Mystery stash of Roman coins found buried in Suffolk ‘may have been hidden during Boudiccan revolt’
A ROMAN coin hoard discovered in a field in Suffolk may have been hidden there during one of Boudicca's battles, according to an expert.
The ancient warrior queen famously revolted against Roman rule in England and some of the stash of 60 denarii coins are dated to the time of her reign.
The coins, dating from 153BC to 60-61AD, were found in a field near Cookley, in Suffolk, by a metal detectorist.
, Dr Anna Booth, who examined the find, said there "might be a link with the Boudiccan revolt".
She added: "This hoard is interesting because the latest coin dated to the reign of Nero in AD60-61. The final coin is often an indication of when a hoard is likely to have been deposited.
"There might be a link with the Boudiccan revolt which took place in AD61 in this region."
Queen Boudicca led her Iceni tribe in a revolt against the Romans when they are said to have disregarded her husband's will, tried to take her land and raped her daughters.
Thousands of people died during these revolts including Boudicca when she was eventually defeated and poisoned herself to avoid capture in around 60-61AD.
The solid silver coins were actually found in August 2018 and officially declared to be treasure.
The exact field that they were found in was not revealed in the inquest and no specific value for the coins has been given.
Treasure status is given to artefacts that contain at least 10% of a precious metal and there is a legal obligation to tell an authority if you find treasure in case it needs to go in a museum.
It is illegal to sell on treasure you find that is deemed as being nationally important but sometimes finders receive a reward or compensation.
Experts can't say for sure whether the coins can be directly related to Boudicca but her revolts did see a slight increase in hiding treasures due to it being such a turbulent time in Britain.
Who was Boudicca?
Here's what you need to know about the ancient warrior...
- Boudicca, also known as Boudicea, was a British Celtic queen who ruled the Iceni tribe along with her husband in the East of England and led an uprising against the occupying Romans in around 60-61AD
- When Boudicca's husband Prasutagus died the Romans did not respect his will, which left his land and rule to Boudicca and their daughters, but instead took his land for themselves and are rumoured to have stripped and flogged Boudicca and raped her daughters
- Boudicca's revolt started off as fairly successful as her warriors defeated the Roman Ninth Legion, destroyed the Colchester which was the capital of Roman Britain at the time and also destroyed London and St Albans
- Thousands of soliders from both sides were killed
- When Boudicca's warriors were eventually defeated she is thought to have posioned herself to avoid capture
- Boudicca is widely considered to be a British hero
- She is famously depicted with long red hair
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