One of the possible sites is at Gatcombe which was occupied from the middle of the 1st century until at least the fifth century, demonstrated by the coins of Theodosius, Magnus Maximus and Arcadius which have been found.
Four coins were discovered with the hoard; one of the emperor Valens, three of Arcadius and one of Honorius, which dates the find to some point in the fifth century AD.
Arcadius |
Some researchers suggest that it may refer to the Battle of Adrianople (378; speaks about the serious threat posed by the barbarian tribes to the empire), or even the death of Emperor Theodosius I (395; in many cases it uses the plural form of the word "princeps", the title of the emperor, which may refer to the split of the Empire between Honorius and Arcadius after the death of Theodosius).
Promotus had two sons who were raised with the emperors children, who in revenge for their father's murder helped Eutropius thwart Rufinus' plan to marry his daughter to the emperor Arcadius.
The excavation of the necropolis yielded a vast collection of ceramic vessels, jewelries, weapons and coins, the latter attributed to Constantius II(c.317-361), Constans (c.?-350), Theodosius I (c.346-395), Constantine the Great (c.271-337) and Arcadius (c.377-408), suggesting a more permanent occupation.