en
Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean

Group of tetradrachmas from the reign of Diocletian discovered at Kom el-Dikka in Alexandria

2020, 29, No. 2

Adam Jegliński

Independent researcher

DOI

10.31338/uw.2083-537X.pam29.2.22

Publication date

31.12.2020

Publishing model

open access

License type

CC BY 4.0 Int.

Field

Humanities

Discipline

archeology

Language of publication

English

Downloads

PDF 2 MB

Article

Number of views:236

Number of downloads:71

Crossref citations:0

Altmetric score:0

Abstract

A set of more than 30 tetradrachmas from the second half of the 3rd century AD was discovered in Alexandria in Egypt, at the Kom el-Dikka site excavated by a Polish mission, in a zone of public buildings constructed in the 4th century AD. A row of lime kilns from the construction site of this complex stood on top of the ruins of an early Roman domestic quarter and, after they ceased to be used, were covered with earth and rubble, the latter partly from the destruction layer of these houses. Excavation of the kilns in 2008 and 2009 produced large quantities of 4th and 5th century pottery as well as pieces of marble revetment that had been fed to the kilns, and isolated late Roman coins. The tetradrachmas from two of the kilns (Fc and Fd), which were hoarded apparently in AD 293–295, seems to have preceded the destruction of the early Roman houses and may have been hidden in one of them.

Keywords:

Roman coin hoard,Egypt,Alexandria,Kom el-Dikka,tetradrachms,Diocletian

Bibliography

Callu, J.-P. (1969). La politique monetaire des empereurs romains de 238 à 311 (=Bibliothèque des Écoles françaises d’Athènes et de Rome 214). Paris: De Boccard

Christiansen, E. (1985). The Roman coins of Alexandria (30 B.C. to A.D. 296): An inventory of hoards. Coin Hoards, 7, 77–140

Christiansen, E. (2004). Coinage in Roman Egypt: The hoard evidence. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press

Christiansen, E. (2013). Coinage, Roman Egypt. In R.S. Bagnall (ed.), The encyclopedia of ancient history III (pp. 1630–1639). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell

Estiot, S. (2012). The later third century. In W.E. Metcalf (ed.), The Oxford handbook of Greek and Roman coinage (pp. 538–560). New York: Oxford University Press

Harl, K.W. (1996). Coinage in the Roman economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press

Jegliński, A. (2011). Numismatic finds from Kom el-Dikka (Alexandria), 2008. PAM, 20, 70–79

Kołątaj, W. (1992). Imperial baths at Kom El-Dikka (=Alexandrie 6). Warsaw: Zakład Archeologii Śródziemnomorskiej Polskiej Akademii Nauk

Lendon, J.E. (1990). The face on the coins and inflation in Roman Egypt. Klio, 72, 106–134

Majcherek, G. (1995). Alexandria 1994: Archaeological excavations. PAM, 6, 11–20

Majcherek, G. (1999). Kom el-Dikka. Excavations, 1997/98. PAM, 10, 29–39

Majcherek, G. (2007). Kom el-Dikka. Excavation and preservation work. Preliminary report, 2004/2005. PAM, 17, 21–34

Majcherek, G. (2011). Alexandria: Kom el-Dikka excavations and preservation work. Preliminary report 2007/2008. PAM, 20, 35–51

Majcherek, G. (2012). Alexandria Kom el-Dikka: Excavations and preservation work. Preliminary report 2008/2009. PAM, 21, 27–48

Majcherek, G. (2019). Alexandria Kom el-Dikka. Excavations and preservation work in the 2018 season. PAM. 28, 21–42

Milne, J.G. (1922). The coins from Oxyrhynchus. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 8(3/4), 158–163

Robertson, S. (2015). The crisis of the 3rd century A.D.: Wage increases and inflation in Roman Egypt (unpubl. Ph.D. diss., Durham University). Retrieved from http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/11323/ (accessed: 04.06.2020)

Savio, A. and Cavagna, A. (2011). An alleged hoard of third century Alexandrian tetradrachms. In N. Holmes (ed.), Proceedings of the XIVth International Numismatic Congress, Glasgow 2009 (pp. 999–1003). Glasgow: International Numismatic Council

Similar publications