Adorned with abstract geometric symbols and a stylized depiction of a Roman trophy, this tiny gold coin, which measures less than half an inch in diameter, was recovered during recent excavations at the site of Folkestone along the southern coast of England. Perched high atop the chalk cliffs overlooking the Strait of Dover, Folkestone is most famous for its well-appointed Roman villa of the first–fourth centuries C.E. This coin, however, was excavated from the site’s earlier (and, until recently, previously unknown) (British) Iron Age levels (800 B.C.E.–42 C.E.). The coin, known to numismatists (or coin specialists) as a gold […]
