A Roman coin, a SOLI INVICTO COMITI issue of Constantine I, of the Mint of Rome, issued in AD 313 was found just to the west of Llanafan school (at SN 6827 7213) in c.1980 by a local resident, Geraint Edwards, after the field had been ploughed. The find spot lies on a north-east facing hillslope on the opposite (south) side of the Cwm Rhydyfelin stream from the main lowland arable zone of the Trawsgoed Basin, where the Abermagwr villa is situated. It lies just half a kilometre south-east of a defended enclosure or promontory fort of the Iron Age at Cwm Rhydyfelin, recorded as cropmarks from the air during Royal Commission aerial reconnaissance. Mr Edwards found the coin as a schoolboy in the late 1970s when he had climbed the stile from the school playground into the field. He kept it in his own safekeeping until handing it to the authors for study in 2012.

The coin has been examined by J.L. Davies and P. J. Casey. The coin is particularly well preserved, which would not be expected had it lain unprotected in the local acidic subsoil for 1700 years. The state of preservation originally suggested to JLD that it may have come from a buried archaeological layer, such as might be found in a charcoal-rich deposit, or may until recently have been protected in a container such as a pottery vessel as part of a larger coin hoard. The only coins to survive with clear faces from the Abermagwr excavations were those from charcoal-rich contexts. There is no doubt that the coin is a genuine find for the locality, and is of similar date to the latest Roman coins (spanning the range AD 310-326) discovered during excavations of the Abermagwr villa which lies 2.5kms NNE of the find spot.

The question arose as to whether this single coin find indicated a buried archaeological site at Llanafan, such as a late Roman building, or indeed had formed part of a hoard. A metal detector survey of the field was deemed the best way to proceed given the possibility of an unrecorded hoard or Roman site lying somewhere in the field.

Three days of fieldwork, undertaken in late November and early December 2012, examined the entire field in a systematic manner focussing particularly on the area immediately to the west of the school where the coin was originally found, but widening out from it in a broad survey grid. An array of copper-alloy, bronze, lead and nickel finds were made but none was ostensibly earlier than the 19th century, apart from one circular hollow bronze bead. Coinage ranged from an 1887 One Penny, to a Threepence or thruppenny bit from the 1940s, and 2p and 1p pieces from 1971-1980. More recent finds included fragments of several toy `Matchbox? cars from the field behind the school. Despite the lack of any Roman finds, the survey did provide an interesting cross-section of late nineteenth century and twentieth century activity on the fringe of Llanafan village.

Given the range of returns of metal finds, and the absence of any Roman finds, the authors are forced to conclude that the Roman coin may have been a stray loss. However, given the presence of an early dedication to St Afan in the local Llanafan Church, which lies within a circular churchyard, there remains the possibility that a 4th century Roman occupation site may yet lie within or close to the village of which the stray coin loss is the only present indicator.

T.G. Driver and J.L.Davies, October 2013