2000 year old Roman coins are to go on display at the Watchet Market House Museum. The coins are being loaned by Carhampton resident Cliff Barber.

The two identical coins bear the face of emperor Vespasian on one side, and depict the mythological figures Romulus and Remus on the other.

The coins are known as sesterces, the term used for a particular denomination of Roman currency. Sesterces were minted almost exclusively in Rome, until the reign of Vespasian when many were minted in the French city of Lyon.

Vespasian ruled the Roman Empire from 69AD until his death in 79AD, after which he was succeeded by his son Titus. His image marked on the coinage dates them to the first century AD.

On the reverse side the figures of Romulus and Remus are depicted feeding from a wolf. The two brothers are said in myth to have founded Rome, after being raised in the wild by a wolf. The story tells that Romulus killed Remus in a dispute, after which the city took his name.

The coins were discovered in the West Country, and will be displayed in Watchet, where there is thought to have been a Roman lookout post.

Mr Barber purchased the coins at an online auction during lockdown in 2020. Now he is turning them over to the Watchet Market House Museum for the enjoyment of visitors.

The coins will be on display alongside a number of other exhibits throughout the museum's opening season which runs from March until November.