Coin Report for Cargill Fort 2005

Coins found during the Roman Gask Project’s work at the Roman fort of Cargill: 2005.

By David Shotter.

A: Roman Coins (13)

1.  Sf..62   AR  Denarius (fragmentary). Vespasian                                               MW        69-79

2.      119   Æ   As (fragmentary). Domitian

                        Rev. [MONETA AVGVST SC]                                                    LW          84 +

3.      121   Æ   Radiate copy (?)  (fragmentary)                                                     VW         c.280

4.      122   Æ   As  Domitian

                        Obv. [IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM]COS XI[CENS PER P P]            

                        Rev. FORTVNAE [AVGVST] SC       RIC II (Domitian), 299    LW          85        

5.      129   AR Denarius, Tiberius                                                         

                         Obv. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F [AVGVSTVS]

                         Rev. PONTIF MAXIM    (RIC I 2 (Tiberius), 26)       MW      14-37

6.      148   Æ   As Domitian

                         Rev. [MONETA AVGVST S C]                                    VW         84+

7.      150   AR Denarius, Marcus Antonius

                         Obv. [ANT AVG IIIVIR RPC]      Crawford 544                        VW         32-1 BC

8.      155   Æ   Dupondius,  Vespasian

                         Rev. [AEQVITAS AVGVSTI SC]   RIC II (Vespasian), 482      MW         71

9.      162   Æ   As  Hadrian                                                                                    VW         117-38

10.    178   Æ   Sestertius, Vespasian                                                                     VW         69-79

11.    189   Æ   Sestertius (fragmentary), Hadrian                       

                         Obv. [HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS]                                             VW         125-34

12.    310   Æ   As Vespasian

                                     (Obv. IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS III

                                       Rev. VICTORIA AVGVSTI SC)     RIC 502                LW          71

13.    312   Æ   Possible Radiate Copy                                                                  VW          c.280

B: Medieval Coins (1)

1.      124   AR  Long Cross Penny (fragmentary) Edward I                                 MW

C: Post-Medieval/ Modern Coins (31)

1.      123   Farthing of George III

2.      190   Halfpenny of George II (?)

3.      196   Halfpenny of George III (1806)

4.      200   Farthing of George III

5.      203   Farthing of George III (?)

6.      208   Halfpenny of George III (1806?)

7.      228   Penny of George III (1797)

8.      236   Farthing of George III (?)

9.      280   Halfpenny of George II

10.    305   Penny of George III (1806?)

11.    327   Penny of George II

12.    335   Halfpenny of George II

13.    340   Irish Halfpenny of George II

14.    (No Coordinates)  Halfpenny of Victoria (1863)

15.      27   Farthing of Victoria

16.    138   Penny (19th Century)

17.    168   Farthing of Victoria (1865)

18.    176   Shilling of William IV

19.    184   Threepence of Victoria (1859)

20.    188   Farthing of Victoria (1860s)

21.    207   Penny of Victoria (1891)

22.    264   Penny of Victoria (1872)

23.    274   Halfpenny of Victoria

24.    287   Penny of Victoria (1889)

25.    290   Halfpenny of Victoria (1865)

26.    367   Penny of Victoria (1873)

27.    394   Penny of Victoria (?)

28.      12   Threepence of George VI (1943)

29.    152   Halfpenny of George V (1936)

30.    272   Sixpence of George VI (1937)

31.    275   Halfpenny of George VI (1938)

D: Miscellaneous Items (5)

1.       94   Token (?)

2.     111   Button (?)

3.     132   Button (?)

4.     139   Token (?)

5.     368   Silvered Disc

E: Illegible (12)

1.         8   Æ (No features visible)

2.       21   Æ (No features visible)

3.     112   Post-medieval coin (?)

4.     113   Post-medieval coin (?)

5.     143   Lead roll with post-medieval (?) coin

6.     219   Post-medieval coin (?)

7.     261   Æ (No features visible)

8.     273   Post-medieval coin (?)

9.     299   Post-medieval coin (?)

10.   309   Possibly Farthing of George III

11.   333   Æ (No features visible)

12.   345   Post-medieval coin

Abbreviations

Crawford: Crawford M.H., Roman Republican Coinage, Cambridge 1974.

RIC: Mattingly H. et al., The Roman Imperial Coinage, London 1923-84.

Discussion

Although the Roman coins (section A, above) are too few in number to support a detailed discussion of chronology, some points may be made regarding them:

1) The Flavian presence at the site is very clear; of the two closely-dateable issues of Vespasian, one (12) is a little-worn as of AD 71, which might hint at pre-Agricolan activity; the other, however (8), has sustained wear, arguing for a date-of-loss in the later 70s or early-80s.  There  appear to be no Flavian coins later than aes– issues of Domitian of the mid-80s (2, 4, 6). The remaining coins of Vespasian (1, 10) were too damaged to permit comment other than that they could have been lost at any time in the late-first or second centuries. The presence of a denarius of Tiberius (5) is not itself particularly significant with regard to date, but might point to legionary activity at the site. Although Julio-Claudian denarii continued in use in Britain into the early-second century, those of Marcus Antonius (7) remained in circulation until the early-third century, due, it seems, to the fact that Augustus’ spurious denigration of them as consisting of poor silver allowed them to escape recalls of old silver, such as that of Trajan in c.AD 110 (Dio Cassius Roman History 68. 15). In all, therefore, we can see that the early coins in this group are consistent with an initial period of occupation from a point in the 70s until the later 80s.

2) The presence in the group of very worn  coins of Hadrian ( 9, 11) is indicative of activity in either the Antonine or Severan periods – or possibly both.

3) The presence of two possible radiate copies (3, 13) indicates the likelihood of a continuing communication between the area north of the river Tay and the Roman province into the second half of the third century. The nature of this activity, however, can only be a matter of guesswork, although some unrecorded military activity cannot be ruled out. It is, however, more likely to be of a ‘commercial’ nature.

A long term research project to study the Romans north of the Antonine Wall