Iron Age Coin Deposition at Harlow Temple, Essex

Abstract

This paper evaluates the depositional patterning, associations and regional context of the Iron Age coins found during previous excavations at the Romano-Celtic temple at Harlow, west Essex, in the light of renewed work now taking place there. Together, the patterns which emerge suggest that the bulk of the Iron Age coin finds from the temple site were not deposited until the lute pre-Conquest era at the earliest. Most indeed are more probably offerings of the early Roman period, when deposition of coins and brooches was at its most intensive. The nature and significance of the pre-Conquest use of the hillock is briefly reconsidered in relation to later Iron Age and early Roman ritual and mortuary practices elsewhere in south-east England and beyond.

Socio-semiotics and the symbiosis of humans, horses, and objects in later Iron Age Britain

“…For example, Bath, Henley Wood (Watts and Leach 1996), Sapperton (Moore 2001), Nettleton (Wedlake 1982), Uley (Woodward and Leach 1993), and Wycomb (Timby 1998), have all produced significant quantities of Western coins, enforcing the interpretation that these objects are intentionally deposited at religious or spiritual locations. This is further supported by widely acknowledged depositional tradition at sacred sites across the 'Celtic' world (Briggs et al 1992;Curteis 2006;Haselgrove 1989;Haselgrove and Wigg-Wolf 2005). These sites could represent pre-Roman sacred locations but more importantly demonstrate a practice of coin deposition that is explicitly linked to cosmological beliefs.…”

Contextual numismatics: a post-processual approach illustrated by application to Roman coins

“…A cautionary example is the recent, pioneering detailed study of Iron Age sites in Britain and southern Germany by Colin Haselgrove and Leo Webley. After reviewing the archaeological contexts, the two authors reconstructed structured deposition in the broadest sense [82,83] with a potentially high proportion of depositions with ritual meaning [84]. In unclear or insufficiently informative find situations, the archaeological record may not reflect the final context of use or intention of ancient users, but rather a subsequent situation due to the archaeological process [85,86].…”

Coins and Cosmologies in Iron Age Western Britain

“…Western coins are also commonly interred into the ground in acts of intentional deposition. As already mentioned, Western coinage, like much British Iron Age coinage, is often found deposited at sacred or religious sites (Briggs et al 1992; Haselgrove 1989; Haselgrove & Wigg-Wolf 2005), many of which are known for the existence of a later Romano-Celtic temple at the same locations. For example, considerable deposits of Western coinage have been found at Bath, Henley Wood (Watts & Leach 1996), Sapperton (Moore 2001), Nettleton (Wedlake 1982), Uley (Woodward & Leach 1993) and Wycomb (Timby 1998), indicating that a link between metalwork deposition (especially coins) and cosmologies continues into the post-conquest period.…”