FINANCING GERMANIC MILITARY CAMPAIGNS WITH EASTERN DENARII

Benjamin D.R. Hellings

Abstract


In 2001, Duncan-Jones assessed Howgego’s work on the mobility of Septimius Severus’ Eastern denarii on the basis of hoards in Britain. Duncan-Jones argues that the increased presence of Severus’ Eastern denarii in hoards over time was the manifestation of Gresham’s Law, while Howgego interprets the evidence as an indicator for some sort of supply/arrival. In 2016, Hellings tested these two interpretations by assessing hoards in Roman Germany to determine the presence of Severus’ Eastern denarii struck between AD 193 and 196/7. The evidence produces a radically different hoarding pattern and several explanations are suggested. This paper seeks to introduce the find pattern of non-hoarded Eastern denarii in Germany in order to reassess their function, purpose, and possible ties to historical events.

Keywords


Eastern denarii, German limes, circulation, hoards, coin finds

Full Text: PDF

DOI: 10.14795/j.v7i1_SI.487

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