ROME, ITALY—Rare evidence of medieval Rome’s thriving community of Anglo-Saxons has been found close to the city’s Palazzo della Rovere near the Vatican, according to a statement released by the University of Cambridge. The team has unearthed 20 coins, including 19 silver pennies and one halfpenny, minted by a son and grandsons of the Anglo-Saxon king—and first king of England—Alfred the Great. Scholars have long known about the Anglo-Saxon enclave in Rome. There are modern place names that preserve this legacy, including the embankment between the Tiber and the Vatican that is still called the Lungotevere in Sassia. Almost no archaeological evidence of the quarter had previously been found, however. According to Rory Naismith, Professor of Early Medieval English History at Cambridge, the coins are clearly evidence of trade, and more Anglo-Saxon coins from this period have now been found in Rome than papal coins. “This sounds bizarre,” Naismith said, “but it’s telling us that a very large amount of money was flowing in from England at this time.” To read about excavations near Palazzo della Rovere that uncovered one of the emperor Nero's favorite performance venues, go to "The Fiddler's Theater," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2023.
