image: This is a computer rendered image of the coins extracted from the CT data (scan) of the complete pot from the Selby Area Hoard. view more
Credit: University of Southampton
Archaeologists and engineers from the University of Southampton are collaborating with the British Museum to examine buried Roman coins using the latest X-ray imaging technology.
Originally designed for the analysis of substantial engineering parts, such as jet turbine blades, the powerful scanning equipment at Southampton's µ-VIS Centre for Computed Tomography is being used to examine Roman coins buried in three archaeological artefacts from three UK hoards.
The centre's equipment can scan inside objects – rotating 360 degrees whilst taking thousands of 2D images, which are then used to build detailed 3D images. In the case of the coins, the exceptionally high energy/high resolution combination of the Southampton facilities allows them to be examined in intricate detail without the need for physical excavation or cleaning. For those recently scanned at Southampton, it has been possible to use 3D computer visualisation capabilities to read inscriptions and identify depictions of emperors on the faces of the coins – for example on some, the heads of Claudius II and Tetricus I have been revealed.
University of Southampton archaeologist, Dr Graeme Earl says, "Excavating and cleaning just a single coin can take hours or even days, but this technology gives us the opportunity to examine and identify them quickly and without the need for conservation treatment at this stage. It also has potential for examining many other archaeological objects.
"The University's Archaeological Computing Research Group can then take this one step further – producing accurate, high resolution CGI visualisations based on scan data. This gives archaeologists and conservators around the world the opportunity to virtually examine, excavate and 'clean' objects."
Dr Roger Bland, Head of Portable Antiquities and Treasure at the British Museum comments, "This scanning technique is already yielding some fascinating results and the possibility of identifying a hoard of coins in a pot, without removing them, is very exciting. Working with archaeologists and engineers at Southampton, it is exciting to be pioneering and exploring the potential of a process which is faster, cheaper and less interventive than excavation."
The three objects examined at Southampton are:
- A cremation urn containing nine coins, dating from AD282, found in the Cotswolds. This item in particular would take months to excavate – with archaeologists needing to carefully examine bone fragments and remains to extract more information about its past.
- An estimated 30,000 Roman coins discovered in Bath, dating to around AD270 and concreted together in a large block weighing over 100 kilograms (radiograph image only).
- A small pot dating to the 2nd century found in the Selby area of East Riding in Yorkshire.
Director of the University's µ-VIS Centre for Computed Tomography, Professor Ian Sinclair says, "Our centre examines a wide variety of objects from the layup of individual carbon fibres in aircraft wing components, to the delicate roots of growing plants, and now ancient Roman coins. It is our integration of state-of-the-art imaging hardware, world-class computing and image processing expertise, which allows us to break new ground.
"We have recently formed an inter-disciplinary research group for Computationally Intensive Imaging, which brings together a broad spectrum of world-class imaging activities from disciplines across the University – of which this project is an excellent example."
The University of Southampton and the owners of the artefacts have plans to share the scan data with the public, hopefully through future exhibitions and online.
Notes for editors
1) For graphic images of the coins and photos of the scanning process, please contact Peter Franklin, Media Relations Officer, University of Southampton. 023 8059 5457 p.franklin@soton.ac.uk
2) The µ-VIS Centre for Computed Tomography is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. More information about the centre can be found at: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/muvis/
3) To find out more about the University of Southampton's Computationally Intensive Imaging Research Group visit: www.multidisciplinary.soton.ac.uk/groups/imaging/#about
4) The Archaeological Computing Research Group at the University of Southampton has been at the heart of international research at the interface between cultural heritage and computer science for more than 20 years. The group has a broad range of current research projects funded from across the UK funding councils and focused on areas as diverse as the simulation of the impact of climate change on medieval castles in Sussex, to the digital recording of wall paintings at Herculaneum in Italy. The group runs the world's longest running Master's programmes in this research area and supports research students from around the world. The group represents one of many strands of digital humanities research at the University. www.soton.ac.uk/archaeology/acrg/
5) The University of Southampton is celebrating its 60th anniversary during 2012. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, granted the Royal Charter that enabled the University of Southampton to award its own degrees in the early weeks of her reign in 1952. In the six decades to follow, Southampton has risen to become one of the leading universities in the UK with a global reputation for innovation through academic excellence and world-leading research. This year, the University's reputation continues to grow with the recent awarding of a Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in recognition of Southampton's long-standing expertise in performance sports engineering. To find out more visit www.southampton.ac.uk/60
6) To find out more about the British Museum visit: www.britishmuseum.org/about_us.aspx
7) The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is a voluntary scheme (managed by the British Museum) to record archaeological objects (not necessarily Treasure) found by members of the public in England and Wales. Every year many thousands of objects are discovered, many of these by metal-detector users, but also by people whilst out walking, gardening or going about their daily work. Such discoveries offer an important source for understanding our past. More information can be found on www.finds.org.uk
8) All finders of gold and silver objects, groups of coins from the same find, over 300 years old, have a legal obligation to report such items under the Treasure Act 1996. Prehistoric base-metal assemblages found after 1 January 2003 also qualify as Treasure. Potential Treasure finds must be reported by law to the local coroner, which is normally done through the finders' local PAS Finds Liaison Officer. If declared Treasure, they may be acquired by a museum at their full market value (normally split 50/50 between finder and landowner), valued by the Treasure Valuation Committee, which is an independent committee of experts. The Treasure Process is administered by the British Museum. More information is available on www.culture.gov.uk or www.finds.org.uk