TREASURE hunters have unearthed Roman coins, rings and jewellery in a Wantage farmer’s field.

The discoveries, made by 144 metal detectorists from Oxford-shire and beyond, will now help to build a picture of 1,000 years of habitation in the area.

One of the ‘star finds’, according to detectorists, was a denarius coin from the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, head of the Roman Empire from 117-138 AD.

They also found a silver siliqua coin from 393-423 AD and a small Roman copper alloy ring dating from the third to early fifth century AD.

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Local historian Anni Byard, who joined the searchers, said: “We don’t really have any records for that area so it is helping to build a picture.”

Pictures of the entire haul have now been put online.

Miss Byard, local liaison officer for the Government-funded Portable Antiquities Scheme, said: “This builds up a picture of what has been happening over time.

“The earliest find we had was an Iron Age coin but they went all the way through to Roman, Medieval and post-Medieval.

“There was a lot of activity in Oxfordshire, especially around the Wantage area because the Ridgeway was an important trade route.”

Miss Byard, of Long Wittenham, near Didcot, records about 1,500 archaeological finds from Oxfordshire a year, about 50 per cent of them Roman.

The detectorists spent a single day searching 160 acres of farmland between eastern Wantage and the Ridgeway.

A Medieval copper buckle dating from around AD 1350-1650 and a Medieval pewter spoon handle were also unearthed.

The event was organised by Wantage Rotary Club.

Detectorists paid a fee to hunt, raising £1,400 for the club to spend on local good causes, and they were allowed to keep their finds.

Wantage has been inhabited for more than 1,000 years and had Roman settlements nearby, so both Medieval and Roman finds were likely.

While no fortunes were made, organiser Bill Roycroft said: “A number of fascinating objects emerged from the dirt over six hours of meticulous combing.”

From 2008 to 2012, the number of historic finds in the county has increased each year apart from 2011 which Ms Byard said could be attributed to bad weather or the lack of a large metal-detecting rally.

Last year, 1,326 finds in the county were recorded, of which four have been declared as treasure at Oxfordshire Coroner’s Court.

About 250 historic artefacts were also unearthed in an area of 1,000 acres around Lockinge Farm by 500 treasure hunters in August last year.

Pictures of the latest finds can be viewed at finds.org.uk/database/rallies/rally/id/390

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