Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T13:59:05.626Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Found coins as indicators of coins in circulation: testing some assumptions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

Douglas P. Newton
Douglas P. Newton*
Affiliation:
Durham University, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Coin finds are used to inform discussion about coins in circulation and, hence, economic activity. This discussion often rests on the assumption that patterns in finds of accidentally lost coins mirror to a useful extent those of the coins in circulation at the time. Whenever possible, such assumptions should be tested. This study does this empirically with data from a known coinage. Conditional support was found for the assumption. There is also some evidence that coin size and denomination can affect the coin record but these variables did not add significantly to predictions about coins in circulation based only on the numbers of coins found. Some conditions and precautions are suggested when using the assumption and some uses of data based on accidentally lost coins are discussed.

Les trouvailles de pièces de monnaie alimentent les discussions sur la monnaie en circulation et par conséquent sur l'activité économique. Ces discussions se fondent souvent sur l'hypothèse que les échantillons des pièces perdues par accident reflètent à un certain degré les pièces en circulation à cette époque. Néanmoins, ces suppositions devraient si possible être vérifiées, ce que cette étude fait empiriquement avec les données d'un ensemble de monnaies connu. On a ainsi pu constater que ces hypothèses pouvaient être soutenues conditionnellement. Apparemment, la taille et la valeur de la monnaie peuvent aussi influencer l'enregistrement des pièces, mais ces variables n'ont rien ajouté de significatif aux prédictions sur les monnaies en circulation établies sur base du nombre de pièces trouvées. Nous suggérons d'avoir recours à certaines conditions et précautions avant de travailler avec cette hypothèse, et nous examinons différentes utilisations des données provenant des pièces perdues accidentellement.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Fundmünzen sind ein Mittel der Untersuchung des Münzumlaufes und dadurch auch der ökonomischen Aktivität. Diese Diskussion basiert oftmals auf der Annahme, dass die Verteilungsbilder zufällig verlorener Münzen in einem wirksamen Maße die tatsächlichen historischen Verbreitungsbilder widerspiegeln. Wann immer es möglich ist, sollten solche Thesen überprüft werden – die vorliegende Studie unternimmt dies empirisch anhand bekannter Prägungen. Dabei wurde für die genannte Annahme nur bedingt eine Bestätigung gefunden. Es gibt dagegen einige Anhaltspunkte, dass auch Münzgröße und –einheiten den Münzspiegel beeinflussen können, diese Variablen nur anhand der Anzahl gefundener Stücke allerdings keine grundlegenden Aussagen über Münzen im Umlauf gewähren. Verschiedene Einschränkungen und Vorsichtsmaßnahmen werden für die Anwendung von Annahmen und Daten, die aus zufällig verlorenen Münzen basieren, vorgeschlagen und diskutiert.

Keywords

coin lossescoin findscoins in circulationcoin loss assumptionspièces de monnaie perduespièces de monnaie trouvéespièces de monnaie en circulationhypothèses quant aux pièces de monnaie perduesMünzverlustMünzfundMünzumlaufAnnahmen auf Basis von Fundmünzen
Type
Articles
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 9 , Issue 2-3 , 2006 , pp. 211 - 227
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 Sage Publications 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allason-Jones, L. and Mckay, B., 1985. Coventina's Well: a Shrine on Hadrian's Wall. Hexham: Trustees of the Clayton Collection, Chesters Museum.Google Scholar
Allen, M., 2001. The volume of English currency, 1158–1470. Economic History Review LIV(4): 595–611.Google Scholar
Allen, M., 2004. Medieval English Die-Output. The British Numismatic Journal 74:39–49.Google Scholar
Allen, M., 2005. The quantity of money in England, 1180–1247: new data. The British Numismatic Journal 75:50–62.Google Scholar
Baxter, M.J., 2003. Statistics in Archaeology. London: Arnold.Google Scholar
Bentley, J. and Schneider, T.J., 2000. Statistics and archaeology in Israel. Computational Statistics & Data Analysis 32(3–4):465–483.Google Scholar
Burnett, A., 1991. Coins. London: British Museum Press.Google Scholar
Buttrey, T.V., 1993. Calculating ancient coin production: facts and fantasies. The Numismatic Chronicle 153:334–351.Google Scholar
Buttrey, T.V., 1994. Calculating ancient coin production II: why it cannot be done. The Numismatic Chronicle 154:341–352.Google Scholar
de Callatäy, F., 1995. Calculating ancient coin production: seeking a balance. The Numismatic Chronicle 155:289–312.Google Scholar
Carradice, I. and Price, M., 1988. Coinage in the Greek World. London: Seaby.Google Scholar
Chameroy, J., 2002. Comment les monnaies romaines étaient-elles exportées sous l'Empire? L'example du moyen Danube. Histoire & Mesure XVII(3/4). Available at http://histoiremesure.revues.org/document882.html (Consulted June 2007).Google Scholar
Crawford, M., 1970. Money and exchange in the Roman World. Journal of Roman Studies 60:120–122.Google Scholar
Dennis, M. and Faulkner, N., 2005. The Sedgeford Hoard. Stroud: Tempus.Google Scholar
Duncan-Jones, R.P., 1999. The monetization of the Roman Empire. In Paul, G.M. (ed.), Roman Coins and Public Life under the Empire: 61–82. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Dyer, C., 1997. Paesants and coins - the use of money in the Middle Ages. British Numismatic Journal 67:30–47.Google Scholar
Esty, W.W., 1986. Estimation of the size of a coinage: a survey and comparison of methods. The Numismatic Chronicle 146:185–215.Google Scholar
Esty, W.W., 1990. The theory of linkage. The Numismatic Chronicle 150:205–221.Google Scholar
Fletcher, M. and Lock, G., 2005. Digging Numbers: Elementary Statistics for Archaeologists (2nd edition). Oxford: Oxford University School of Archaeology.Google Scholar
Guest, P., 2005a. The Late Roman Gold and Silver Coins from the Hoxne Treasure. London: British Museum Press.Google Scholar
Guest, P., 2005b. Iron Age and Roman Coins from Wales: a case study. A summary of this large project. Available at: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/hisar/people/pg/iarcw.html (Consulted June 2007).Google Scholar
Haselgrove, C., 2005. A new approach to analysing the circulation of Iron Age coinage. The Numismatics Chronicle 165:129–174.Google Scholar
Haselgrove, C., Millet, M. and Smith, I., , I., eds, 1985. Archaeology from the Ploughsoil: Studies in the Collection and Interpretation of Field Survey Data. Sheffield: Sheffield University.Google Scholar
Hinton, D.A., 1986. Coins and commercial centres in Anglo-Saxon England. In Blackburn, M.A.S. (ed.), Anglo-Saxon Monetary History: 11–26. Leicester: Leicester University Press.Google Scholar
Howgego, C.J., 1990. Why did ancient states strike coins? The Numismatic Chronicle 150:–26.Google Scholar
Huffstot, J.S., 1998. Votive (?) use of coins in fourth century AD Lusitania: the builders' deposit in the Torre de Palma basilica. Revista Portuguesa de Arqueologia, 1(1):221–226.Google Scholar
Kinnear, P.R. and Gray, C.D., 2004. SPSS 12 Made Simple. Hove: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Kos, P., 1986. The Monetary Circulation in the Southeastern Alpine Region, ca. 300BC-AD1000. Ljubljana: Dissertationes Musei Nationalis Labacensis.Google Scholar
Laiou, A., 2001. Use and circulation of coins in the despotate of Epiros. Dumbarton Oaks Papers, Number 55, Washington: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.Google Scholar
Lucassen, J., 1999. Loonbetaling en muntcirculatie in Nederland (1200–2000). Jaarboek voor Munt- en Penningkunde 86:1–70.Google Scholar
Mayhew, N.J., 2004. Coinage and money in England, 1086-c.1500. In Wood, D. (ed.), Medieval Money Matters: 72–86. Oxford: Oxbow Books.Google Scholar
Metcalf, W.E., 1999. Coins as primary evidence. In Paul, G.M. (ed.), Roman Coins and Public Life under the Empire: 1–18. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Metcalfe, D.M., 2004. Monetary Circulation in England, c.675-c.710. The British Numismatic Journal 74:1–19.Google Scholar
Nijboer, A., 1994. A pair of early fixed metallic monetary units from Borgo Le Ferriere (Satricum). The Numismatic Chronicle 154:1–16.Google Scholar
Porteus, J., 1969. Coins in History. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.Google Scholar
Reece, R, 1982. Economic history from site-finds. In Hackens, T. and Weiner, R. (eds), Proceedings of the 9th International Congress of Numismatics, Berne, September, 1979: 495–502. Zurich: IAPN.Google Scholar
Reece, R., 1993. Coins as minted and coins as found. Acta Numismatics 21–23:57–62.Google Scholar
Reece, R., 2002. The Coinage of Roman Britain. Stroud: Tempus.Google Scholar
Royal, Mint, 2005. Estimated coins in circulation. Available at http://www.royalmint.com/talk/coinagestats.asp (Consulted June 2007).Google Scholar
Scheers, S., 1999. La naissance du monnayage d'or en Gaulle. Dossiers d'Archéologie 248:44–51.Google Scholar
Siegal, S., 1956. Nonparametric Statistics. Tokyo: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Spufford, P., 1988. Money and its Use in Medieval Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, C.M., 2003. Sealed silver in Iron Age Cisjordan. Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 22(1):67–107.Google Scholar
Velchev, A. and Tabov, J.B., 2003. Mathematical models for comparative analysis of monetary circulation in medieval Bulgaria, paper presented at the International Congress MASSEE (Mathematical Society of South-East Europe), September 15–21, Borovets, Bulgaria.Google Scholar
Walmsley, A., 1999. Coin frequencies in Sixth and Seventh Century Palestine and Arabia: social and economic implications. Journal of the Economic and Social History of The Orient, 42(3):326–350.Google Scholar
Williams, H., 1992. Coin supply in Britain in the late third century as evidenced by a mathematical interpretation of site finds. The Numismatic Chronicle 152:49–56.Google Scholar
Williams, J., 1997. Money: a History. London: British Museum Press.Google Scholar