Coin hoards of the Roman Empire: the shape of the evidence

Conference item

This paper reflects upon the overall patterning of the data made available by the Coin Hoards of the Roman Empire Project. It seeks to identify some of the biases which shape the evidence, including those related to deposition and non-recovery in antiquity, to discovery and reporting, and to the practices of knowledge production. It emphasises the relationship between peaks in hoarding patterns and periods of insecurity. It also addresses the evident under-representation of hoards from the Centre, South, and East. Should we be seeking historical explanations relating to the Roman world, such as the relative security of core provinces and the concentration of the military in frontier provinces, or tracing manifest bias in the modern discovery and recording of our data?

Authors: Howgego, C

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Koç University Press
• Host title: Third International Congress on the History of Money and Numismatics in the Mediterranean World - April 1–4, 2024 – Antalya: Proceedings
• Pages: 49-72
• Place of publication: İstanbul, Turkey
• Publication date: 2025-01-01
• Acceptance date: 2024-03-18
• Event title: Third International Congress on the History of Money and Numismatics in the Mediterranean World
• Event location: Antalya, Turkey
• Event website: https://akmed.ku.edu.tr/en/events/?detail=true&id=943bd643-fcce-414f-9d0b-f54409028186
• Event start date: 2024-04-01
• Event end date: 2024-04-04
• ISBN: 9786258520286
• Language: English
• Keywords: monetary history; Roman coins; coin hoards; coin database; economic geography