A remarkable Roman stash made up of hundreds of ancient coins has gone on display in Leeds this week.

Part of the famous Cridling Stubbs hoard, which lay buried in a North Yorkshire field for more than 1,600 years, can now be seen in Leeds City Museum's Ancient Worlds gallery until July.

Experts believe the unique stockpile of more than 3,300 copper coins may have been hidden by the owner inside a large jar in around AD 346 to keep it safe from Saxon and Irish raiders.

"We may never know for sure why they were buried, but the hoard is a truly remarkable and historically significant find which can teach us a lot about life, coins and currency during a turbulentchapter in the story of Roman Britain."

The vessel containing the hoard was restored from several pieces and may have already been broken when it was filled with coins, suggesting that it was buried quickly in a time of crisis.

Most of the hoard is made up of coins dated between AD 300-346. These include special issues in honour of Rome and Constantinople (now Istanbul), and for Constantine the Great and the Caesars,emperors of Rome.

The collection also contains coins struck in memory of Helena, Mother of Constantine the Great, and Theodora, his step-mother.

The coins were meticulously recorded in 1967 by Elizabeth Pirie, then curator of archaeology at Leeds Museums and is displayed alongside catalogue pages, photographs and drawings from the museumarchive.

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Copper load of this! Ancient coin stash at Leeds City Museum(https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/copper-load-of-this-ancient-coin-stash-at-leeds-city-museum-1-8992888)