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<\/a>A silver denarius of Emperor Carausius found during East West Rail archaeological work. Photo: East West Railway Company.<\/p>\nThe silver denarius, dated to around AD 287, bears the image of Carausius, a Roman naval commander who broke away from the empire and ruled Britain and northern Gaul as a self-declared emperor, according to East West Rail Co\u2019s official statement<\/a>. It was found in Bedfordshire or Cambridgeshire as part of archaeological survey work supporting the Oxford\u2013Cambridge rail line, which has now completed 1,000 of a planned 6,000 trial trenches along its route.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss\u2026Chiltern Railways East West Rail Set for 2025 Start<\/a><\/p>\n An officer accused of keeping the loot<\/p>\n Carausius commanded the Roman fleet protecting Britain and the English Channel from piracy before Roman authorities accused him of pocketing recovered spoils rather than returning them. Rather than face punishment, he declared himself Emperor of Britain in AD 286, setting up mints in London and Colchester that produced coins bearing his own name and image \u2014 a direct challenge to Rome\u2019s authority. His independent rule lasted seven years before he was murdered by his own finance minister, Allectus.<\/p>\n More trenches, more history to come<\/p>\n The find sits alongside a second Roman coin from the mid-to-late 2nd century, likely minted under Emperor Antoninus Pius or Marcus Aurelius, and a handmade Late Iron Age jar. \u201cWhen you\u2019re excavating these features, you\u2019re often the first person to see them in 2,000 years, sometimes even longer, which is a really special feeling,\u201d said Joss Piper-Jarrett, EWR Co\u2019s archaeology survey manager. The trenching programme, which informs the environmental assessment ahead of a planned 2027 Development Consent Order application, will continue for roughly two years, and EWR Co says particularly significant finds could eventually be displayed in local museums. The announcement does not specify which museum, if any, has been chosen for that purpose yet.<\/p>\n News on railway transport, industry, and railway technologies from Railway Supply<\/a> that you might have missed:<\/p>\n