The Roman Gask Project

	COINS FOUND DURING THE ROMAN GASK PROJECT'S WORK AT THE ROMAN FORT OF CARGILL 2005 David Shotter Discussion of the results F X
Gask home	A: Roman Coins (13)
Maps	1	Sf..62	AR	Denarius (fragmentary). Vespasian	MW	69-79
Search	2	119	Æ	As (fragmentary). Domitian Rev. [MONETA AVGVST SC]	LW	84+
Papers index	3	121	Æ	Radiate copy (?) (fragmentary)	VW	c280
Background papers	4	122	Æ	As Domitian Obv. [IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM] COS XI [CENS PER P P]	LW	85
Aerial photographs				Rev. FORTVNAE [AVGVST] SC RIC II (Domitian), 299
	5	129	AR	Denarius Tiberius Obv. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F [AVGVSTVS]Rev. PONTIF MAXIM (RIC I² (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 IIIRev. VICTORIA AVGVSTI SC) RIC 502	LW	71
	13	312	Æ	Possible Radiate copy	VW	c280
				x
	B: Medieval Coins (1)
	1	124	AR	Long Cross Penny (fragmentary) Edward I	MW
				x
	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	355		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)
				x
	D: Miscellaneous Items (5)
	1	94		Token (?)
	2	111		Button (?)
	3	132		Button (?)
	4	139		Token (?)
	5	368		Silvered Disc
				x
	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.