28 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A Hoard of Gold and Silver Roman Coins Dating Back to the Reign of Emperor Nero was Found in Worcestershire

A hoard of Roman and Iron Age silver coins dating back to Emperor Nero’s reign has been found during building works in Worcestershire, western England. The treasure, consisting of 1,368 coins, includes the largest collection from the emperor’s reign ever found.

The coins span two centuries from 157 BC to AD 55, and date the hoard to the very beginning of Roman Britain – barely a decade after the Claudian invasion in AD 43.

Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums said the hoard was discovered in the Leigh and Bransford area, west of Worcester, in late 2023 and dubbed the Worcestershire Conquest Hoard.

Research into the hoard is being led by Murray Andrews who has been working closely with colleagues from Museums Worcestershire, Worcestershire Archives and Archaeology Service, and the Portable Antiquities Scheme to process the find in accordance with the Treasure Act 1996.

Nero – Worcestershire Conquest Hoard. Credit: Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums/Luke Unsworth
Nero – Worcestershire Conquest Hoard. Credit: Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums/Luke Unsworth

Dr Murray Andrews, Lecturer in British Archaeology, University College London (UCL) Institute of Archaeology says: “This extraordinary new find is the largest hoard of the reign of Nero (AD 54–68) ever found in Britain, and one of the largest of this period ever found in the entire Roman Empire. The coins come from every corner of the early Roman world, from the shores of the Mediterranean right up to the Cotswold Hills. They were buried just after the Claudian invasion, as Roman troops marched through western Britain to battle the tribes of Wales and the Welsh Border. It’s a remarkable discovery, and sheds important new light on the Roman Conquest – a time of conflict and change at the beginnings of British history.”

“Our initial research suggests that the hoard relates to military expenditure – perhaps official payments to a wealthy local farmer or merchant, who was supplying grain and livestock to the Roman fort at Worcester. It was buried at a time of unrest in the Welsh Borders, when local groups like the Silures fought back against the advancing Roman army, so it’s possible that the original owner was trying to protect their money from the threat of conflict and border raids”.

Some of the coins date back from the time of the Roman Republic in 157 BC. Credit: Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums/Luke Unsworth
Some of the coins date back from the time of the Roman Republic in 157 BC. Credit: Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums/Luke Unsworth

It is likely that the pot that contained the coins was made at one of the pottery kilns based at the foot of the Malvern Hills. With the oldest dating to 157 B.C. and the most recent to 55 A.D., most of the coins are silver denarii made in Rome. One gold coin, a stater, is the only one there. It was made for the Dobunni tribe, who inhabited Worcestershire from 20 to 45 A.D. Given that the most recent coins are in nearly mint condition and cannot have been used for very long, the hoard was most likely buried in 55 A.D. or soon after. Their sheer number means that the Hoard would have represented a very considerable sum of cash at the time it was buried.

The Treasure Valuation Committee is currently valuing the hoard, which HM Coroner declared to be treasure in June 2024. The Worcestershire Heritage, Art and Museums Registered Charity has started a fundraising campaign to help keep the hoard in the county, and Museums Worcestershire is eager to acquire it. If the money cannot be raised, the hoard may be lost to the public forever.

The hoard is currently being catalogued and conserved at the Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum where it will go on temporary display in January.

Help to save the Worcestershire Conquest Hoard.

Museums Worcestershire

Cover Image Credit: Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums/Luke Unsworth

Related Articles

The discovery of a 380-million-year-old heart sheds new light on our bodies’ evolution

16 September 2022

16 September 2022

Researchers from Curtin University have discovered the world’s oldest heart in a ‘beautifully preserved’ ancient jawed fish fossil 380 million...

A unique golden sun bowl was discovered during an archaeological survey in Ebreichsdorf, Austria

3 October 2021

3 October 2021

A golden sun bowl and several hundred bronze objects were discovered during archaeological excavations in a prehistoric settlement in today’s...

On the beach of Herculaneum, a victim of the Vesuvius explosion was discovered with his bag

4 December 2021

4 December 2021

Archaeologists released haunting images Wednesday of the skeletal remains of a man buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in...

The Legacy of the Double-Headed Eagle: From Hittite Kings to Modern Icons

25 June 2025

25 June 2025

The double-headed eagle is one of the most enduring symbols in human history. Recognized today as an emblem of imperial...

Egypt discovers five 4,000-year-old ancient tombs in Saqqara necropolis

19 March 2022

19 March 2022

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced recently the discovery of five 4,000-year-old ancient tombs in the Saqqara archaeological...

International Sand Sculpture Festival Opens with the Theme “The Lost City of Atlantis”

6 May 2021

6 May 2021

The 16th edition of the International Sand Sculpture Festival (SANDLAND) has begun in Turkey’s Mediterranean resort city of Antalya. Every...

Ancient Roman Fast Food: Songbirds Were a Popular Snack in 1st-Century Mallorca

11 June 2025

11 June 2025

Roman fast food, ancient Roman cuisine, song thrush consumption, Roman street food, Mallorca archaeology, Pollentia findings, Roman bird bones, ancient...

Archaeologists Discover 40,000-Year-Old Evidence of Neanderthal Habitation in Ghamari Cave, Iran

13 March 2025

13 March 2025

Iranian archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery in Ghamari Cave (also known as Qamari Cave), located near Khorramabad in Lorestan...

A 1,500-Year-Old Roman Settlement Discovered in Bulgaria

21 March 2025

21 March 2025

In a remarkable turn of events, a team of archaeologists conducting preliminary excavations ahead of a transit gas pipeline project...

Archaeologists discovered the first evidence of early administrative management in eastern Iran

21 June 2022

21 June 2022

Iranian archaeologists believe they have discovered the first evidence of early administrative management in an eastern Iranian province, which they...

Britain’s Oldest Prehistoric Circle Uncovered, Potential Blueprint for Stonehenge

10 March 2025

10 March 2025

Recent archaeological findings at the prehistoric funerary site of Flagstones in Dorset have unveiled that this remarkable circular enclosure, dating...

A 4000-Year-Old Seal Found in the prehistoric coastal site of Kalba on the Gulf of Oman

5 April 2024

5 April 2024

Archaeologists discovered a Gulf-type seal made of soft stone dating to the end of the third millennium BC at Kalba,...

600 Years Old Sword and Equipment Found in Olsztyn

22 April 2021

22 April 2021

Aleksander Miedwiediew, a history buff, and detectorist discovered a bare sword, a sheath, and a knight’s belt with two knives...

How Knossos Palace Looked in Its Glorious Days

9 May 2021

9 May 2021

Knossos Palace is a famous architectural structure of ancient Knossos, which was the capital of the Minoan Civilization. Archaeologist Arthur...

One More Missing Links of Evolution Found

29 April 2021

29 April 2021

There is a phenomenon of missing links in the theory of evolution. Theorists of evolution continue to find these missing...