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Rare Coin Find Stuns Historians
Ananova ^
| 2-25-2004
Posted on 02/24/2004 5:12:49 PM PST by blam
Rare coin find stuns historians
A man with a metal detector has unearthed a Roman bronze coin so rare it bears the face of a mystery emperor who "ruled" Britain for a matter of days.
Brian Malin, from Oxfordshire, found it in a field in the county.
It bears the face of Emperor Domitianus and is only the second coin ever found which bears the image of the self-proclaimed ruler of Britain and France in 271AD.
A similar coin was found in France 100 years ago but until now its uniqueness had meant both Emperor Domitianus and the coin were dismissed as a hoax.
Historians say the British discovery confirms the French find is genuine and Domitianus existed.
They believe he was an upstart from the Roman legion who was ousted for treason for daring to declare himself emperor and have the coins made.
Mr Malin found the coin in a field 10 miles south-east of Oxford.
The coin was among a pot of 5,000 all bearing the heads of emperors and stuck together, providing the perfect "timeline" for archaeologists.
He handed his find to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford which passed it to experts at the British Museum who began separating the coins.
The coins dating from 250AD to the mid 270sAD spanned five emperors during a time of great upheaval for the Roman empire.
The Domitianus coin is going on display at the British Museum.
Story filed: 18:13 Tuesday 24th February 2004
TOPICS: News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: archaeology; artifacts; coin; domitianus; epigraphyandlanguage; ggg; godsgravesglyphs; historians; history; museum; numismatics; rare; romanempire; stuns
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1
posted on
02/24/2004 5:12:49 PM PST
by
blam
To: farmfriend
GGG
2
posted on
02/24/2004 5:13:17 PM PST
by
blam
To: blam
I want one!!!!
3
posted on
02/24/2004 5:14:24 PM PST
by
balrog666
(Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.)
To: blam
This was actually the result of a popular game show in Roman times called "Emperor For a Day."
4
posted on
02/24/2004 5:16:32 PM PST
by
Enterprise
("Do you know who I am?")
To: blam
I found one of those and thought I really made out big time when I dropped it in a Coke machine and it worked. Oh well.
5
posted on
02/24/2004 5:18:21 PM PST
by
Mark
(Treason doth never prosper, for if it prosper, NONE DARE CALL IT TREASON.)
To: balrog666
I'll sell you one...
:D
6
posted on
02/24/2004 5:21:26 PM PST
by
bannie
(The government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend upon the support of Paul.)
To: blam
Nice nose!
7
posted on
02/24/2004 5:21:51 PM PST
by
bannie
(The government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend upon the support of Paul.)
To: Mark
If you received a Coke, that is more then Mr. Malin, looks like he got zip.
8
posted on
02/24/2004 5:24:28 PM PST
by
DUMBGRUNT
(Sane, and have the papers to prove it!)
To: blam
Well, big deal! My daughter just got a 1937 penny in change the other day!
9
posted on
02/24/2004 5:36:48 PM PST
by
zook
To: bannie
Bob Hope's greatXXXXXgrandpa ?
To: blam; *Gods, Graves, Glyphs; A.J.Armitage; abner; adam_az; AdmSmith; Alas Babylon!; ...
Gods, Graves, Glyphs List for articles regarding early civilizations , life of all forms, - dinosaurs - etc.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this ping list.
11
posted on
02/24/2004 5:37:27 PM PST
by
farmfriend
( Isaiah 55:10,11)
To: DUMBGRUNT
"If you received a Coke, that is more then Mr. Malin, looks like he got zip." Nah, the Brits actually have a pretty good law that rewards finders of 'Treasure Troves.'
Treasure Trove Law
12
posted on
02/24/2004 5:39:16 PM PST
by
blam
To: blam
The Domitianus coin is going on display at the British Museum. Somehow, government ends up taking pretty damn near everything.
13
posted on
02/24/2004 5:39:58 PM PST
by
Hank Rearden
(Never let your life be directed by people who could only get government jobs.)
To: DUMBGRUNT
One of the Discovery channel's series on buried treasure had a segment on some British farmers who found a lot of Roman coins in their field and as required by law turned them over to the appropriate government bureau. The British Museum evaluated the coins and paid the pair a substantial finder's fee. How much the government got back in taxes was not mentioned.
Mr. Malin will probably get a good sized fee due to the size of the find and the rarity of this coin.
To: zook
"My daughter just got a 1937 penny in change the other day!" I was going through my 'junk' drawer the other day and found an OJ Simpson signature from about 30 years ago.
15
posted on
02/24/2004 5:41:44 PM PST
by
blam
To: blam
Hon, you need to clean out your drawers,,nothing personal intended but my word!
16
posted on
02/24/2004 5:43:30 PM PST
by
cajungirl
(John Kerry has no botox and I have a bridge to sell you!)
To: blam
E-bay time!!!!
17
posted on
02/24/2004 5:46:59 PM PST
by
Lokibob
(All typos and spelling errors are mine and copyrighted!!!!)
To: blam
Bet it's worth something!
18
posted on
02/24/2004 5:47:11 PM PST
by
cyborg
To: blam
"...OJ Simpson signature..."
Was it written in blood?
19
posted on
02/24/2004 5:47:58 PM PST
by
Socratic
(Yes, there is method in the madness.)
To: Mark
" "Emperor For a Day."" Retirement plan wasn't so great.
20
posted on
02/24/2004 5:53:53 PM PST
by
HangThemHigh
(Entropy's not what it used to be.)
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