2016-07-28 Thu

1,800 307AD Roman coins were discovered north of England in 2014 by a metal detectorist. The Yorkshire Museum has to raise £44,200 in four months to keep this hoard in public and not fall to private collections. Officials are also keen on finding out more about this time period, the reason why the coins were buried and to whom it might have belonged.

The coins depict Constantius who was the first to proclaim his son Constantine Augustus after he was made emperor in York. Constantius died in the city and then Constantine rose to power. Uncertainty also lingered as different Roman powers challenged Constantine’s position. Experts state that the coin represents one of the most significant periods in York’s Roman history.

The size of the hoard found was really precious in those days and they illustrate the power politics at the time York was an imperial capital of the Roman World.