Wick (G-B): Roman coins issued by Mark Antony and worth "tens of thousands of pounds" found

Gareth Wyn Williams / Photos : Wales News Service

Source- http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/roman-coins-issued-mark-antony-6909948?

The discovery of the 2,000-year-old silver coins in the village of Wick, Wales, comes as archaeologists found a Roman fort on Anglesey

Coins issued by Mark Antony have been discovered in a Welsh field

A haul of valuable coins issued by Roman general Mark Antony have been discovered in a Welsh field - more than 2,000 years after they were buried.

It comes as archaeologists claimed to have found a small Roman fort on Anglesey, North Wales, in what has been described as a "ground-breaking" discovery.

The coins - unearthed by two friends out walking - have been hailed by historians as "a significant find".

Dr Richard Annear, 65, and John Player, 43, found the silver coins dating back to 31 BC buried in a field near the small village of Wick, South Wales.

Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Annear reported the find to curators who were able to lift a small pot containing the coins out of the ground.

A numismatist described the three Roman denarii coins as "worth tens of thousands of pounds".

Mark Antony was a key ally of Julius Caesar and played a pivotal role in the growth of the Roman empire.

The powerful general engaged in a passionate affair with queen of Egypt Cleopatra after leaving his wife in Rome.

Their romance was made famous by Shakespeare's 1602 play and later immortalised in the 1963 Hollywood movie Antony and Cleopatra, staring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.

The three Roman denarii coins are "worth tens of thousands of pounds"

But the pair's romance was short-lived and they both took their own lives after Antony lost the crucial Battle of Actium to Augustus - Rome's first emperor.

The rare hoard took place just a mile from another historic find of 130 denarii 15 years ago.

Assistant keeper at the National Museum of Wales, Edward Besly, said: "Each coin represents about a day's pay at the time, so the hoard represents a significant sum of money."

"The hoard's find spot is only a mile as the crow flies from that of another second century silver hoard found in 2000.

"Together the hoards point to a prosperous coin-using economy in the area in the middle of the second century."

The three silver denarii were part of a 91-coin haul comprising of currency issued by Roman rulers spanning 200 years.

Currency dating back to the reigns of Emperor Nero, 54AD-68AD, and Marcus Aurelius, 161AD to 180AD, were also uncovered in the landmark find.

Senior Coroner Andrew Barkley ruled that the coins are "treasure trove" at Cardiff Coroner's Court.

The items will now be taken to the Treasure Valuation Committee, in London, where they will be independently valued.