George Burton - William Stukeley - 1750-03

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George Burton

George Burton - William Stukeley - 1750-03
FINA IDUnique ID of the page  14303
InstitutionName of Institution.
InventoryInventory number.
AuthorAuthor of the document. George Burton
RecipientRecipient of the correspondence. William Stukeley
Correspondence dateDate when the correspondence was written: day - month - year . March 1750
PlacePlace of publication of the book, composition of the document or institution.
Associated personsNames of Persons who are mentioned in the annotation. Ezechiel Spanheim
LiteratureReference to literature. Lukis 1882-1887, vol. 1 p.479-811
KeywordNumismatic Keywords  Local Finds , Elveden , Claudius Gothicus , Vesta , Roman Republican
LanguageLanguage of the correspondence English
External LinkLink to external information, e.g. Wikpedia 
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Grand documentOriginal passage from the "Grand document".

'I must now entertain you with a new curiosity I have just met with. Icklingham being so well stored with Roman coins, & being so near a neighbour, I began to think Elden [Elveden] might have been of more importance than we think for. I enquired amongst my parishioners whether none of them had found coins. They stared at me as if they thought I had been out of my senses, upon which I showed them what it meant by pulling some out of my pocket. Lord, Sir, says my day-man who used to work for me, I have found three such in Elden this year, one of which is a white one. This declaration made me hurry him home immediately in quest of them, which he did, & brought me two, one of which was a Claudius Gothicus—the reverse ÆQUITAS : AUG. ; the other was a Roman Denarius, & I find by Spanheim a very curious coin, though this is not inserted in his work, yet he seems, I think, to refer to it. I imagine it to have the head of the consul Pappus, who prescribed the manner of chusing the vestal virgins. The head is covered with a goat's skin, which descends to the lower part of the neck, & the horns are placed exactly over the head. Just at the back of the head is the tabella ; the letters are rased, though in Spanheim's they are preserved, & are in this form — [PAPI arranged in a square] PAPI. On the reverse is, I think, the form of the initiation of a vestal. The vestal is in the dress of her order ; before her on the ground seems to be something of an orbicular form, out of which arises what may, I think, very easily be supposed a flame, since it is curled ; & as the Temple of Vesta was of an orbicular form I don't see why this may not reasonably be supposed to be as proper a representation of the temple & the sacred fire as the size of a Denarius would admit of. The vestal carries something before her in her vest. She has just gone through the first ceremony of the caption, &, I suppose, is proceeding (having shaved her head), to hang her hair upon a branch of the Lotos or Lote tree, where some of it seems to hang already. Behind her is something I don't know what to make of ; but this is the exact shape of it. I hope you will excuse my impertinence in communicating to you these conjectures, but as I look upon the coin as a very singular one, & it was found at Elden, I cannot help being very particular, & setting a great value upon it ; & I the rather take this liberty with you because you have convinced me often that you will make me proper allowances for ignorance & misinformation, & kindly deal out instruction to me.'

(Lukis 1882-1887, vol. 1 p. 479-81)

References

  1. ^  Lukis, W.C. (ed.)(1882-87) The Family Memoirs of the Rev. William Stukeley and the Correspondence of William Stukeley, Roger & Samuel Gale, Etc., 3 Vols, Publications of the Surtees Society Vols. 73, 76, 80, London.