The Roman Coin Identification Template is designed to promote the standardised identification and quantification of Roman coins throughout a fieldwork project. It is not a guide to the identification of Roman coins, which is a specialist task that should be undertaken, or overseen, by an experienced archaeological numismatist (see Introduction). The Template is a technical document that needs to be completed, saved and archived with care.
The Roman Coin Identification Template can be used and updated throughout a fieldwork project’s life cycle, but mostly usefully during the Assessment and Analysis stages when coin reports and lists or catalogues will be required. The format of the Template can be converted to other spreadsheet, database or word processing programs, and it is a simple task to produce publishable catalogues of Roman coins from the Template too.
The Template and its linked resources are provided as a Microsoft Excel workbook (see Downloads), that contains the following sheets:
- ADS_spreadsheet_metadata
- Roman Coin ID Template
- Emperor / Issuer list
- Denominations list
- Mints list
- Roman Coinage Issue Periods sequence
The information these sheets contain and how they link together are described in detail in the following sections.
Template format
The Roman Coin Identification Template is provided as an .xlsm file – a macro-enabled spreadsheet created by Microsoft Excel. The embedded macros relate to the 3 dropdown lists (DENOMINATION; EMPEROR / ISSUER; MINT) and improve the Template’s functionality. The file is safe to download and save.
Note: the ADS does not recognise .xlsm files among the preferred or accepted file formats for archiving, and the file should be saved as an .xlsx, .xls, or .csv file before it is submitted to the project archive. This is best done using the blue button on the Template’s coversheet (ADS_spreadsheet_metadata), which includes the file-level metadata required by the Archaeology Data Service (ADS) to archive and disseminate data.
It might be useful to temporarily append extra columns for the recording of additional information that is likely to be generated during the assessment and analysis of a Roman coin assemblage (for example, conservation / cleaning requirements, or stratigraphic information). If so, any extra columns should be appended after all Primary and Secondary fields on the Template (ie column V onwards), not between the existing Primary and Secondary fields (ie columns A to U), as to do so will affect the Template's dropdown lists and disrupt its functionality. It is very important that all additional columns and data are deleted before the Template is saved and submitted to the project archive. This can be done manually, but it also happens automatically when the Template is ready to be exported by using the blue button on the Template's coversheet (see Submitting to the project archive section below).
Template fields
Seven of the Template’s 15 Primary Fields are populated from dropdown lists, 4 of which are linked to the EMPEROR / ISSUER dropdown list (i.e., DATE; DATE FROM; DATE TO; IP)
- EMPEROR / ISSUER dropdown list includes 237 options. Selecting any one of these automatically fills the DATE; DATE FROM; DATE TO; and IP fields
- The DATE; DATE FROM; DATE TO; and IP fields can be amended manually as necessary. For example, if a coin of Domitian is identified as struck during the emperor’s 7th consulship, the date of 81 can be entered into the first 3 fields (rather than 81-96)
- The 4th century saw a number of currency reforms (in 317, 330, 348, 364, 378 and 388), and coins from this period should be dated according to their reverse types (where known), rather than by the imperial dates of the ruler on their obverses. For instance, an AE3 bronze coin issued in the name of Constantine I with the GLORIA EXERCITVS – 2 standards reverse type, should be dated to 330-335 when this reverse was in production, rather than the years 307-337 when Constantine I was Augustus. Therefore, the DATE, DATE FROM, DATE TO and IP primary fields will need to be completed manually for most 4th century coins
- DENOMINATION dropdown list contains 30 denominations issued by the Roman imperial mints, including options for unidentifiable coins
- MINT dropdown list includes 37 mints where Roman coins were struck (this can be left blank if unknown)
The remaining Primary and Secondary fields in the Template are completed manually; those such as COIN ID and CONTEXT will be mainly numeric values, while others such as REVERSE will consist of text entries. The REVERSE field should follow descriptions in the standard works of reference, such as Roman Imperial Coinage. Online Coins of the Roman Empire and the Portable Antiquities Scheme are useful online resources illustrating Roman coins with full standard descriptions.
It might not be possible, or necessary, to fill in every field. The archaeological numismatist, in consultation with the project team, will be responsible for determining which of the Secondary fields are completed for some, or all coins (likely to depend on the contribution recording these data will make to the project’s Aims and Objectives). More information about the Primary and Secondary fields is in the Roman Coin Identification Template section.
Submitting to the project archive
After the coin data has been recorded, the File Name entries on the coversheet of the Roman Coin Identification Template (ADS_spreadsheet_metadata) should be completed prior to its submission to the project archive. The finished Template needs to be saved as an .xlsx, .xls, or .csv file, which can be done by pressing the blue button on the coversheet.
