Gunnar Heinsohn has been using his scissors to telescope AD chronology which included axing the Late Roman period (after 250BC) and making the 6th century AD event the same as the 3rd century AD setback which befell the Romans and threatened their frontiers (far and wide). This is said tongue in cheek by the way as Heinsohn's theory appeals to a very small minority.
At http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/treasure-hunter-dis… … we have news of a hoard of 22,000 Roman coins found by a metal detectorist in Devon (close by the site of a Roman villa). The coins date between AD260 and 340 and include coins with the image of Constantine the Great and his family as well as predecessors and and successors as emperor. All the coins date from the Late Roman period (post 250BC if you like). The number of coins is large but the monetary value is fairly low as these were low denomination coins probably issued to workers or soldiers. It is the equivalent of finding a bag full of small change but none the less the equivalent of two years salary for an ordinary person (of the time). Coin hoards are usually deposited as a result of the breakdown of civil authority – or a monetary crisis. Lots of hoards date from around 250 to 270BC as a result of imperial problems and Saxon raiding parties. This one dates from less than a hundred years after the restoration of stability – sop what was happening in mid 4th century AD?