Roman silver coins coming to Radnorshire Museum!

The Radnorshire Museum is excited to announce that a hoard of silver Roman coins will soon be on display!

The hoard, consisting of 29 denarii (a Roman silver coin), were discovered by metal detectorists near Llanelwedd, Radnorshire.

The burial site was located just a few kilometres to the east of the major Roman road which connected the Castell Collen fort (near modern Llandrindod Wells) and the settlement that would become Cardiff. The coins were likely buried between 145 AD to 170 AD.

Like most other Roman hoards, why the coins were buried is unknown. It may have been a soldier, stationed at Castell Collen, hiding the coins for safe keeping; or a traveller on the road making an offering to the gods so they would have good luck on their journey. Whatever the reason, the coins represented a considerable amount of money, as a single denarius was the equivalent of a day's wages at the time.

The find was reported to The National Museum of Wales under the Treasure Act, which ensures that important archaeological finds are reported to local museums, who then have the opportunity to purchase them. A share goes to the finder and landowner.

The coins will soon be placed on display at the Radnorshire Museum, alongside our other Roman objects and finds from Castell Collen.