Ian Leins

Curator of Iron Age and Roman coins

Coinage of the Roman Empire; Iron Age Britain and Europe

Department: Coins and Medals

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7323 8607
Email: ileins @ thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

Ian Leins is responsible for the Museum’s collection of around 120,000 Iron Age coins and Roman coins. His main interests surround the history, archaeology and coinage of Iron Age and Roman Britain and his current research explores the role of Iron Age coinage as a source for understanding the societies of southern Britain before the Roman conquest of AD 43.

Much of his time is taken up with recording and cataloguing coin hoards which have to be reported under UK law. This can involve anything from a quick report on a find of two or three coins to the identification and publication of hoards of several thousand. Ian also manages his department’s continuing commitment to make images and details of its collection of coins and medals available online.

Since joining Coins and Medals in 2000, he has worked in several different roles, including two years as a Finds Adviser to the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

Current British Museum projects

The online publication of data from the Celtic Coin Index (Oxford)

Volume XII of the series Coin Hoards from Roman Britain (due 2007-8)

Previous British Museum projects

BM exhibitions curated by Ian Leins include:

Public Image: Portraits on Coins and Medals (2004) and displays to mark the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II (2002).

Ian recently created an online guide to Roman Coinage: www.finds.org.uk/romancoins

External fellowships/ honorary positions/ membership of professional bodies

Associate member of the Museums Association (AMA) since January 2005

Publications

I. Leins, ‘Community, Politics and Sacrifice: The East Leicestershire hoard’ in British Archaeology, 89 (2006), pp. 34-9

I. Leins, ‘Domitianus II: The forgotten emperor’ in Current Archaeology, 194 (2004), pp. 76-9

I. Leins, The Age of Augustus, M. G. L. Cooley (ed.), (London: LACTOR, 2003), pp. 203ff; 311ff; 377ff

I. Leins, Treasure Activity Book (London: British Museum Press, 2003)

I. Leins, Coin Hoards from Roman Britain XI, with R. Abdy and J. Williams, (London: Royal Numismatic Society Special Publications 36, 2002)