Treasure claim after Roman coins found near Manchester.

[Flavus]

I just saw this news from last week (Friday, August 6) that I found very curious.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/manchest...00/8893100.stm
"An archaeologist says his latest find of buried treasure is proof of a previously unknown Roman encampment on the outskirts of Manchester.
James Balme has been searching the area around Warburton for over a decade to find evidence of its Roman past.
... using his metal detector, James claims to have made his second discovery of buried treasure: eight Roman silver Republican Denarius coins, dated between 252 BC and 2 BC.
...And although it was impossible to establish an exact date of loss, he suggested that they were probably buried between 70 and 130 AD."

I just wonder: knowing that virtually all the republican silver disappeared during Neronian times and whatever was left out there was gone in the times of Tajan in early 100s what made him give such a late estimation - Vespasian times and later, especially extending it to 130?

picture from www.news.bbc.co.uk

[Flavus]

I just read the caption under the picture of Roman legionaries impersonators saying that in that area the Roman fort was established in AD 78. So I guess that is why.
But doesn't it make more sense taking into consideration long history of Roman trading relations with Britons and the fact that he had found a Roman silver snake bracelet at the same location that it was some kind of trading outpost situated (quite naturally) at the river crossing long before Roman invasion?

[hieron]

"eight Roman silver Republican Denarius coins, dated between 252 BC and 2 BC."

I thought the first Roman denarii were minted around 211 B.C. Who's dating these coins?

-h

[Flavus]

Yeah, that struck me too. Technically the term "denarii" is applicable to Roman silver coinage only from 211 BC.
However, on the other hand, from about 280 BC influenced by the Greeks Romans did have silver coinage called didrachm which kind of look like denarii so I wasn't critical on that inaccuracy.
Even if we assume he is right, and he identified the coins correctly how is it feasible that a common Roman legionary fighting in Britain around AD 70 carried on him "denarii" as old as 252 BC and none from Nero or Vespasian? I find it hard to believe.