The process and constituent stages involved in undertaking invasive archaeological fieldwork of any kind are described in Historic England’s Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment: The MoRPHE Project Managers’ Guide.
The execution of a project consists of collection, assessment and analysis stages.
Collection
Fieldwork investigating Romano-British sites is likely to lead to the recovery of Roman coins, whether surface collection (fieldwalking), watching briefs, evaluations or large-scale excavation. It is important that an experienced archaeological numismatist is recruited to the project team as early in this process as possible.
Advice and guidance on the recovery and recording of all archaeological finds during archaeological fieldwork are provided in the following CIfA resources:
- Standard and guidance for the collection, documentation, conservation and research of archaeological materials (PDF)
- Toolkit for Recording Archaeological Materials
Assessment
After the conclusion of the collection stage, the archaeological numismatist should examine the Roman coins to assess the potential for the assemblage to contribute to the project’s aims and objectives. At the beginning of the assessment stage the archaeological numismatist should be sent the following documentation by the fieldwork manager/post-excavation manager:
- project design or written scheme of investigation
- interim site narrative
- list of Roman coins for provisional identification
- context database/site hierarchy/matrix indicating the provisional stratigraphic sequence
- instructions on which of the project’s aims and objectives the Roman coin assemblage is likely to contribute to
- request for additional research questions specific to Roman coinage that could be included in the analysis stage of the post-excavation programme
This should lead to a Roman coinage assessment report by the archaeological numismatist, reviewing the potential of the Roman coin assemblage to achieve the project’s aims and objectives. The format of the report will vary depending on the nature of the fieldwork, but normally it should include
- provisional identifications of all Roman coins. The coins are unlikely to have been cleaned by an archaeological conservator at this stage (any adhering soil probably having been removed on site) and outline identifications are sufficient. Where possible these should include the recording of
- unique coin number (registered find, registered artefact, or small finds number)
- context number
- denomination
- issuing emperor/ruler
- reverse type (particularly for 4th-century coins)
- spot dates
- recommendations for cleaning by an archaeological conservator (it can be helpful to indicate specific sides or areas of a coin where cleaning would most benefit its full identification)
- quantification of the Roman coin assemblage, most commonly as a table showing the provisional allocation of coins to the sequence of Roman Coinage Issue Periods
- overview of the Roman coin assemblage, focusing on chronology, stratigraphy and potential for comparison with other excavated Roman coin assemblages (eg, by settlement type or local/regional comparators)
- assessment of potential for the Roman coin assemblage to contribute to the project’s stated aims and objectives, as well as recommendations for additional research questions to be considered in the analysis stage
The Roman coinage assessment report should be incorporated into the project’s formal Assessment Report and Updated Project Design (UPD). In many cases these will lead to the final analysis stage and the production of an archive report and/or publication of results. The project manager/post-excavation manager will consider whether any additional research questions recommended by the archaeological numismatist merit inclusion in the UPD, and how the Roman coins can be integrated with the analysis of other finds.
Analysis
The UPD should indicate clearly which project aims and objectives will benefit from the archaeological numismatist’s input, with guidance on specific questions that analysis should seek to answer.
If the project proceeds to the analysis stage, the archaeological numismatist should examine the now-cleaned Roman coins again and produce the final coin report. This should include
- the catalogue of Roman coins, including full identifications (see How to use the Roman Coin Identification Template)
- quantification of the Roman coin assemblage as a table, showing the final allocation of coins to the sequence of Roman Coinage Issue Periods (see How to use the Roman Coin Identification Template)
- a discussion of the Roman coin assemblage with the project’s final aims and objectives as set out in the UPD in mind. It is likely that this will cover
- chronology of the coin assemblage, highlighting the presence and/or absence of Roman coinage (including denominations and types)
- stratigraphic discussion, highlighting the contexts/deposits/features that produced (or did not produce) Roman coins
- discussion of evidence for Roman coin use and loss on site, with particular attention to comparator assemblages (eg, from similar settlement types, or other sites in the locality and wider region)
The products of the analysis stage are likely to comprise the Roman coin report, including a full catalogue, and the digital archive (see Analysis and Archives).
