Based on statistical analysis of more than 1200 Roman and provincial coins found in Aegean Thrace, the present study aims to reconstruct the monetary circulation and to trace the relations between the cities that prospered between the 1 st and the 3 rd c. 1 : Topeiros, Abdera, Maroneia, Traianopolis and Plotinopolis. Those cities were affected directly or indirectly by the Roman administrative changes in the province of Thrace in the course of three centuries. Their monetary production, compared with the presence of Roman imperial coins in the area, points to their mutually complementary relations.

A total of 48 coin hoards from Republic of Bulgaria date to the Early Principate period are subject of this paper. This is by far the largest ever assembled body of coin deposits. They form a significant collection with a total of 6,341; of them only 4,771 ‘good’ coins. As with the Republicans, only hoards larger than 10 well-identified coins are selected for analyses and those which were reliably documented and/or published.

During the late third and early second centuries BC Rome’s empire expanded immensely. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the changes in coinage both during and after Roman military activity throughout the Mediterranean basin, and then to determine how these changes illustrate Rome’s economic philosophy when considering provincial coinage. Iberia, Sicily, and Greece will be utilised as case studies for this thesis, each demonstrating a unique numismatic reaction to their incorporation into the Roman empire. Additionally, this thesis will explore the Mediterranean’s active Market economy during the second century BC, and both the history of Roman coinage, and the contemporary numismatic situation occurring within Rome during the second century BC. By presenting these case studies this thesis demonstrates that ancient coinage is a tangible piece of evidence for the analysis of how Rome perceived their role as an Imperial power, and the power dynamic in relation to the provincial people which accompanied it. Further, coinage is brought forward as a valuable source of evidence during a period where contemporary historical literature is scarce, and therefore, the numismatic record brings to light the local monetary response to their developing political environment.

This article presents the highlights of the International Conference 'Coinage in the Roman Provinces before RPC held virtually on March 23-25, 2021. Most of the papers presented were based on the specimens included in the R.B.Witschonke Collections. The 4,000 coins included in this collection, now at the ANS are mainly dated between the second and the first century BC and provide the historical and numismatic prologue to the study of Roman Provincial coinage. Most of the specimens are of great historical and numismatic value, as they illustrate the gradual transition from distinct to compatible monetary systems in the Mediterranean basin. While retaining an extraordinary variety in appearance and weight, the coins of the collection tell the tale of a partial convergence toward the Roman monetary system before the inception of the so-called Roman Provincial coinage in the second half of the first century BC. The ways in which this convergence took place are manifold, spanning from imitations of Roman Republican denarii from Romania and Gaul to the lead tokens of Spain, from Aesillas’ tetradrachms in Macedonia to the Romano-Sicilian coins in Sicily, local coinages and pseudo-mints in Central and Southern Italy. The collection thus offers a unique overview of the diverse ways in which the monetary systems of the Mediterranean basin responded to the Roman conquest in the second and early first century BC and to the related necessity of interconnectivity. 4,000 coins included in the R. B.Witschonke Collection at the ANS, mainly dated between the second and the first century BC, provide the historical and numismatic prologue to the study of Roman Provincial coinage. Most of the specimens are of great historical and numismatic value, as they illustrate the gradual transition from distinct to compatible monetary systems in the Mediterranean basin. While retaining an extraordinary variety in appearance and weight, the coins of the collection tell the tale of a partial convergence toward the Roman monetary system before the inception of the so-called Roman Provincial coinage in the second half of the first century BC. The ways in which this convergence took place are manifold, spanning from imitations of Roman Republican denarii from Romania and Gaul to the lead tokens of Spain, from Aesillas’ tetradrachms in Macedonia to the Romano-Sicilian coins in Sicily, local coinages and pseudo-mints in Central and Southern Italy. The collection thus offers a unique overview of the diverse ways in which the monetary systems of the Mediterranean basin responded to the Roman conquest in the second and early first century BC and to the related necessity of interconnectivity. The 4,000 coins included in the R. B.Witschonke Collection at the ANS, mainly dated between the second and the first century BC, provide the historical and numismatic prologue to the study of Roman Provincial coinage. Most of the specimens are of great historical and numismatic value, as they illustrate the gradual transition from distinct to compatible monetary systems in the Mediterranean basin. While retaining an extraordinary variety in appearance and weight, the coins of the collection tell the tale of a partial convergence toward the Roman monetary system before the inception of the so-called Roman Provincial coinage in the second half of the first century BC. The ways in which this convergence took place are manifold, spanning from imitations of Roman Republican denarii from Romania and Gaul to the lead tokens of Spain, from Aesillas’ tetradrachms in Macedonia to the Romano-Sicilian coins in Sicily, local coinages and pseudo-mints in Central and Southern Italy. The collection thus offers a unique overview of the diverse ways in which the monetary systems of the Mediterranean basin responded to the Roman conquest in the second and early first century BC and to the related necessity of interconnectivity.

Given the difficulty in systematically collecting and analysing hoard data, quantification of coinage output for the Roman imperial period has principally relied on one very large hoard (Reka Devnia, Bulgaria) as a proxy for relative production. This paper uses a vast body of hoard evidence collected from Roman hoards in Romania and the northwest of continental Europe to test whether the Reka Devnia hoard can be considered as being representative of denarius production during the reigns of Nerva and Trajan (AD 96-117). Furthermore, it considers the relative frequency of issues and calculates a normalized average output on the basis of the hoard finds. By using these two metrics, similarities and differences between the various control groups and Reka Devnia are highlighted. It can be concluded that for particular issues and reigns, the Reka Devnia hoard is not necessarily reliable for quantification purposes, but also that, despite some regional differences, coin supply to the two regions of the Roman Empire examined here, as reflected by general averages, was to some extent surprisingly similar.

The archaeological work undertaken on late Roman and early Byzantine sites in the Balkans has revolutionized our knowledge of this part of the world in late antiquity. How these sites are dated is obviously important as, without accurate and reliable dating, it is difficult to understand how they fit into the wider historical narrative. This paper takes the coins excavated at Dichin as its starting point and, by careful analysis, proposes a general dating scheme for the two phases of occupation at the settlement. The lack of coins struck during the years 474–518 is a notable feature of the assemblage from Dichin, a pattern that is repeated at most sites in the region where coins of the emperor Zeno are particularly rare. In the past this gap in a site’s list of coins has been interpreted as evidence for the abandonment of a settlement or its occupation by a non-Roman population. However, by looking at both site finds and hoards from the region, this paper proposes that these explanations need revising as they are based on a numismatic mirage rather than archaeological fact.