Late Roman Numismatics Research Papers

Besides some exceptions, the different kinds of weights found in the territory of Bulgaria haven’t been an object of study for years. Particularly, it concerns small and not enough attractive and typical weights. One of the reasons is the... more

Besides some exceptions, the different kinds of weights found in the territory of Bulgaria haven’t been an object of study for years. Particularly, it concerns small and not enough attractive and typical weights. One of the reasons is the ignorance of this archeological material. However, several Bulgarian numismatists expressed an interest
to these interesting monuments during the last 20 years, which have led to their publication. A significant part of these weights are found during archeological excavations and are referred to a concrete situation and context which facilitate their dating. More common use of exagia had begun since the 4th century after the coin reform of Constantine I the Emperor, when the striking of golden coins was really intensive
and was carried out as by the official authority as by private bodies – goldsmiths, which demanded a strong control upon their work.
There are presented 5 unpublished weights from the Kyustendil Regional History Museum’s Fund: 2 pieces for measuring golden coins – solidi and/or their subdivisions and multiplications weighing 9.39 g. and 2.08 g. and 3 pieces – for measuring in ounces weighing 160.31 g., 26.52 g. and 25.10 g. They all are bronze.
A matter of interest is the last weight having in the middle the image of a long cross with decorative points at the end of its arms. There is the numeral letter A (one ounce) to the right. The ounce mark that should be placed to the left has been deleted. A part of decoration, the so called fishbone, can be seen on the exagium’s periphery. A figure sitting on a throne with crossed legs, a long garment and a nimbus could be
seen when looking carefully above the cross. The figure is with outstretched arms slightly downwards. Having in mind the period of time the exagium was made (after the adoption of Christianity, in the 6th century precisely) and the blessing figure, most probably the image is of Jesus Christ.
For all of the weights except of the 6 ounces weight (weighing 160.31 g.), which is found during archeological excavations in the town of Kyustendil, the place of finding is unknown. However, these weights contribute to increase our knowledge about the Late Antique and Early Byzantine metric system and unambiguously speak about their common use as a measure to control the commodity relations within the 4th – 6th
century’s period.

This paper is a new study of the FEL TEMP REPARATIO Falling horseman bronze coin type introduced in 348 AD by Constantine I’s two surviving sons, Constans and Constantius II. This article updates much out of date scholarship and attempts... more

This paper revisits the minimi found in the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands and the mixed assemblages that include not only Visigothic bronzes but also other coins, especially late Roman, Byzantine and Vandal pieces. The... more

Studio delle monete emerse nel corso della campagna di scavo del 2016.

In the summer of 2016, a hoard containing more than 1000 bronze coins of a small denomination, stuck together in druses, was arrested during a police action in Dolna Sekirna village, Breznik municipality, Pernik district. Most probably... more

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- by Svetoslava Filipova and +1
  Philip Mihaylov
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- 3
  Late Roman Archaeology, Coin Hoards, Late Roman Numismatics

The last day of the year 406, Sueves, Vandals and Alans crossed the Rhin. On this paper I reassess the traditional historiographical view on this issue and I offer an alternative view of the sources that described this penetration,... more

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- by David Alvarez Jimenez
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- 36
  History, Roman History, Arthurian Studies, History of Piracy

Coin Tells Story of Late Roman Empire: Valentinian III, Honoria, Attila, Petronius, Licinia, and Gaiseric An unusual small bronze coin or nummus is presented and evaluated. The coin may be a Vandalic imitation of a type issued at Rome... more

The article review 3 rare ancient coins from Southern Bulgaria - diobolos of Odrysian king Sparatocos(445-435 BC) from the Region of Sliven; Barbarous radiate coin (imitation of original coin from Roman emperor Gallienus?) from Branipole... more

The discovery of archival documents led to the reconstruction of a fourth-century AD coin assemblage otherwise unknown. The fifty-one bronze coins were found in one of the rooms of the synagogue at ancient Ostia during excavations carried... more

This brief paper considers a Constantinian bronze coin with double-obverse recently studied by Alan M. Stahl and Rafail Zoulis in Concordia Disciplinarum: Essays on Ancient Coinage, History and Archaeology in Honor of William E. Metcalf... more

The aim of the article is to publish and discuss the late Roman solidus of Theodosius II (408-450), found in 2018 in the vicinity of the village of Prełuki, Komańcza commune, Sanok County. The coin was found randomly by treasure hunters,... more

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- by Jarosław Artur Bodzek and +1
  Piotr Kotowicz
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- 8
  Barbaricum, Przeworsk culture, Late Roman Period, Migration Period Archaeology

The Germanic kingdoms, as successors of the Roman Empire, were attached to many aspects of the Roman tradition and tried to perpetuate them, and one of the most important was the production of gold and silver coinage as an expression of... more

The Germanic kingdoms, as successors of the Roman Empire, were attached to many aspects of the Roman tradition and tried to perpetuate them, and one of the most important was the production of gold and silver coinage as an expression of power and prestige. Numismatic researchers have had at their disposal an important repertoire of precious metal coins from different kingdoms coming from finds and old collections due to the interest and value of these pieces. Nevertheless, besides the high-quality issues in precious metals, the numismatic repertoire of this period also includes small and humble pieces with crude technique and general poor state of preservation which may explain their near-total absence from ancient excavation inventories. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, currently we count with many ensembles of these bronze coins –generally known as minimi–, even the material is in itself problematic, essentially due to the large amount of cleaning and restoring involved, so this material is sent to the ‘back of the queue’ in the priorities of the Museums, which explains why so many of the specimens are reported to feature ineligible legends, this has hampered their analysis and publication.

The different monetary metals do not imply different methods of manufacture but probably a different way of approaching the production of coinage and certainly a different care. However, minting different metals may involve different issuing authorities, and generally and almost certainly involves different social uses and different dispersion of coins. Broadly speaking, we would have different environments of coin circulation that rarely match exactly: the coinage in precious metals, principally in gold, minted for every kingdom and is used principally (but not only) in a ‘regional’ economy of gifts, being, thus, limited in explaining the market economy, and on the other hand, the minimi, minted by diverse authorities unlike the gold and silver coins, circulated all mixed together during the sixth and seventh century, and likely extended beyond that period. The wide circulation of these minimi through the Mediterranean indicates that they played an essential role in the economic life of the period.

These Study Days are focused to show the coin repertoire of the Early Middle Ages in several metals and in the different areas of Europe, and trying to establish a nexus between them up to the first decades of the eight century which leads to important changes, that will be notably accentuated with the sudden Umayyad conquest of the Iberian Peninsula and the rise of the Carolingian Empire.

Sobranie Мoscow 2015 Scripta antiqua Scripta antiqua МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ ИНСТИТУТ АНТИЧНОГО МИРА ИМЕНИ Г.М.БОНГАРД-ЛЕВИНА Вопросы древней истории, филологии, искусства и материальной культуры Альманах Том четвертый Собрание Москва 2015 Античная... more

The hoard here presented consists of 39 copper coins of Constantine the Great’s family representatives. Its chronological range is very compact – 330-341. There are 17 coins of Constantine I (306-337), 2 coins of Helen, 1 of Constantine... more

The hoard here presented consists of 39 copper coins of Constantine the Great’s family representatives. Its chronological range is very compact – 330-341. There are 17 coins of Constantine I (306-337), 2 coins of Helen, 1 of Constantine II (318-340 г.), 2 pieces of Dalmatius (335-337), 5 coins of Constans (333-350) and 12 of Constantius II (324-361). The coin types were predominant for the period of coinage – the two variants of GLORIA EXERCITVS, VRBS ROMA, CONSTANTINOPOLIS and PAX PVBLICA (for the coins of Helen). The marks of the monetary workshops are preserved on 33 coins. They are minted in Thessalonica – 12 coins, Constantinople – 10, Cyzicus – 6, Heraclea – 3, Siscia – 1 and Nicomedia – 1. The coins minted in the Balkan workshops of the Empire (Thessalonica, Constantinople and Heraclea) predominate which is quite logical having in mind the location of the village of Hotovo and especially as a result of the relocation of the centre of the Empire to the east and the establishment of the new Capital city of Constantinople. The weight of the coins is in the range of 2.94 – 1.29 grams. The greater weight of the coins minted between 330 and 335 should be pointed out. It varies between 2.94 and 2.10 grams with two exceptions. The weight of the coins from the second group, minted between 335 and 341 is within the range of 2.12 – 1.22 grams. The weight difference of the coins in the two groups is related to the further reduction of the weight of the bronze nominal in the year 336. A problem with the interpretation of the possible concealing of the coins is the fact that it was acquired by the Archaeological Museum in Sandanski as a donation, which does not allow us to draw explicit conclusions. The necropoleis recorded on the territory of Hotovo and the neighbouring villages give grounds to the possibility that the hoard may be interpreted as a grave offering. The practice of putting coins in the grave structures during the 4th century followed a tradition that existed in the burial practice of the pre-Christian period. Such cases have been recorded on the entire territory of modern Bulgaria and particularly in the Struma River valley as well as in the eastern regions of FYROM. If we accept the proposition that the hoard comes from a necropolis, then the hoard was buried shortly after 341 which is suggested by the good quality of the coins

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- by Svetoslava Filipova
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- 2
  Late Antiquity, Late Roman Numismatics

A Coin Fit for Petronius Robert M. Cutler, Potomac, MD, USA 17 January 2018 Abstract A small bronze ancient coin with an unusual monogram is considered with regard to its possible minting by various authorities. The late Roman rulers... more

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- by Robert M Cutler
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- 57
  Roman History, Numismatics, Early Medieval History, Numismatic

Contesti archeologicì e namismutici di età turdo-antica nell'Ituliu centrule Incontro di studio venerdì 3 luglio 2015, ore 9n30 ISTTTUTO IraT,rANO DI NUUTSMATICA RowrAo vIA Qunrrno FoNrnun 13 -Ptt tz,zo BnngERrNr con Ia partecipazíone di... more

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Late Roman Numismatics

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