First thing's first, a little bit about the project:

I am using the Portable Antiquities Scheme database to log down and map all Roman coins found in the British Isles (and logged onto the PAS) in order to help discern the extent of Roman influence and activity within Britain.
I am mapping these coins county by county and the website will be updated as I go.
As I finish a county, I will write a report on the inferences to be made with the data I have logged and prior knowledge and research available.
In the case of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Mann, the PAS does not operate there and so other means will be used, such as using journals and reports.

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What is the Portable Antiquities Scheme?
The Portable Antiquities Scheme is a database recording objects recovered and declared by members of the public across England and Wales and is run by the British Museum and Amgueddfa Cymru.
Here's the link: https://finds.org.uk/

Where did my project start?
The project started as my Archaeology A-Level coursework, albeit in a much smaller and less ambitious manner. This was because of my interest in the Classical Period, specifically the Roman period of Britain, and the fact that knowledge of Roman influence and activity within my county (Cornwall) is fairly limited.

This was a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, it was frustrating to be really interested in something that has few sources and little research on but, on the other, it allows for plenty of exciting research opportunities in the future, such as this one.

As a result of the realisation that Cornish investigations and findings of the Roman period were lacking, I decided to restart this former A-Level coursework as a proper, more in-depth investigation, hoping that perhaps Roman-era coins will shed some more light on Roman Cornwall and help support other forms of archaeological and historical evidence for the activity and extent of the Romans in Cornwall. It then occurred to me that this could also be useful for other areas of the UK. Especially areas like Cornwall with very limited evidence of Roman activity and settlement.

Why study coins?
I decided to study coins because they're a fascinating glimpse into the activities, extent, and wellbeing of past societies. They're also great at surviving in the archaeological record and are plentiful in number as opposed to, say, written records or perishable objects like apparel or food. They're not the only such glimpse into past societies by any means. Pottery is another shining example of such a thing. However, coins arguably provide much more insight into the stability of society and the state of trade and an economy than pottery does and coins have a much wider use in society than pottery, though let me make it clear that pottery is still very useful in interpreting past societies and certainly pottery can tell us much about a society's culture that coins may not.

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What, of my project, is contained on this site?

On this site will be the ever-updating map I'm creating as well as County by County reports. Each report will only appear once I'm sufficiently happy with it and it has been reviewed by appropriate parties. They will also only appear once I've finished recording and mapping a county's coins, obviously, hence the whole process for a new county being added will take some time. Especially considering that this is a project I am undertaking alongside my studies at university.
Alongside this will be blog-like posts every now and again which will update you on my progress and report my thoughts before I've finished mapping a county.
The Interactive Map can be found on its own page.
The only thing not on the site is my spreadsheet which contains far more information about the coins than the map.


Which Counties have I completed so far?
As of now I'm in the very beginnings of my project and have finished mapping the coins found in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
I am now in the process of writing the report for both.
This section will be immediately updated upon the completion of each County's mapping and report, as will the Counties page and blog.
 

 

Am I happy for others to use this project and its findings?
Yes, absolutely!
If anyone found my findings, reports, and opinions even remotely useful I'd be ecstatic. Whilst this is being undertaken to satiate my own curiosity, I'd love for this work to be even slightly useful or interesting for others' research and/or curiosities.
All I ask is that you credit my work where it is used and, if it's appropriate and relevant, link to this website.

If you are wanting to use the data I'm compiling, which correlates directly to the map and contains far more information than the markers on the map show, feel free to get in touch with me and I'd be happy to provide it.
Equally, if you have any questions or would simply like to get in touch, don't hesitate in filling out a form on the Contact page and I'll get in touch as soon as I can!