The Roman Objects Recovered by P.K. Baillie Reynolds 

The Rhos on Sea Amphora

See Kanovium Pottery

The Roman Coins

1.  Republican, AR Denarius, obverse - undecipherable, reverse -  illegible horsemen? dioscuri? Condition -very bad, date - probably 1st century BC.  Found level 3, site F.  Site F is next to annex, near south gate.

2.  Triumverate.   AR Denarius,  Mark Anthony, obverse - legend illegible Galley, reverse - legion standards, very worn condition.  Dated to 33-31BC (reissued circa 120 AD) Found in 2nd century gravel courtyard of building XII, the principia.

3.  Triumverate.  AR Denarius, Mark Anthony, obverse - ANT.AVG. iiivir r.p.c Galley.  Reverse Indeciferable, legion standards.  Condition very bad dated to 33-31 BC.  Found Site F, level 6.

4.  Vespasian, AR Denarius. obverse - IMP.CAESAR.VESPASIANVS.AVG.  head laureate r.  Reverse (in exergue) IVDAE (capta).  Jewess seated r. on ground, mourning, trophy behind her. Found in rabbit hole above east gate.  Condition fair but clipped.  Dated to A.D 70.

5.  Vespasian.  AR Denarius, obverse - IMP.CAESAR.VESPASIANVS.AVG bust laureate r. reverse - PON.MAX.TRP.COS VI PAX (?) seated l holding torch in r hand found in top level of room vi, building XII principia, dated to A.D 75. condition fair.

6.  Vespasian.  Plated fouree denarius.   Obverse ineligible, head right, reverse - AVGUST. female figure seated l, Annona(?).  Condition poor, dated to A.D 77-9.  In gutter of 2nd century road, south gate.

7.  Vespasian.  AE As.  Obverse - IMP.CAESAR.VESPASIANVS.AVG very dubious head right?  Reverse indeciferable.  Condition very badly corroded, dated to A.D 70-9 timber building XVIII.

8.  Titus (as Caesar)   AE Sestertius .  Obverse -  T.CAESAR.IMP.AVG.F.PON TR.P COS VI censor, bust laureate r. globe below.  Reverse - ROMA. SC, Roma standing left holding spear and shield.  Lugdunum mint.  Condition fair, dated to A.D 77-8.  Found in floor of room iv, building XII, principia.

9.  ? Titus, AE As .  Obverse illegible, bust r.  Reverse illegible, victory l ?  Condition : badly corroded, dated to A.D. 71-81.  Found  XI/XVI which must mean the alley between principia and praetorium.

10.  Domitian (as Caesar)  Ae As. Obverse - CAESAR.AVG.F.DOMITIAN.COS.V. head laureate r.  Reverse  Spes standing l, SC.  Lugdunum mint.  Fair condition, dated to A.D 77-8.  Found in 2nd century floor of room iii building XII, principia.

11. Domitian   Ae Sestertius. Obverse - IMP.CAES.DOMIT.AVG.GERM.COSXIICENS.PER.P.P. bust laureate r.  Reverse - IOVI VICTORI SC, Jupiter seated l, holding victory and spear.  Fair condition, dated to A.D 86.  Found in the 2nd century gravel of the Intervallum road, north of building XVII, barrack block north west corner, near northern cookhouse.

12. Domitian Ae As. Obverse illegible, bust r.  Reverse MONETA AVGUSTI SC, Moneta standing l, holding scales and cornucopiae.  Condition : badly worn, dated to A.D 84-94.  Found in room A south wall of building XI, praetorium.

13.  Domitian Ae As.  Obverse IMP.CAESAR.DOMIT.AVG.GERM.COS?CENS PER.PP. bust laureate r.  Reverse MONETA AVGVSTI as on coin No 12.  Condition : obv  badly corroded ; rev fair, dated to A.D 86-96.  Found in floor of room H (only 2nd century levels really present) building XI praetorium.

14.  Domitian  Ae As.  Obverse IMP.CAES.DOMITIAN......very dubious.  Head ? r.  Reverse - indeciferable.  Condition very bad, dated probably to A.D 83-96.  Found in surface soil above east gate.

15.  Nerva AE Sestertius. Obverse illegible (IMP.NERVA.CAES.AVG.PM.TR.P.COS.III.PP) head laureate r.  Reverse - PLEBEI.VRBANAE.FRUMENTAE CONSTITUTO.  SC.  Modius containing 6 ears of wheat and a poppy.  Condition : much corroded, dated to A.D 97. Found in 2nd century floor of room R, building XI praetorium.

16.  Nerva  AE As.  Obverse IMP.NERVA.CAES.AVG.PM.TR.P.COS II (or III) P.P.  Head laureate r.  Reverse -  AEQUITAS AVGVSTI SC. Aequitas standing l, holding scales and cornucopiae.  Condition : when lost very good but crumbled to dust on exposure to the air.  Dated to A.D 96 or 97.  This coin was found in the level of a previous timber building which stood beneath building XVII which is the east barrack of two in the north west angle.

17.  Trajan AR Denarius .  Obverse - IMP.TRAIANO.AVG.GER..DAC.P.M.TR.P.  Bust laureate and draped, facing r.  Reverse - COS.V.P.P.S.P.Q.R.OPTIMO.PRINC.  Aequitas seated holding scales and cornucopiae.  Condition : Absolutely as struck.  Dated to A.D. 103-11.  Found in north wall of room Q, building XI praetorium.

18.  Trajan AE Sestertius .  Obverse illegible. Reverse illegible but probably S.P.Q.R.OPTIMO.PRINCIPI. SC, female figure standing probably Fortuna.  Condition very poor, dated to A.D 104-11.  Found in the narrow alleyway between XI/XVI, principia and praetorium.

19.  Trajan  AE Dupondius. Obverse IMP.CAES.NERVA.TRAIAN.AVG.GERM.P.M. head radiate r.  Reverse - TRP COSIII (or IIII) P.P SC.  Seated figure ? Abundantia l.  Condition : obv fair, rev much corroded.  Dated to A.D 101-2.  Found on road level via principalis just east of building XI, praetorium.

20.Trajan.AEDupondius.ObverseIMP.CAES.NERVAE.TRAIANO.AVG.GER.DAC.P.M.TR.P.COS.V.P P head radiate r.Reverse - S.P.Q.R OPTIMO.PRINCIPI SC.  Trajan seated l with women before him.  Condition : Badly worn, dated to A.D 103-11.  Found in gutter south of building IV which is a barrack in south east angle.

21.  Trajan Ae As.  Obverse IMP.NERVAE.CAES.TRAIAN.AVG.GERM.PM head laureate r.  Reverse - TR POT.COSII SC.  Pietas standing l by lighted altar.  Condition : much worn.  Found in top floor of room R, building XI, praetorium.

22. Trajan AE As.  Obverse - IMP.CAES.NERVAE.TRAIAN.AVG.GER.DAC.P.M.TR.P COS V.PP head laureate r.  Reverse - illegible (S.P.Q.R OPTIMI PRINCIPI SC) Victory holding palm ; trophy before her.  Condition : good when lost but damaged by contact with Caerhun’s acid soil.  Dated to A.D 103-11.  Found to the east of building XVII, which is the east barrack block in the north west angle.

23.  ? Trajan AE As found with coin No 22.  Obverse - illegible head facing r.  Reverse indeciferable.  Condition : badly worn and corroded.  Dated to A.D 98-111 (probably).

24.  Constantius, son of Constantine the Great.  AE Centenionalis.  Obverse - IMP CONSTANTIUS PF.AVG head facing r.  Reverse - illegible (? FEL TEMP REPARATIO) Probably Constantius spearing fallen horseman.  Dated to A.D 353-4.  Condition badly worn.  Found in surface soil just south of building XI praetorium.

25.  Valentinian.  AE 3.  Obverse - indeciferable head r.  Reverse SECURITAS REIPVLICAE, Victory l. Dated to A.D. 364-61.  Condition poor.  Found in the road surface just north of XII Principia.

26.  Probable 1st century date  AE As.  Obverse illegible head r.  Reverse - indeciferable.  Condition : badly worn and corroded.  Found in floor of room W, building XI praetorium.

27.  Probable fourth century  AE 3.  Obverse - indeciferable.  Reverse illegible, erect figure ? victory.  Probably of similar date to No 25.  Condition : very bad.  Found in the natural filling of the outer half of the south ditch in front of the south gate.

Roman Coin Terminology

Denarius - Roman Silver coin, 25 to one gold unit, the Aureus.

Sestertius -  Roman brass (orichalcum) coin, a large coin, the standard Roman currency unit, 4 to the Denarius, 100 to the Aureus

Dupondius - Roman brass (orichalcum) coin, it was worth half a Sestertius.

As - A Roman copper coin, of similar size to the Dupondius but  worth half, brass being more valuable than copper, it is not uncommon for the various alloys to get mixed between the two coin types.

Smaller fractions of the As and Dupondius, the Quadrans and Semis,  are uncommon in Britain and did not occur at Caerhun.

AE - The chemical abbreviation for copper alloys, bronze, orichalcum.  Aes - copper alloys

AR - Chemical abbreviation for silver.  AR - Argentum.

Prior to Photographing the excavation finds at Llandudno Museum, here are two Artifacts from Kanovium
 

© Kanovium Project

This is an early 1st Century A.D.  British  brooch or Fibula,  it is essentially too early to be classed Romano-British as it reached North Wales probably at a time before Roman annexation of the area.  It is known as a ‘Colchester type’ fibula after a  number discovered in the Iron Age levels of the Roman settlement at Colchester, and is also the final derivation of the ‘La Tene’ class of Celtic art related objects.  It was discovered on the river bank south of Caerhun fort, and can be viewed at the Bangor Museum.   So while in a way it has absolutely nothing to do with the Roman fort, it is instructive in illustrating the importance of the area before the conquest leading up to 76-78 A.D.  Francis Lynch describes such an item as being of Belgic type and probably reached North Wales with Belgic settlers fleeing from Southern England.  Prehistoric Anglesey, second edition, 1991, Anglesey Antiquarian Society, in the context of a similar type fibula discovered at Glyn, Llanbedrgoch, Anglesey in 1983. The Belgics occupied the area of the Low Countries and Northern France, as Julius Caesar ‘pacified’ them in the 1st Century B.C many fled to Southern England.  Possibly there was some kinship present, but this eventually added to the friction which led to Claudius annexing Southern England in 43 A.D.  With the greater Roman interest now being exerted on the South Coast many of these Belgics fled to North Wales and Anglesey and may have been the reason the Druids centred on the Island, with the result of their annihilation by Suetonius Paulinus in 61 A.D and to a lesser extent, Agricola in 78 A.D.  The fibula represents Iron Age use of the area preceding the founding of the Roman fort, it may indeed have reached here with Belgic settlers, or it may simply just represent Iron Age trade routes, it illustrates Celtic people walked the banks of the Conwy before the arrival of the Roman army.  Possibly this find is in connection with the river crossing, so often vaunted as the reason for the siting of Kanovium, yet so illusive, we can be certain a river crossing existed close to here, as Kanovium was a ‘route blocker’ type fort.  Could this fibula have been dropped by one of the very first Roman troops at Caerhun? by the 60-70s A.D, this fibula would have been something of an antique in itself even then, though the Roman soldier did collect antiquities as a Bronze Age sword was excavated from a barrack at the legionary fortress at Caerleon.

© Kanovium Project

A Box Flue Tile.  This complete box flue tile is from the bath-house at Caerhun fort, and can be seen today at Bangor Museum.  These hollow bricks lined walls in bath-houses and carried heat and smoke from the furnaces up the walls and away, they are probably best thought of as Roman central heating items.  Though they lined the walls of the hot rooms they were invisible as they were plastered over, the criss-cross series of lines are keying marks which allowed the render to stick to while  drying out.  Most likely 2nd Century A.D, as similar to excavated examples from Prestatyn Roman bath-house.