The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) began 24 years ago as a response to the need to capture and catalogue artefacts recovered by metal detectorists. It has developed a first-class data base and enhanced engagement with different sections of the archaeological community, but reaches a new level of realizing the potential of its material to permeate public (and archaeological) perception in the recent series of county and thematic books, of which 50 Finds of Roman Coinage is one of the latest.
This book does not purport to a reference volume on coins, nor despite the title is a simple collection of catalogued and captioned coins from the PAS, it is much more engaging than that, and serves as an excellent introduction and foundation on the Roman monetary system relative to Britain, and as a bi-product is a satisfactory introduction to identifying Roman coins, albeit not without flaws. A key strength, as with all PAS volumes is the provision of crisp photographs of coins and artefacts, including those in mint and varying condition. Similarly the figures are very helpful, although their text sometimes lacks the crispness and clarity of the rest of the book.
The book begins with a brief introduction on the Roman impact on Britain, and why coins enhance the archaeological perspective on interpreting the period (along with a useful list of emperors that is so elusive in many volumes; classical education not being the given it once was). A note on the terminology of coinage is also included, and will enhance the accessibility to all novices in this specialism.
Chapter 1 sets the scale of the evidence available to the PAS, and justifies why it is such a valuable resource, while Chapter 2 maps the mints and introduces some of the earliest denominations in Britain. Chapter 3 introduces the denominations of Roman coins and is arguably the strongest of the book, with excellent illustrations of many obverse and reverse types, alongside explanations of how the currency evolved, as well as notes on coin legends. The use of photos depicting coins of successive emperors, family groups and common nummi groups is exceptionally informative, but although many coins appear(?) at 1:1 scale, a note on scale and general sizes of coins might be beneficial, as might be a greater section on further bibliography (three titles are listed at the end of the chapter, and after Chapters 7 and 7, but there is no wider bibliography).
Chapter 4 dwells a little on events in Roman Britain, how they were commemorated on coins, on how history may have been reflected in deposition, notably in hoards; also benefitting from many photos from the PAS. Chapter 5 is entitled ‘Coinage in Use’ but is perhaps most useful for its consideration of radiates, copies and wear on coins (an aspect not often noted in volumes on the topic). Chapter 6 introduces alternative uses, modification and mutilation of coins, with useful nots on the Snettisham hoard, and especially the Frome hoard. The book concludes with a chapter on the final decades of coin supply and production in Britain, fairly heavy on history but with good depictions of rare late types recorded by the PAS.
In conclusion, this an excellent demonstration of why Roman coins are important to archaeologists, and to the potential of the vast collection of data and artefacts recorded by the PAS to contribute towards the understanding of Roman Britain. It is a tribute to all the PAS officers that have contributed to it, and adds a highly informative, accessible and affordable volume to the introductory works on Roman coinage available to both archaeologists and the public. It may also serve to encourage many to explore this specialist field, and potentially many others they might be introduced to via the PAS.