Anglo-Saxon Coins Found Near Vatican Reveal Medieval ‘Little England’
The 10th-century hoard includes 19 silver pennies and one halfpenny, adding evidence of a sizable English community in medieval Rome.
- Archaeologists recently uncovered 20 Anglo-Saxon coins near the Vatican's Palazzo della Rovere, identifying a 10th-century site that functioned as a 'Little England' for pilgrims and immigrants within the ancient capital.
- Founded by King Ine of Wessex in A.D. 727, the Schola Saxonum served as a hostel for pilgrims, and this discovery provides concrete material evidence of the institution for the first time.
- The collection of 19 silver pennies and one halfpenny indicates the community was a 'bustling' trade hub, with leather-, bone- and metal-working finds confirming commercial activity beyond religious pilgrimage.
- Cambridge historian Rory Naismith noted the coins challenge long-held assumptions that papal authorities banned foreign currency, as English expats apparently used their own money alongside local tender.
- University of the Basque Country professor Francesca Tinti explained the English were 'quite unique' among foreign groups in Rome, leaving behind more material traces than other communities like the Franks.
21 Articles
21 Articles
In Rome, near the Vatican, archaeologists discovered a collection of X-century Anglo-Saxon coins that proved the existence of the English quarter and confirmed the special rights of the English in the papal city. The discovery was the first material proof of the existence of the English quarter in Rome, known as Schola Sachonum. Most of the coins found were English, indicating the right of the British to use their currency in Rome on an equal fo…
Archaeologists reveal shock evidence of bustling 'English village' in medieval Rome
Archaeologists have revealed surprising evidence of a bustling "English village" in medieval Rome.The first physical evidence of an "English quarter", where the Pope gave Anglo-Saxon pilgrims special treatment by letting them spend their own currency, has been unearthed by a team digging near the Vatican.The University of Cambridge-led team discovered 20 coins - 19 silver pennies and a halfpenny - beneath the walled garden of the Palazzo della R…
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