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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Magnus Maximus, post: 2488854, member: 73473&quot;]The last Roman officials and troops left the province of Britannia in 410 for the final time. Roman presence in Britain had been drawing down since Stilicho&#039;s campaign against the Picts and saxons a decade before, Constantine III&#039;s revolt against Honorius was just the nail in the coffin. Roman culture and traditions continued on for some time, there are reports of Bath houses being in use for another 50 years in some parts of the island. By 450 the conditions on the island had deteriorated though, Irish and saxon raids plagued the coast lines while Hadrian&#039;s wall fell into disuse and the Picts subsequently raided as far as London. There is also some evidence of internal strife as well, possibly a civil war between factions of the Romanized Britons. The last recorded contact between the Roman province of Britannia and the Imperial government was around 450; the plea for help, recorded by Gildas, has survived.</p><p><i><b>To Agitius, thrice consul: the groans of the Britons. [...] The barbarians drive us to the sea, the sea drives us to the barbarians; between these two means of death, we are either killed or drowned.</b></i></p><p><br /></p><p>The Roman government could not help them though, Britons were left to their own fate.</p><p>As a result of the raids by the Picts, the Britons invited saxon mercenaries to fight the picts and we all know how that turned out for them!<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie53" alt=":hungover:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>I am shocked at how quickly Imperial power eroded in the years leading up to 410, it was only 30 years before that Magnus Maximus had successfully defeated the barbarians and secured Britain, and only 50 since Constantius II and Julian had secured the Imperial boarders and tamed the tribes beyond the Rhine.....</p><p><br /></p><p>My latest coin was deposited by a wealthy Roman land owner around 410 when things were going to hell in a hand basket. I hope that the former owner survived the turmoil of the next few decades, if not then I hope that he rests in peace.</p><p>This coin was one of 653 Siliqua that were deposited in Dorset England and is referred to as the Gussage All Saints Hoard.</p><p>The earliest coins date from Constantius II, and the latest from Emperor Honorius.</p><p>The man I purchased this coin from said he worked with the British finds officer and purchased the coin directly from CNG. See <a href="https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=283837" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=283837" rel="nofollow">https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=283837</a></p><p>[ATTACH=full]526440[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]526441[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Constantius II. </b>AD 337-361. AR Siliqua (18mm, 2.09 g, 6h). Arelate (Arles) mint, 1st officina. Struck AD 355-363. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / VOTIS / XXX / MVLTIS / XXXX within wreath; PCON. RIC VIII 261 and 291; RSC 342-3r. Near VF, toned.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Ex 2010 Gussage All Saints Hoard (PAS Ref. DOR-A1CCB1; NC 171 [2011], no. 54).</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>The jar that the coins were found in, it currently resides in the British museum</p><p>[ATTACH=full]526442[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]526443[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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