Placed coins in late antiquity, or how archaeology can uncover small-scale religious transactions

Conference item

This chapter focusses on the religious usage of everyday objects in Late Antiquity. More in particular, it traces coins used in “placed deposits”, i.e. deposited as part of an irreversible act that attempts to enter a transactional relation with supernatural powers. The author first explores the role of coins as offerings in general, stressing that the monetary value of the coin is generally far smaller than its potential in religious action. An overview of “placed coins” in sacred, public and domestic settings is then presented. As the author argues that “placed coins” were likely ubiquitous in Late Antiquity, it is also examined why the phenomenon has largely gone unrecognised by scholarship. Process-related issues are examined as well as the reluctance of modern researchers to recognise religion in the material record. The author concludes by outlining how the framework of material religion can assist in overcoming perceived differences between “proper” and “improper” religious actions.

Authors: Jacobs, I

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Routledge
• Host title: Material Religion in Byzantium and Beyond: Papers from the 54th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies
• Chapter number: 8
• Publication date: 2025-11-27
• Event title: 54th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies
• Event location: Oxford, UK
• Event website: https://www.classics.ox.ac.uk/event/the-54th-spring-symposium-of-byzantine-studies-material-religion-in-byzantium-and-beyond
• Event start date: 2025-03-17
• Event end date: 2025-03-19
• DOI: 10.4324/9781003490845
• EISBN: 9781003490845
• Language: English
• Keywords: archaeology of religion; late antiquity; coins; material religion