confiscated during a time of turbulence in English history.
Some of the coins were from small mints in rural areas; therefore, they are rare. Overall, they date back between 1036 and 1044, coinciding with the reign of Anglo-Saxon King Edward the Confessor.
During this period, the king exiled several elites who had fallen out of favor with him and seized their properties.
In the 11th century, the collection of coins would have amounted to 320 pence. It was a considerable sum of money, enough to afford the purchase of about 16 cows.
“Perhaps the owner of the hoard was concerned about the new regime [or] political situation and wider social instability, taking steps to hide their wealth,” said Alexander Bliss, a coin specialist with Oxford Cotswold Archaeology (OCA), the organization that excavated the coins.
“There are now three hoards from this period (1042 to 1044) known across England, which strengthens the idea that the first years of Edward’s reign were not calm.”
The newfound treasure stands out from other past discoveries because it was still in its original textile pouch. Most coin hoards are not found in such a context, either because they were disturbed by agricultural activity or metal detectorists do not recognize the significance of broken casings or containers.
The archaeologists wanted to analyze the pouch and figure out what the purpose of the lead was. They examined the pouch in a laboratory and determined that the lead wrapping was made from a folded sheet. The presence of a sturdy casing such as lead suggests that the owner took great care when burying the items.
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Lead sheet was not an unusual way to store coins, yet the decision to use this material raises the question of why the owner didn’t opt for a pot instead.
“Perhaps they were unable to access one which was small enough, or alternatively, perhaps they wanted to try and disguise the valuable contents,” Bliss said.
The owner of the coins was most likely someone of a middle-class status rather than an elite figure. However, they may have had local influence and feared the consequences of the regime change, leading them to bury their savings after Edward the Confessor’s coronation.
The coin hoard was uncovered while archaeologists were excavating a site on the Suffolk coast in eastern England. In 2024, construction for a new nuclear power station began there.
It is unknown why the owner never returned to dig the coins back up, but there is the possibility that they died before managing to recover it. They also could’ve been exiled from the country and were unable to return.
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