DetectingWales.com

If anyone's interested in finding Dubunni gold staters, this may help point you in the right direction. It was interesting to read that during the time of the Roman conquest it is thought the Dobunni wealth stood at it’s highest level, amounting to 370,000 staters containing 875kg of gold. That's a lot possible coinage lying out in those fields, for the detectorist to find. :o

 
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/publications/books/CBA-SW%20Publications%20-%20Land%20of%20the%20Dobunni.pdf (http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/publications/books/CBA-SW%20Publications%20-%20Land%20of%20the%20Dobunni.pdf)

wish the silures used money ;(

wayno will find them ;D

cheers mate but ive had a dubunni gold stater.could you give me some advice on finding a roman coin.lol.
raymondoo..

 ;D ;D

Probably any field you detect in Gloucestershire, you would have more problems not finding one :o

Thanks Steve for putting the link up, a great read!

I think my advice to find Roman, Ray is to find a Roman site. This was todays goodies. Most were grots, but I did winkle out one silver and some brooches.
(http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii225/chainmail_2007/TODAYSROMAN.jpg)

hopefully they will be recorded either with PAS or UKDFD.

understanding our nations history and how it developed, relies on detectorists recording their finds.

Hi Avalon,

Just seen your lovely Roman finds you made today, there is quite a bit there, I would be very happy finding all that!

I just wondered what you mean by a "Roman Site". Unlike Roman Ray, I have been lucky enough to find a few Roman coins, and I mean enough to count on one hand, and I think I was and have been lucky to find them. I have never found a Roman Brooch of any sort, or anything Roman for that matter apart from a single find made a few weeks ago, which was a Roman Lock Cover. So the question really is, how do you find a "Roman Site"? Is your finds found on ploughed land right next to, or on top of, a Roman Road or Villa? And did you know that there was Roman activity before even starting to find Roman finds on that particular site, Or were you just lucky to land a really good site? I am just trying to get a better understanding of how I or even Ray can land up on a site like that.

Thanks,
Jon

I always record with the Corinium  museum, but not with the PAS, as I have no faith in them.

In 30  years I have covered most area’s in Gloucestershire, in fact there is very little I don’t know about the County. I have detected on over 110 farms in most parishes in the County and have amassed  an enormous database of information, which I can cross reference with maps. My ordinance survey maps are completely covered with find spots all colour coded, along with the farmers name and telephone numbers, So if I drive along a road I know who lives in any particular farm I happen to pass. .Any archaeological report I find on line, which mentions a scattering of Roman pot get moved to my maps, so I can see at an instance if the area has any occupation of any type.

I have never detected on any Scheduled site, as all my detecting is done legally with the farmers permission, as most of my sites are more productive than S.A.M‘s. but  I do use Magic maps to check how close I can  legally go. Gloucestershire has hundreds of settlements, some known but many unknown. I have found over the years all the known sites have either been detected to death or have been nighthawked and there is very little left to find. The fields which often produce the most are ones, which have no known archaeology. If I scan over my maps, I look for area’s between known settlements  looking for old quarries and a water sources and footpaths , which were vital for occupation.  I also pay 2 farm contractors to  tell me where they see  pottery lying on the fields when they plough and spray. I give them £10 if they bring me back Roman pot, with the find spot, and farmers name.
 I also appear regularly in the local papers, for what I find, as I find the publicity helps and gets you more widely known and more sites.  I also give talks on  local history and detecting at villages halls in the summer, and gain more land that way, as  farmers often attend and will ask me if I would like to detect there land, which I still find amazing, as if you knock on there door they will often be downright rude to you, but if they come to one of my talks they are completely different.
I  am also seen as public enemy No. 1 with Gloucestershire archaeology, not just because of what I’ve found, but for various radio broadcasts promoting the hobby,

I will not work with PAS or UKDFD for many reasons, but I do work closely with Cirencester museum, who I find are more honest and confidential about site information.  
If the archaeologist what to call us amateurs then that’s fine by me, but I’m the one finding the artefacts at the end of the day.  If you are all prepared to do the research and  put in the amount of  time I have given to the hobby, then your finds rate will increase.

Hey Avalon, thanks so much for that reply, I think I have learnt a lot from that read! I try do as much filedwalking as I can to see what I can find in terms of pottery etc, but my problem is I can't quite tell what may be roman, medieval and later sometimes, well, in fact most of the time. I got no problem finding pottery, just don't know what it is. I am guessing you must know more on that subject to help you understand the archaeology of the area. I hope one day I will end up on a fairly decent active site, I just have to be patient and keep looking...

Well it's your lucky day Metalmickey, because I will pm you the inforamtion of a Roman Villa site which still produces and the farmer lets most people detect, but you will have to wait for the Autumn as it is now planted.

Now there must be a place in heaven for me ;D

LOL - not if the PAS team are the gatekeepers!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

They will be working for me by then :o

hmm -- look up ---  a flying pig!! 

Pink Floyd ;D See same choice of music

This is what Roman pot looks like, if this is any help.

(http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii225/chainmail_2007/romanpottery.jpg)

(http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii225/chainmail_2007/RomanPot.jpg)

Thanks for those pictures, I took a few pictures of mine, maybe you can tell me what they are?

There is one red one with quite a bit of ribbing on it, there is another quite black on one side, either from firing or through cooking? The rest is various shades of grey pot with only one showing some evidence of slip, one piece being quite a nice rim as you can see.

Cheers,
Jon

1st 2 pics are almost certainly roman pottery.

3rd piccy, if its from the same field could also be roman pot

Looks to be all Roman, top is greyware.

Well thanks guys, that is very intersting to know that this is more than likely Roman, and yes, the red ribbed piece is from the same field. I shall let you know how I get on, since I have not detected on these fields, yet. Very grateful for your help!

i used to live on a well known roman site just outside of faringdon, had arkie digs on there for years all they had were a handfull of grots and a few brooches

i did one of our fields and have had well over 800 bronzes bout 20 odd broochs silver rings and coins

Wheres that villa field Avalon, wouldn mind going on there one day if you are up for it?

If you contact me in the Autumn I will see what I can do, as most of my best sites are now under crop, I don’t tend to do much pasture land, as the finds sink to deep. I’m also very conscious of  other people I take out trampling  crops, as each person multiplies the problem. I can’t afford to upset the landowners.

dont blame you mate. its to hard to get some land and far to easy to lose it all

No doubt......probably a lot of angry Romans and Iron age chappies wanting their stuff back !!

You won't be going there unless you take me as well, Steve!

I probably won't need all those finds in my afterlife Bob, although I spent most of my life digging towards hell, must mean something ;D

I think you'll have plenty offering to do your embalming !  ;)

Only after they have picked my pockets :D

Yes, they've diddled you in this life.............never mind the after life!   :'(

Got a lot to cram in before I go, as It looks like I maybe Chairman of C.H.A.D.S next month as nobody wants the poison chalice. But I suppose I could organise a few rallies if I take over. ;)

John don't be to hasty to take internet advice on pottery shards, not even pottery experts would give you a guaranteed ID on those. Excluding Samian and Black Burnished Ware most pottery from Roman and medieval times are locally produced from local clays and so the make up of the clay  and inclusions is all important. Grey ware continues right through the medieval as do some forms of pottery using black slip.
The ribbed piece you have would point to it being of a cruder manufacture as it is not wheel thrown, but unfortunately this doesn't in itself mean age.
My advice would be to take them all to the FLO and get an opinion from them, while most FLO's are not pottery experts they will have local knowledge of the pottery in North Somerset.

Hey Geoff, Thanks for your input! To be honest, before even this discussion started, I have always had my doubts about whether this pottery was Roman or early Medieval to later. And not to get my hopes up, had made up in my mind that it was medieval. You are right in saying its best to see in hand and to take it to a FLO, just haven't got round to doing it. I must say that ribbed piece is a curious one, I have never found anything quite like that, very distinctive. But I am going to see if I can have a go on these fields once the crops are off, maybe a few metal finds will help date the fields a little better. And I shall take these in to be checked out by my FLO, when I get a chance. Thanks again!

You'll be a great Chairperson.

I always say the hardest job in the club is finding land for rallies. Good Luck!  ;)