The roads, bridges and urban remains which still cross Spanish territory confirm that the heritage of the Roman Empire continues to be present in daily life. Its developments were integrated into the modern network and its administrative models inspired subsequent government structures. Territorial divisions, the names of numerous towns and the organization of the agricultural territory preserve this heritage which continues over the centuries.
He tetrarchy systemintended to ensure control of such an extensive empire, also left its mark on the circulation of money and economic management. This division of power between several emperors generated a uniform monetary production which has reached all western provinces and continues to be studied for its effectiveness. The flow of these pieces explains part of the archaeological discoveries which today allow reconstruct the connections of the ancient Hispanic territory with the rest of the Mediterranean.
The discovery of Tomares revealed an extraordinary reserve of Roman coins
He treasure of Tomaresdiscovered in 2016, represents the largest Roman monetary set found in Spain. Its total weight, close to 600 kilos of bronze and silverand its composition of more than 53,000 pieces They make it a reference for understanding the economy of Late Antiquity. The amphoras, lined up under a sidewalk opus signinumformed a single deposit sealed with compacted earth. The regularity of the number of pieces per container suggests a planned cover-up by people with access to large sums of cash. The excavations, carried out under archaeological control, revealed a systematic burial procedure which testifies to a carefully executed operation.
The study of the types represented on coins has provided essential information on the monetary policy of the tetrarchy period. Maximian, Diocletian and Constantius are the most frequent emperors of the groupwhich confirms the predominance of the first issues after the reform of 294. The rarity of Maxentius’ pieces and presence of testimony from Liciniuswith only three copies, indicates that the deposit was closed before Constantine’s reforms.
The proportion between the portraits of each authority offers a precise x-ray of the monetary circulation in the province of Baetica and its links with the major issuing centers of the western Mediterranean. Specialists interpret this composition as the reflection of a stable market, supplied by safe roads and without military interference.
The parts are, for the most part, nummi bronze corresponding to the period between the reform of Diocletian and the first years of the 4th century. The later coins are associated with Maxentius and were minted at Ostia between 309 and 312. The absence of Constantinian copies after 313 made it possible to establish the date of occultation between 307 and 312. This chronology coincides with a period of calm in the region, free of conflicts that could justify urgent burial. The discovery is therefore more linked to a deliberate act of reservation or storage than to an attempt to protect heritage in danger.
Origin of currency reflects Western Mediterranean trade network
THE mintsthat is to say the workshops where the coins of the Roman Empire were minted, represented key points of production and economic control. Each reported directly to the emperor and marked the pieces with initials or symbols identifying their origin. Thanks to these marks, researchers can know which workshops attended in the making of money and the way money circulated within the empire.
The coins represented in the treasury illustrate the commercial relations of Baetica. Carthage occupies first place in number of pieces, followed by Trevire And Rome. The currencies Africanparticularly abundant, prove the intensity of exchanges between the Betic coasts and North Africa before the closure of the Mint in 307.
Mints Gallobritanians and the Italian contribute similar percentages, around 36% each, with active centers in Lugdunum, Ticinum And London. Even the workshops Orientalalthough they are a minority, they reach a significant proportion, close to 4%, which demonstrates the arrival of liquidity from distant areas through well-consolidated maritime networks.
Getting closer to knowing who is the person who buried them
The origin of the treasure still raises questions about its owner, although the precise name is not known. Archaeological evidence has significantly reduced the profile and rules out a military connection. Baetica lacked garrisons capable of handling such large sums. The rural location of the deposit and the agricultural wealth of the surrounding area suggest that belonged to a large landowner, a merchant with regional interests or an administrator of vast estates.
The diversity of mints depicted indicates a person with extensive trade relationships and ability to accumulate foreign currency came from several provinces. The homogeneity of the whole reveals, however, that the deposit trained over a limited periodperhaps in a decade or two of intense economic activity.
The study and conservation of the treasure required unprecedented collaboration between scientific institutions. The Archaeological Museum of Seville, the University of Seville and the National Accelerator Center coordinated the numismatic and metallographic analyzes through the numisdata systemwhich allows each specimen to be cataloged precisely. Of the 53,200 pieces, only 8,700 have been studied so farbut the preliminary results already offer a detailed vision of monetary circulation in Hispania during the tetrarchy. The work in progress will make it possible to define more precisely the economic and political relations of the first third of the 4th century on the peninsula.
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