NINA SCHREINER

ROMAN CITY DIG 2010SESSION #3

Bronze Coins of the Late Roman Empire

Freshly Excavated!

This is what a Late Empire coin looks like when you find it in the ground.

•Greenish color due to the oxidation of bronze

•Obscured motifs

•Doesn’t always register on the metal detector, due to its small size (low concentration of metal)

•What is the story behind this tiny piece of metal?

Introduction

Small bronze coins like this one were especially common during the Late Roman Empire.

The Late Roman Empire is used in this context in reference to the 3rd through 5th centuries AD.

This is a general study that will present the basic differences between coins minted before and during the Late Empire and the historical context of these changes.

Brief History of Rome 300A.D.-500 A.D

By the late 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire was disintegrating. During the crisis of 234-284, 25 different emperors ruled Rome. Two driving factors for this disintegration were:

1. Ruralization of the economy and society2. Invasion and encroachment of various barbarian groups

The Empire had become too large to be effectively ruled by one central administration so Emperor Diocletian divided it into two halves.

Public investments stopped during this period and cities declined as centers of society and production.

Inflation of currency was an additional problem. Due to the above, the state lacked precious metals and its treasury ran low. Though Diocletian attempted to fix prices and the values of coinage,

changes were made again under the reign of Constantine in the 3rd century AD.

In 476 AD, Emperor Romulus Augustus was deposed as the last Roman Emperor.

300 A.D. 500 A.D.

Maps of the Roman Empire

List of Emperors 300A.D.-476A.D.

284-305  Diocletian 297(296?) L.

Domitius Domitianus 

297-298? Aurelius Achilleus

303? Eugenius 285-ca.310

Maximianus Herculius

285 or 286Amandus 285 or 286Aelianus ca. 286-293 Iulianus 293-306 Constantius

I Chlorus 293-311 Galerius 305-313 Maximinus

Daia 305-307 Severus II 306-312 Maxentius 308-309 L. Domitius

Alexander

•364-378 Valens

•365-366 Procopius

•366 Marcellus

•367-383 Gratian

•375-392 Valentinian II

•378-395 Theodosius I the Great

•383-388 Magnus Maximus

•384-388 Flavius Victor

•392-394 Eugenius

•393-423 Honorius

•406-407 Marcus

•407 Gratian

•407-411 Constantine III

•409/10-411 Constans II

•409-411 Maximus

•409-410, 414-415 Priscus Attalus

•411-413 Jovinus

•412-413 Sebastianus

•421 Constantius III

•423-425 Johannes

•425-455 Valentinian III

•455 Petronius Maximus

•455-456 Avitus

•457-461 Majorian

• 461-465 Libius Severus

•467-472 Anthemius

•468 Arvandus

•470 Romanus

•472 Olybrius

•473-474 Glycerius

•474-475 Julius Nepos

•475-476 Romulus Augustulus

•308-324 Licinius

•314(316?)Valens

•324 Martinianus

•306-337 Constantine I 

•333/334 Calocaerus

•337-340 Constantine II

•337-350 Constans I

•337-361 Constantius II

•350-353 Magnentius

•350 Nepotian

•350Vetranio

•355Silvanus

•361-363 Julian

•363-364 Jovian

•364-375 Valentinian I 

•372?-374 or 375Firmus

Diocletian Constantine

Fixed prices and occupations but accepted that coinage had been devalued

Ended the Crisis of 234-284

Divided the Empire (395 AD)

Ensured the Empire would survive at least a while longer

Reformed currency, introducing gold standard

Converted to Christianity

Issued the Edict of MilanSecured BordersDid not provide for the

continuation of his projects

Important Emperors

Theodosius Romulus Augustus

Main accomplishments were keeping the barbarian groups at bay

Born in Spain

Most famous for being the last Roman emperor

Deposed after only ten years of rule

Important Emperors

What does all this mean for coins?

Scarcity of gold, silver and bronze and decreasing wealth in the imperial treasury led to a necessary downsizing of coinage.

Coins were made smaller in response to the Late Empire economic crises.

Large quantities of small bronze coins were minted, without any silver or gold content.

Bronze coins from earlier periods were reused.

Most expressive of crisis, Romans cut old coins into halves to be reused.

Roman Coins

During the early Empire, a stable coin system existed, with pieces valued as follows:

1 aureus = 25 denarii 1 quinarius (gold) = 12 1/2 denarii 1 denarius = 16 asses 1 quinarius (silver) = 8 asses 1 sestertius = 4 asses 1 dupondius = 2 asses 1 as = 4 quadrantes 1 semis = 2 quadrantes 1 quadrans = 1/4 as

Before DeclineDuring Late Empire Crisis

Comparison of coins minted before and during decline:

Variety of sizes and metal contents characterize earlier Roman Empire coins.

New types of bronze coins were introduced from the mid-3rd century on and in silver-based coins the percentage of bronze to silver increased.

Attempts to Halt Coin Devaluation

As part of his reforms Diocletian introduced the follis, a silver-washed bronze coin. Over the years this coin also decreased in silver content and size.

Constans and Constantius II attempted to reintroduce a large bronze coin to counteract the shrinking follis and called it the Centenionalis, but it too was short-lived.

Follis

Centenionalis

Back to Our Coins!

These are some examples of the coins found at Sanisera, in the room excavated by the Cristina and the Session 3 students.

Of the coins found in this room, only three were large size. The rest appear to be Late Empire period small bronze coins.

It isn’t broken; this coin was intentionally cut in half before deposition.

Example of a larger coin, minted prior to the Late Empire crisis.

Examples of small Late Empire coins.

Bibliography

“A Guide to the Coins of the Roman Empire.” The Portable Antiquities Scheme. The British Museum. 2010. [Retrieved

online] 27 May 2010. http://www.finds.org.uk/romancoins/mints.

Ermatinger, James William. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2004.

Greene, Kevin. The Archaeology of the Roman Economy. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990.

Kelly, Christopher. The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Mathisen, Ralph W. and Michael DiMaio, Jr. “The Imperial Index: The Rulers of the Roman Empire.” De Imperatoribus Romanis. 2006. [Retrieved online] 27 May 2010. http://www.roman-emperors.org/impindex.htm

Nelson, Lynn H. PhD. “The Later Roman Empire.” Lectures in Medieval History. University of Kansas. 2001. [Retrieved online] 27 May 2010. http://www.vlib.us/medieval/lectures/late_roman_empire.html

“Roman Coins.” UNRV History: Roman Empire. 2010. [Retrieved online] 27 May 2010. http://www.unrv.com/economy/roman-coins.php

Smith, Wm. Bradford. Chapter 4: The Later Roman Empire: Crisis, Restoration, Transformation. Atlanta, GA: Oglethorpe University. [Retrieved online] 27 May 2010.

http://www.oglethorpe.edu/faculty/~b_smith/ou/bs_foundations_chapter4.htm