Douglas Carr

• BA (Hons) Archaeology
• Roman Piggy Banks? Investigating the social life of containers for coin hoards

Roman coin hoards are some of the most famous finds from the past and have attracted academic interest for many years. Hoards represent a major undertaking by those creating the hoard and are key in understanding changes in the Roman world. The primary focus of study of these hoards has usually been through numismatics (the study of coins) with the contents taking centre stage and the containers used in hoarding often overlooked. My research has focused on these containers (which can be metal, organic or pottery). My project has examined patterns in the nature of these containers through a sample of one hundred hoards drawn from across the Roman period in Britain (AD 43 – 410). My research has shed some new light on the relationship between the contents of these hoards and their containers and the interesting patterns of similarity and change emerging in that relationship throughout the Roman period.

Funding source: Newcastle University

Supervisor: Dr James Gerrard