Charles Roach Smith

“ This pit was filled with rubbish, chiefly such as at the present day is thrown on waste places in the precincts of towns; dross from smithies, bones and horns of cows, sheep, and goats; ordure, broken pottery, old sandals, and fragments of leathern harness, oyster shells, and nearly a dozen coins, in second brass, of Vespasian and Domitian. Over the mouth of the pit had been spread a layer of gravel, upon which were the foundations of buildings, and a mass of masonry six feet square, two sides of which still retained portions of fresco-paintings with which they had been ornamented. ”

“ Foundations of other walls of great thickness have been discovered in Bush-lane, in Five-Foot Alley, in Cornhill, and other localities, but the circumstances under which they were observed, forbid our hazarding any satisfactory conjecture as to their original uses. The plan of modern London gives us little or no assistance in forming a notion of that of the Roman town; for in many instances streets, which during centuries have retained their present course, cover the foundations of dwelling-houses, and thus prove the non-existence of Roman roads or streets in such sites. ”

“ From these matrices, plaster casts can be taken, which for all common purposes will supply the place of the real coins. The great objection to casts is, that they do not warrant decision as to the genuineness of coins; and here it is necessary to guard collectors against the practices of forgers of ancient coins, who, both in Paris and in London, are continually fabricating imitations of ancient Greek, Roman, Saxon, and English money, which is dispersed by means of their agents throughout the country, and sold, often for high sums, to the inexperienced. ”

“ Many of the articles which individual exertion has preserved strongly illustrate their arts, manners, and customs ; and any artist engaged in attempts to revive the art of fresco-painting may derive useful hints from a close examination of the paintings from the walls of the houses of Roman London, which retain a freshness of colour as if executed only a few years ago. ”

“ Thus the earliest British coins have often on one side an ill-formed and disjointed horse, and on the other, an equally misshapen human head, laureated, but of which the wreath, or the curls of hair, only remain; some are stamped, on one side only, with a grotesque horse; others have symbols and ornaments of various kinds, such as wheels, flowers, and animals, many of which are evidently attempts at imitation, and others, if design or object may be suspected, altogether difficult of explanation. They occur in gold, more or less pure, in silver, and in brass, and are usually concave and convex. ”

“ It is beyond the power of individual talent to counteract general apathy and supineness, and to induce a universal disposition to further so great a change as that from utter ignorance to intelligence, a transition which time and long teaching can alone effect. ”

“ Many of the early coins found in England must have been in common circulation in Germany, in Britain, and in Gaul, as they are found in abundance throughout these countries. Fresh discoveries, however, of coins hitherto unknown, and which mature investigation will probably lead to their being assigned to the British series, are from time to time taking place, and induce a hope that, ere long, the facts already collected will not only be much augmented but better illustrated and explained. ”

“ In such a town, situated as has been shewn, on both sides of the river, and to a people like the Romans, accustomed to facilitate communication with all parts of their provinces, as well as to adorn their towns with public works, a bridge would be much more indispensable than at such places as Pontes, ad Pontem, Pons Ælii, Tripontium, Durolipons, &c., the etymology of which names shews that bridges were not uncommon in Britain. ”

“ The coins of the Romans relating to Gaul and to Britain, are among the most interesting of the series, as they include many not struck by the imperial powers of Rome, but issued at times when rulers in these provinces assumed the purple, and, more or less effectually, maintained an independence which, obtained by means of military power more frequently than by the general will of the people, lasted only until the fortune of war led to the re-establishment of the foreign yoke, or that of some more successful usurper. ”

“ When the approaches to the new bridge were being cut, an excellent opportunity was afforded for ascertaining at what point the Roman road from Kent did, or did not, reach the river; but the persons in authority over the works made no provision either for the preservation of the antiquities brought to light, or for instituting or even countenancing investigations, which, without impeding the progress of the excavations, might have furnished additional facts to clear up disputed points. ”

“ The other Saxon coins are the styca in brass, and the penny in silver. Examples of the half-penny are also known, but of the farthing, mentioned in the Saxon laws and gospels, no specimen has come down to us. Many of the Saxon coins are rude imitations of the Roman small brass, although, from the low relief of the designs on the thin pieces of silver, as well as from the unskilfulness of the artists, the imitation is not easily detected. ”

“ Under the most favourable circumstances such a project would encounter objections almost insurmountable; but when undertaken by individual zeal on a partial and confined scale, at uncertain times and places, whenever the earth may be excavated for public works, without assistance or countenance from the directors, and usually in contention with obstructions and annoyances of all kinds, it is fortunate, in such a state of things, should any discoveries be rendered available to the topographer and antiquary. ”

“ Coins in brass and copper are injured by subjection to the action of acids, which destroy the pieces themselves as well as the rust, and for the same reason the application of solution of ammonia is objectionable. The thin rust or patina of various hues, which brass coins acquire from lying in particular soils, should never be disturbed ”

“ Upon these imperishable monuments, which have outlived, in all the beauty and freshness of early youth, the sculptured trophy, the triumphal arch, the pompous and elaborate inscription, and the many costly and gorgeous works of art that were erected to commemorate the conqueror's achievements, may be read the meaning, though sententious legend, which, assisted by appropriate designs, tells its story plainly and effectively. ”

“ Britton entered the field of archæological research when it possessed but few labourers, and his recorded exertions honourably shew how assiduously, for upwards of half a century, he has done his duty, and he must be gratified in witnessing the matured and ripened public regard for our antiquities which at the present moment is being developed, and which, all must own, his zeal and perseverance have essentially served to promote. ”

“ There are, no doubt, vast quantities of the remains of Roman buildings throughout England, in very unsuspected localities, the discovery of which will speedily follow a more general attention to indications unnoticed by the unpractised eye. ”

“ A few simple directions for cleaning coins may be useful, it being to be borne in mind that the advice of a practised numismatist is always indispensable to the novice, who will at times find it difficult to judge of the metal of which coins are composed when obscured by rust. ”

“ Dunkin has industriously recorded a mass of facts, chiefly relating to the ecclesiastical and social history of Dartford, all of more or less value, and has thus earned the gratitude of all who can appreciate the utility of topographical compilations, which, requiring much zeal, discrimination, and labour, contrary to works of more direct and immediate interest, seldom repay the authors the expense incurred in publishing them, to say nothing of that incurred in various ways during the progress of compilation. ”

“ Like the earliest Gaulish, they seem to be imitations of Greek coins, more or less resembling the originals, but often so rudely copied, that it is only by comparison with others graduating towards similitude to the prototypes, that the fantastical objects upon them can be detected as imitated portions of designs on Greek coins, deteriorated more and more, by ignorant workmen attempting to imitate bad copies without a knowledge of their source, and without any aim to attach a meaning. ”

“ To remedy these defects, and to afford to the less wealthy collector the information to be found only in many expensive volumes, is the object of the present undertaking, which has the additional advantage of being accompanied by most accurate engravings of every coin to which the editor can obtain access in the cabinets, both private and public, of England and the continent ”

“ The best County Histories we possess in many respects fall far short of what is really wanted, from the impossibility of one individual doing full justice to a work which requires so much time, patience, judgment, and minute research, to be executed properly and completely. As Mr. Britton observes, "The author who reasonably expects to be paid for his labours, cannot afford either the time or the expenses which are required, and the wealthy country gentleman has usually other and more seductive demands on his attention. ”

“ It was observed throughout Thames-street and Tower-street, and also on the Southwark side of the river. In the last-mentioned locality, when excavations were made for the south wing of St. Thomas's Hospital, the foundations, walls, and pavements of a Roman house were discovered, which had been laid upon piles driven into the sand. On this side of the river there was evidence in the remains of buildings reaching almost close to its banks, that much ground had been reclaimed from subjection to periodical overflowings of the river when its banks were low, straggling, and undefined. ”

“ It is very clear that many of the rude coins found in this country present types distinct from those on the purely Gaulish coins, and which types cannot be traced to have been derived from Roman models. ”

“ At depths varying from ten to twenty feet, we notice throughout the city the remains of houses, and of a variety of domestic utensils. Some of the houses, as may be expected, exhibit evidences of the superior rank or wealth of their owners in the rich tessellated pavements of their apartments. ”

“ The emperor is represented clothed in the toga, and holding a patera over an altar, with the fire kindled, on the other side of which stands a female figure with a victim lying at her feet. In the second middle brass coins of Hadrian, the province of Britain is personified as a female seated on a rock, holding a javelin, her head slightly inclining on her right hand, by her side a large oval shield ”

“ In all cases of discoveries of coins, it is of the first importance that they be examined in mass as early as possible, and accurately catalogued, to ensure their record before casualties occur, and to secure the advantage of inspecting a large number of each type in order to correct or restore defective legends. ”

“ Foreign nations have admirable descriptions of their principal cities and towns, but their topographical writers have not yet learned to ascend the rivers, and penetrate the recesses of their pasturable forests, shewing us where men in the infancy of society fixed their habitations, and where and how the village churches arose in the infancy of Christianity. ”

“ The reign of Commodus, during which the Caledonians invaded and ravaged the north of Britain, afforded opportunities to that emperor for recording upon medals and coins the successes of his legions, whose victories also gave him a pretext for taking the name of Britannicus, although he never visited the province in person. There are three or four medallions of this emperor relating to Britain, a variety of which is given below. On the obverse his titles commence, and are continued on the reverse, on which is represented a Victory seated on a heap of arms, inscribing on a shield vict. brit. ”

“ In antiquarian investigations much depends upon minute and careful observation: important conclusions result frequently from a connection of facts trivial in themselves but of importance when combined, and the record and registration of these facts can only be satisfactorily carried on under auspicious circumstances. ”

“ Some of these are proved to have been manufactured in Britain from specimens procured from the Roman potteries, discovered by Mr. Artis at Castor [6] , and from the debris of others on the banks of the Medway [7] . The handles of amphoræ, and the rims of a peculiar kind of shallow pans, have frequently the names of the makers. A superior kind of pottery, of a bright red colour, usually termed "Samian," has been found in great abundance throughout London. ”

“ It is practice alone that will enable the student to detect forged coins, and no rules, however clear and explicit they may appear, will supersede the necessity of a careful examination of ascertained forgeries, and their comparison with genuine specimens. ”

“ Many of the objects in steel, such as knives, styli, and implements, apparently modelling tools, are in an admirable fine state of preservation, to which the wet boggy soil they were taken from has materially contributed ”

“ The ml in the exergue of the reverse is believed to stand for Moneta Londinensis. It may also be remarked that these coins with the three g's are not recorded to have been found in any other country except England, but the coins of Diocletian and Maximian with two g's, as pax avgg,—salvs avgg, &c. are exceedingly numerous, and are continually discovered wherever the Roman rule extended. ”

“ Remains of buildings covered also the whole site of the present Exchange.
The pit itself is an interesting example of the gradual progress of Londinium. From this locality was gravel obtained for the flooring of buildings and various other purposes of the infant colony; but as the town increased in extent, it was abandoned, filled in, and subsequently, by an artificial stratum of gravel, adapted for buildings. Here coins are again useful as evidence. ”