I hope those overseas can read this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-58001605 Discussions on a hoard of Julian the Apostate coins found in Norfolk and whether one of them had been deliberately mutilated in antiquity because of his reversion to Paganism.
Looks to me like a plow scratch or something not deliberate. I can read the article fine (here in California). It is interesting that it is from the period of chaos in Britain following the depredations of Picts, Scots, and Attacotti as mentioned by Ammianus Marcellinus which eventually was put down by Count Theodosius.
Agreed. That would be a pretty lazy damning. Could be, I guess. But probably not. That said, what's up with the seemingly endless hoard finds in England compared to everywhere else that the Romans vast empire encompassed?... oh yeah, they are about the only country over there that's treasure finding laws make sense for any treasure hunter with an ounce of sense to report their findings. The black market for ancients isn't even black. It's just the market. Which is why so few auction houses will even tell you the provenance of your coin. And it's not on us the Collectors. It's on the greedy, lazy law makers of the countries with awful laws. Well, there's my rant for the morning
I think the revenue-sharing with the finder is key to the amount of documented hoards found in Britain. Also, the climate/soil is not very conducive to bronze/billon coins surviving, so the total number of recovered coins is indeed surprising. Also, Roman Britain was not exactly one of the wealthier provinces. One would think Asia Minor, the Levant and Egypt would be optimal for coins' survival and there would be more hoards found. My opinion is that in Egypt the coins end up in the hands of a certain dealer in the Middle East, with no provenance at all. It would be nice if the governments in the region had more forward-thinking policies with regard to antiquities, rather than everything appearing on the black markets.
Great story...wonderful to see these hoards continually showing up...(not surprising considering the dearth ("derthe") of banks back then. Comparing the coin in question to the others, one thing that strikes me is the detail given to the eyes on those coins, except for the one in question. I would think that having a coin of the Emperor with obvious "intentional" mutilation would result in some consequence if found out. On the other hand, if the mutilation "seems" accidental, it may be overlooked. Perhaps showing the Emperor was "blind" to Christianity with a mark that "seems" accidental is what someone was trying to accomplish? Based on the way it looks to me, I think it was intentional. JMO, since we will never really know. Nevertheless, I like to see these stories & the adventures & dedication of the detectorists (I really miss that show "The Detectorists" on BBC; can't seem to find it anymore. Did anyone notice the part Diana Rigg played? I think it may have been her last before she passed. She was terrific, as were all the characters!)
