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Historical Research Through Coin Hoards

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Historical Research Through Coin Hoards HISTORICAL RESEARCH THROUGH COIN HOARDS Abstract: This discussion highlights the significance of often overlooked coin hoards in historical studies of the Roman Empire. It analyses the problems of incorporating numismatics as a means for studying ancient Roman history. The main part of the discussion focuses on the reliability level of hoard analysis and the possible pitfalls that lead to an insufficiently critical interpretation. In the example of two fourth-century Roman hoards from Slovenia, the Emona and the Čentur hoards, the Leilani Štajer 1 author tries to show what such studies can bring, and with which University of Primorska challenges historians are faced with while studying coin hoards. [email protected] She also explores how new approaches to studying coin hoards could help to integrate their studies into the study of classical history. Keywords: Numismatics, coin hoards, history, historical sources, DOI: 10.14795/j.v7i1_SI.494 Emona, Čentur. ISSN 2360 – 266X ISSN–L 2360 – 266X HISTORY THROUGH NUMISMATICS owadays, we have far surpassed our understanding of the past as a merely political or military history of great events and personalities. To fully comprehend Nhistory’s complexities, we must take into consideration its often overlooked facets such as economic, social and cultural history or history of art - which should complement each other. An under-utilized field for studying history is numismatics. In the field of classical studies, where the quantity of ancient sources is very limited, the coins used in people’s everyday lives represent an important source of information. Despite the fact that coins cannot compare with written sources in the expressiveness of complex political events, they do have other advantages. Coins, preserved in large quantities, always reflect the public sphere, as the state itself was responsible for their definition and value. Overall, coins testify directly about the time in which they were created and therefore do not have the 1 The author is grateful to Mary N. Lannin (New York) for her assistance in correcting her written English. 441 disadvantage of retrospective records.2 Since of individual archaeological stratigraphic units many ancient Roman coins refer to historical and to date the rest of the chronologically events such as wars, conquests, constructions less-tangible artefacts, discovered within the or reconstructions of public monuments, same layers of soil. Three dates should be or public festivities, coins provide us an applied to coin hoards: the date at which the important insight about state religions, cult, majority of coins were assembled, the date of political thought, ideology, art and monetary the latest coin in the hoard and the estimated system.3 date at which the hoard was buried.7 The Despite all this, and the famous quote most recent coin is of critical importance and by Jean Babelon about numismatics being the identification of the mint and estimated an historical auxiliary science,4 scholars striking date helps to determine the terminus concerned with the ancient world such as post quem of the hoard.8 The date at which ancient historians and excavators tend not the latest coin was struck is reasonably easy to take enough notice of numismatics.5 to determine and reasonably secure, but it is Perhaps one of the reasons is the difficulty almost impossible to determine when that in connecting coin studies directly to their coin was added to the hoard. To use that date research. However, the main reason might as the time of the burying of the hoard may be lie in numismatists’ failure to give a straight correct, but we have no way of confirming that. answer to straight questions. So many aspects The only firm way to date it is by a stratigraphic of coin studies are devoted to methods rather argument on the position of the hoard in a than conclusions.6 And those scholars who dated excavated sequence.9 Therefore coins do study coins face many recurring problems, published from a site without archaeological especially when approaching the study of coin context (the deposit in which they were found hoards, which is quite different from studying described in its stratigraphic position) cannot coin types or individual coin finds. With careful give us safe, reliable information. interpretation, hoards can be one of the most Fully documented coin hoards can important sources for studying the ancient enable precise determination of the time economic, political and military history of a of the archaeological layer in which it was particular territory, especially if based on the found, as well as clarify a number of other analysis of several contemporaneous hoards. questions connected with the flow of money in circulation, with the relative chronology CHALLENGES IN THE STUDY of individual coins or coin emissions, and OF COIN HOARDS – DISCOVERY AND monetary history in general. This is only DATING possible if the data concerning the site is There are many recurring challenges a determined and documented as accurately historian faces when studying coin hoards, as possible. Therefore, when dealing with the first being the circumstances of the coin hoards the quantity (the number of discovery. Whenever a coin hoard derives pieces found) is certainly not as important as from archaeological excavations it is possible quality (carefully documenting the context of to determine precisely the chronological order all coin finds).10 In the interpretation of coin finds, if considering coins to be an absolute 2 HOWGEGO 1997, 62. chronological factor, we must take into 3 FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM. 4 »Science auxiliaire de l’histoire, dit-on, la numismatique account the ‘delay factor’, which is the time se résigne difficilement à ce rôle ancillaire« BABELON the coin entered circulation after minting in 1961, 329. 5 REECE s.d. 7 REECE s.d. 6 Some scholars might find it difficult to take in 8 KOS 1997, 107. diagrams and large numbers as these are uncommon 9 REECE s.d. elements for research in the humanities. REECE s.d. 10 KOS 1997, 114. 442 Leilani Štajer the region* of its later hoarding, which is fairly the possibility of accurate dating, which unreliable. In the interpretation, we must pay otherwise make coins one of the most attention to how much the coin had been important historical primary sources, will used at the time of its burial, by examining significantly diminish. Here too, there have its condition (its wear), since the greater or been some inconsistencies in the past that lesser use of a coin is an important element were linked to a catalogue presentation in establishing objectively how long the coin and later interpretation of coin hoards. In was in circulation before becoming part of the the event that we only have information site.11 An analysis of coin hoards should always about a small proportion of a bigger find, respect the composition of the hoard. The size there is a high probability that precisely the of the hoard can reveal whether the hoard was most recently struck coins in the find will personal property, family wealth or official be missing, since they are likely to also have character, although only the circumstances been the best preserved and thus of most of the discovery can reveal whether they were interest on the numismatic market.15 This is military or civilian treasures.12 The appearance the most common problem with hoards which of coins from individual coin periods and haven’t been discovered in the context of in the context as well as the appearance of archaeological excavations. Establishing the coins of individual mints should be taken time and cause of burial of such rudimentarily in consideration as well. An analysis of the preserved or documented hoards cannot be appearance of coins of individual mints very objectively established. often show that in terms of monetary mass, coins from the nearest mint to the site always THE PROBLEMS OF HOARD predominate, which also reflects the currency ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION circulation.13 The circumstances regarding the context Since most hoards are discovered of a hoard are of paramount importance. by accident, the first person to come in However, quite a lot of information can contact with them is rarely trained to handle be derived from the distribution of coins archaeological artefacts properly. In many from area to area without any stratigraphic cases, archaeological sites are damaged due information, and coins found together in to unearthing with the careless use of metal a single deposit do have a context which is detectors and shovels.14 And whenever often greatly improved by similar deposits. A on-site data is superficially determined or good example of area studies is the late first documented, both the expressive value and / early second centuries silver coins which show Zeus Ammon on the reverse: they had 11 KOS 1997a, 115. been attributed to Caesaraea in Cappadocia, 12 MIŠKEC 2002, 380. but are found in North Africa., and their find 13 The analysis of the representation of mints helps us spots – judged in geographical rather than establish, mainly in the fourth century, the affiliation of some regions of the Roman empire to the spheres of stratigraphic terms – made it reasonably clear interest of individual rulers. For example, in 318–324 that they belong not to Asia Minor but to the worsening of relations between the legitimate Cyrene.16 Emperors Constantine the Great and Licinius had Coins from archaeological contexts an impact on monetary circulation. The coins from can also tell us who the intended audience Western mints could not easily penetrate East and 17 vice versa. See G. L. Duncan, Coin Circulation in the was. The study of the hoards’ geographic Danubian and Balkan Provinces of the Roman Empire distribution displays an evident pattern: the AD 294–578 (London 1993) 9.
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