Thanks to University of Wales Aberystwyth .
Roman Coinage in GwentWith the two important areas of Roman occupation in Gwent (Caer-
leon-Isca, military and Caerwent-Venta Silurum, civil) it is natural
that over the centuries, both in chance find and systematic excavation,
that many coins have come to light. Both before and during the early
years of the Roman conquest of Britain, most of the native tribes had
their own coinage, mainly from the result of the movement of people
from Belgic Gaul to our shores about the period 125-100 B.C.
Their coinage, (termed as staters) seemed to imitate the gold coinage
of Philip of Macedon which was minted in the mid 4th century B.C.
The original Macedonian type had a laureate head of Apollo on the
obverse and the reverse shows Apollo's two horsed chariot (biga). On the
degraded Belgic copies the horse is usually disjointed, though not
through ignorance perhaps when one considers the similarity between the
style of these horses and the Iron Age hill figure in chalk at Uffington,
Oxon.
Unfortunately, the Silurian tribe of the present day Gwent area
appears not to have struck a native coinage. However, the neighbouring
tribe across the Wye did, and a gold coin of the Dobunni was found at
Upper Leytons, Tintern in 1969 and is now in the National Museum of
Wales, Cardiff. The inscription on the coin reads; ANTED and is
attributed to a tribal chief named Antedrig about the period A.D. 15-30.
Other coins of this ruler have been found in Gwent including a specimen
from Chepstow in the late 19th century and at Dingestow in 1948 which
would suggest a link (commercial or otherwise) between the Dobunni
and the Silures.
The invasion of Julius Caesar and brief occupation of his forces in 54
B.C. had little effect on the coinage of Britain, although undoubtedly
some Roman Republican coins found their way into the country at this
time and even more later in A.D. 43 when Claudius' conquest under
Aulus Plautius with four legions made permanent occupation.
The few Roman Republican coins that have been excavated from
Caerwent can not paint a clear historical picture of the circulation of
these types when the area became under full Roman control in A.D. 74
under the Governor Julius Frontinus.
Roman Republican coins found on the River Severn estuary at Aust
give us a better indication of early Roman occupation. Specimens found
date from 190 B.C. to the late 1st century B.C. and although Roman
Republican coins were still legal tender until Trajan's reign (A.D. 98-
117) it seems likely that these finds are in relationship to a Claudian
naval and supply base at Abonae (Sea Mills, a modern suburb of Bristol)
sited where the River Trym runs into the Avon. It seems that the supply
depot at Abonae serviced a small fleet in the Severn Estuary, and a little
later in all probability the Abonae warehouses also stocked supplies for
the settlements on the Gwent side of the Estuary.
There are several specimens of Roman Republican coins and early
Imperial types found at Aust in the Chepstow Museum collection.
Since the late 1970s the Gwent foreshore of the Severn has yielded up
many Roman coins in the area of Black Rock, Portskewett. The earliest
issues found (so far) date from Claudian times and the latest date from
A.D. 367-375 struck under the Emperor Valens.
The Portskewett coins conform to settlement pattern at Caerwent and
strongly suggest that Black Rock was the port for Venta Silurum which
included, of course, the industrial suburbs (Caldicot) where much local
pottery was made even closer to the foreshore.
The first regular types of Roman Coinage to have been used in Gwent
were the Imperial denominations which were established by Augustus
(27 B.C.-A.D. 14). The highest unit of currency was the gold aureus
which was made up of 25 silver denarii. Throughout most of the Roman
period all gold and silver coins were under direct control (as to the
quantity minted) by the reigning emperor.
The base metal fractions of sestertii, dupondii, asses, semis and quad-
rans were issued on the authority of the Roman Senate and this fact is
confirmed on these issues in the form of the letters; S.C. (Senatus Con-
sulto).
Currency Table of Roman Coins.
1 gold aureus = 25 silver denarii
1 denarius = 16 copper asses
1 brass sestertius = 4 asses
1 dupondius = 2 asses
1 copper as = 4 Quadrans
1 brass semis = 2 quadrans
1 copper quadrans I of an as.
This system remained intact, with the addition of the antoninianus
(double denarius) in A.D. 214, until Diocletian reformed the currency
along with a prices and incomes policy attempting (with little success) to
combat inflation in A.D. 295/6.
After Diocletian's coinage reform, the most common coins were the
silver washed bronze folles and fractions of them.
The gold and silver became struck in two lighter weight denominations
in the reign of Constantine I (A.D. 307-337) named the solidus and
siliqua respectively. By the time of Honorius in A.D. 410 when the
Romans evacuated Britain, the mass of coinage in circulation was small
bronze pieces of uncertain denomination supplemented by unofficial
barbarous copies.
