The Stanchester Treasure is a hoard of 1,166 Roman coins dating from the fourth to early fifth century found in 2000 at Wilcot, in the Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire, England. The find was considered important because of the large number of uncut silver coins contained within. It was also the last dated sample of Roman coins found in Wiltshire.
The treasure was discovered in a field on July 25, 2000, by John and David Philpotts with metal detectors. It was buried in a jug made of Alice Holt type earthenware. The treasure was named after the former Stanchester Villa, a neighboring Roman villa with which the treasure was probably associated, as well as the Wansdyke earthworks. Excavations of the villa in 1931 and 1969 uncovered a wall and evidence of a Roman central heating system. Tiles for the roof and chimney, as well as shards, date to the corresponding coins from the second to fourth centuries.
The Wiltshire Museum in Devizes acquired the treasure for £50,000 after a coroner's investigation that declared it a treasure trove
Stanchester The treasure contains three gold solids, 33 silver miliarenses -many described as in "excellent condition," 1129 silver siliquae and one copper-alloy Nummus, and a bronze ring fragment. The earliest coin was minted under Constantine I, beginning in 307; the last coin was minted in 406 during the joint reign of Arcadius and Honorius. The silver coins were not trimmed, indicating that they were never in circulation. Within a year of the last coinage, Constantine III was declared emperor by his troops, crossed into Gaul with his army, and was defeated by Honorius; it is unclear how many Roman troops remained or ever returned, and whether a commander-in-chief was ever appointed in Britain.
