Archaeology breakthrough as treasure that may be worth more than £100k found

A “miraculous” find of ancient treasures was discovered by builders after stumbling across the Roman troves.

A total of 1,368 Iron Age and Roman coins were found by builders in the UK and are one of the largest hoards of Roman coins to have ever been found in the country.

The treasures are believed to be worth more than £100,000 and date back to the reign of Emperor Nero, lasting between 54 to 68 AD. 

This incredible find, at a building site near Worcester, is said to represent one of the most important discoveries in over a century, with one expert calling it “the most miraculous thing”.

According to Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums, the hoard was discovered in late 2023 in the Leigh and Bransford area, which is west of Worcester. 

The ancient coins are mostly silver denarii, and were minted in Rome.

The discovery also included a sole gold coin, identified as an Iron Age stater minted for the local British tribe, the Dobunni.

The Dobunni were in the area now known as Worcestershire in 20 to 45 AD.

The owner of these coins are believed to be from a rich farmer who made his money by supplying the Roman army with his livestock and grain.

“It’s the most miraculous thing I’ve seen over the last 100 years,” said Dr Murray Andrews, lecturer in British archaeology at University College London.

“It’s an important piece of archaeology.

“It tells us about what was happening here 2000 years ago, when the Malvern hills were maybe the boundary of the Roman Empire.”

The vast number of coins found meant that the ancient hoard would have represented a “very considerable sum of cash” at the time it was buried, added the expert.

After the hoard was discovered in June, it was declared as treasure.

Upon announcing the breakthrough with the world on Monday, it emerged Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums is aiming to raise £6,000 in order for these to be displayed for all to see.  

“What a fantastic find and so important for anyone wishing to understand more about the county’s heritage,” said Karen May, chair of Worcestershire County Council’s joint museums committee. 

She added: “This is real Worcestershire treasure, and it needs to be seen and enjoyed by Worcestershire residents for generations to come.”

The coins were discovered in an ancient pot, likely made at one of the pottery kilns found at the foot of the Malvern Hills. 

This discovery is not the first time this has happened in the area, as there have been two other similar findings in the past 25 years.

Back in 1999, 434 coins were found in the village of Chaddesley Corbett, with the discovery including 38 shards of pottery. In 2011, two detectorists found a clay pot with a whopping 3,784 coins on Bredon Hill.