[3][4] The hoard was discovered by cousins Kevin and Martin Elliott,[5] who were amateur metal detectorists, in a field at Shapwick.

Excavation of the site found that it had been "buried in the corner of a room of a previously unknown Roman building" and, after further excavation and geophysical surveying, "revealed the room to be part of a courtyard villa".

[7] An addendum to the discovery was filed in the Treasure Annual Report 2000 which added a further 23 coins, valued at £690, also found by Kevin and Martin Elliott.

[1] The latest coin struck was in 224 AD, and it is estimated that the hoard as a whole represented ten years' pay for a Roman legionary.

[9] Shapwick has been the site of various hoard discoveries over the years, although the 1998 find was by far the largest.