£14 



Discovery of Roman Coins 8fc. 8fc. [No. 30. 



11. Head of Claudius .1 example. 



CLAVD. CAESAR. AVG. P. M. TR. POT. IMP. X. 

 An oak wreath within which, 



S. P. Q. R. P. P. OB. C. S. 



522 



Roman coins have been frequently met with in Southern India particu- 

 larly in Coimbatore. The Collector in forwarding the above described 

 specimens to Government, notices a similar discovery as having been made 

 at Palachy in the same district in 1800. " A pot was dug up containing a 

 great many Roman coins of Augustus and Tiberius. They were of two 

 kinds but all of the same weight and value."* These were probably the 

 same referred to in a sketch found among the late Col. Mackenzie's 

 papers of " gold and silver imperial coins found in Coimbatore," 

 the latter in Kongyam in 1801. Of these there are 10 drawings 

 all of silver denarii, of the same types as Nos. 1 and 3 above described 

 and the recurrence of which in such large numbers, on two different 

 occasions, is sufficiently remarkable. Col. Mackenzie's other sketches 

 refer to " gold coins found at Caroor in 1806." They are five 

 in number all of different types. 1. AVGVSTVS DIVI. F. with a very 

 curious and apparently undescribed reverse like a dog or sow or some 

 large quadruped, with its nose to the ground and its tail over its back, 

 below which in the exergue IMP. X. 2. The common type of Tiberius 

 as Pontifex Maximus. 3. Of Antonia CONSTANTS. AVGVSTA. 

 (Akerman D. C. I. p. 148. No. 1.) 4. Two of Claudius, one CONSTANTS 

 AVGVSTI (Akerman I p." 155. No. 2.) and the other S. P. Q. R. P.P. 

 OB. C. S. in an oak wreath. Mr. Garrow a former Collector of Coimba- 

 tore, in aJetter dated 1817, also alludes to a silver coin of Augustus found 

 in one of the old tombs calfed Pandu Culis with a number of the irregu- 

 larly shaped punch coins, met with in all parts of India. A letter from 

 Mr. Alexander Davidson, formerly Governor of Madras published in the 

 2d vol. of the Asiatic Researches f dated July 1787 mentions the discovery 

 of a number of Roman gold coins at Nellore, by a ryot ploughing. 

 About 30 fell into the hands of the Nawab Amir ul Umra among which 

 were several Trajans in fine preservation. His Highness presented 

 two to Mr. Davidson, a Hadrian and Faustina. 



In June 1838, an aureus of Trajan in line preservation was picked up 

 by a woman gathering sticks on the side of a stony hill near the village 

 of Athiral in the Chitwail Talook of the Cuddapah District. 

 Obv. Head of Trajan. 



* Hamilton's Gazetteer p. 636. 8vo. ed. voce Palachy. 

 Buchanan's Journey II. 31*. His description is somewhat inaccurate, 

 ■t- Asiatic Researches, vol. II. p. 331. 8vo. ed. 



