Find Spot record 8030/32 - Roman Finds, St Olave's School

Fragments of first and second century Samian ware were discovered along with two coins, during construction of an ARP (Air Raid Precautions) shelter at St Olave's School during the Second World War (1939 - 1945). The coins were one of Elagabalus (AD 218 - 222) and one of Constans (AD 337 - 350). Isolated coins are one of the most frequent discoveries in the English countryside. Coins may reflect the wealth and power of a settlement, and their distribution can help us analyse the geographical extent of territories or trace major commercial routes. During the Roman period coins were also an important means of distributing the image of the emperor across the empire. Often they carried pictures of gods or genii on the other side. The values of Roman coins changed during the course of the Republic and Empire. The basic unit was an As, a bronze coin originally weighing twelve ounces. Dupondii were worth approximately two Asses, and Denarii were silver coins worth approximately ten Asses. There was also a slightly less common coin, a Sestertius, which was worth a quarter of a Denarius, or two and a half Asses. Later on in the Empire the Aureus was introduced, a gold coin which was worth 25 Denarii.