Hey, we couldn’t resist this one – a school in Reading has come up trumps – a hoard of Roman coins has been discovered in its grounds!
Roman coins shown here in situ – the scale is 30 cm. Courtesy of Reading Borough Council.
Excavated Roman coins. Once excavated they will be sent for conservation and then to Reading Museum. Courtesy of Reading Borough Council.
The Ridgeway Primary School are the lucky school in question. As part of development work at the school, archaeologists were required to assess the site and, from the sounds of it, carry out what is called a watching brief. This is part of the planning process and something that happens everyday up and down the country. What doesn’t happen everyday though is finding a pot full of Roman coins!
The coins are thought to have been placed in the ground by a Romano-British farmer to be retrieved at a later date. Obviously (and thankfully), they never got round to it. Now the coins have been excavated, they have been sent for specialist conservation and assessment by experts. As yet, there is no date for the coins, and we await the news with interest.
The school site is rich in archaeology – not only have Roman artefacts been found, there is also evidence of both Neolithic and Bronze Age activity! Could the same be said for your school?