OSTERREICHISCHE AKADE[IIE DER WISSENSCHAFTEN

ANNT DER NIEDEROSTEBREICHISCHEN LANDESREGIERUNG,

ABTEILUNG KULTUR UND WISSENSCHAFI
CESELLSCHAFT DFF THEUNDE CABNUNTUI\,1S

CARNVNryM
J AH RBVC H
1998
SONDERDRUCK

Wien 1999
Verlag der Osterreichisahen Akademie der Wissenschaften

Cristian Gezdac

Monetary circulation in the main settlements of Roman Dacia

244-332 AD
The main purpose of lhis paper is lo study currency circulation in the main seltlements of
Roman Dacia from Philippus Arabs until lhe temporary feconquest of Dacia during the
time oi Constantine the Great in 332. This period was selected in order to examine from
the monelary point oi view lhe lmpLications of the Roman crisis in the 3rd century ancl
studythe irnpacl on currency circulation of lhe abandonment of Dacia bythe Romans. lt is
known ihat at that time coins were the only objecls to move beyond official borders.
This paper attempts lo combine numismatic data with staiistjcal methods in orderlo arrive
at histoical conclusions for each settlement and forthe entire province. A comparison between Dacia and iis neighbouring provinces of Pannonia Super or and Inferior may then
point at difierences between lhejr respective economic and monetary situation,
The study considers only site linds becausethey are jn fact a mirror image of the monetary
market. The hoards which were buried in this period wiLl be the subject ot another paper
The study is based on ihe method used by Jen5 Fitz lo describe currency flows il1 Panno
nia and adjoinlng provincesr. For a betler overview of the circulalion, I fjrst listed the emperors governing in 244-332 for each settlernent (tables 2-10) and then added a general
list for the province (table 1). Next I computed the coefficjent of a coin's incidence in each
year for ihe whole period (244-332) in each setilement (tab es 12-20) and the province
(table 11). The monelary c rcu ation index was then obtajned by dividing the coefficienl of
the coin's incidence per yearfor each emperor bythe coefficient ior the whole period. The
results were again calculated ior each setuement (tables 12-20) and for the whole

province(table11).Thechartsindicatefluctuationsintheindexvalues(plates1-10).This
index can help us arrive at a comparison of currency circulation beh,veen seitlemenls in a
given period and use that as a starting point to deiermine lrends.
The comparison by emperors js affected by the monetary inflation of the.3rd cenlury and
lhe variety of payment methods useds. Our analysis starts with the reign of Philippus
Arabs which saw a considerable jncrease of the monetary supply in Daciaa: in our index
table, the highest figure is that lor the reign of Philip (table 11, plaie 1). The lower indices,
ior the reigns of emperors Traianus Decius and Trebonianus Gal us do not necessarily reflecl lhe economic situalion but were probably due lo a major debasemenl oJ lhe coinage,

which reached its lowest value under Valerianus, Under his government, inflalion was
rampant and the index rellecls a very difficull economic situation, prevailing nol only in
Dacia, but also in Pannonias- Gallienus attempted to relieve the financial distress by openjng the minis oi Siscia and Smyrna and putting into circulaiion massive quantjlies of debased antoniniani6. Their ilow graduaily abated after this reign, as is shown by the index.
Under the next emperors, Claudius ll and Aurelian, new mints were opened, e. g. in Serdica, Trier and Lyon, and AureLian put in hand a monelary refo|m which renewed the divisionary syslern of the Roman coinageT.

'

J. Fitz, Latomus, 144, 1976, 18-41.

'i

Ch. Howqego, JFA7, 1994,6.

M. Barbulescu, Potaissa. Stucliu monoglc (1994) 134.

J. P Ca u, La po itjque mon6taire des emperelrs romains de 234 a 311 (1969) 478.

lbi.l.479.

26
The officjal withdrawal oJ the Roman administraiion and armyfrom Dacia js reilected in the
decrease of the monetary supply index which continues unti Djocletian when distribution
reached its lowest value. When Constantine the Great came to an arrangement with the
Goihs in 332, Roman administrators returned for a short time to the Lower Danube afo
coins once again began to circulate, as can be seen irom the index.
In the ne)d pages we will analyse curency circulation itemised bv the setuements oi lhe
province of Dacia.
APVLVMs (tabtes 2. 12; plale 2)
During Philip's reign, the index ior this settlernent (636) resembles thai ior the province as
a whole. Under emperors Traianus Decius (703) and Trebonianus callus (691) we find a
strong groMh, iollowed by a fuil scale crash, although not below the general provincial
index (Valerianus = 138). This situation continues under cattjenus (152) and Claudjus rl
(127), when the setilement's index is still low but above the generat index. Based on this
and a cornparison with the general situation in Dacia, we can say lhat coin circulation in
ApuTum continued normally until the withdrawal of the Roman administratton from rne
provinces, The reign of Aurelian seems lo have had a disturbing eifect on coin cjrcu ation
in ApulLrm - its index (14) is considerably lower than the general index, atthough the incrdence of a few coins ffom Aurelian's rejgn does not prove that thev came to Dacia at that
time. Coins irom 275 284 are rare, and during the Tetrarchy the settlement index is down
to iis lowest value. A new supply of coins did not arflve until Constantine the Great (setle
ment index = 9).
POTAISSA,o (tables 6. 16; ptate 3)

The selilement index reaches its highest level (850) under the reign oi philip, a consequence of the new mint opened in Dacia and the new issues of ?FOVINC\A DACTA\1.
Contrary to Apulum, the coin supply in Potaissa decljnecl precipitouslV underthe next emperors (Traianus Decius=212, Trebonianus Galius= 147, Vaterianus=37), reclucing the

settlernent index much below the value ol the generat index. Allhough the setilement
index is siightly up again under callienus it still rerfains betow ihe provinciat ;ndex, exceeding it only under Claudius ll (82) and Aurelian (78), a pointer thai the tegionaries, pay
ment system still worked. The seltlement index declines more sharply in 274-2A4 G6)
and during the Teirarchy (22) and rises again uncler Constantine (54). The index for
275 284 can be explained by ihe finds of coins in the civitian seitlement of potaissa,,.
ULPIA TRAIANA SARMIZEGETUSAjS (tables

1O. 20; plare 4)

The settlement index for Philip's reign (1127) is clearly distinct from other periods. tt declines under Traianus Decius (364) and Trebonianus Gattus (273) and reaches its lowest
value under Valerianus (51). Under callienus it is better (113)ihan ihe generat jndex. We
Wink er, ActaMusNapoc a 2, 1965\222 225:V Pavet-Popa, Apu um 19, 1961, i26-j44j V pavet ,.
Moga, Apullm 22, 1993.251 256.
, J. Winker, op. cil 240.
fJ.Winker A. Hopadean, Moneda anl cd ta Potaiss a (1973) 147: M. Barbutescu, potaissa 2, 19A0,
61 18aiM. Bbrbulescu, Potaissa. Stldiu monograiic (1994) t3l
rr M Barb! escu, Potaissa. Siudiu monograiic (r994) 134.
3

r.J.Winker,Sargetiall-12,1974 197s,117 l36iR.Arctevan C Gazdac

The coins trom rhe forum or

plaTraiana Sarm zegelusa, in:Annexe numismatique to rhe monographyofih sste (todhcom ng)iihe
colns lound during the Romanan America. campagn o11995 (unpub shed).
U

Monetary circ! ation in the main seli emenis ol Roman Dacia 244 332 AD

genrd

6
z

'ndx

r5o

h=!n6.
;665h.9
EMPERoR (Period)

Plare 1: Genefalindexol Dacia (24.1-332 AD)

650

E
z

aoo
350
300

a;i.E[:Et:-l
r?i!t:i'F3
"i";:"
EMPERoR (Period)

Plate 2: Seiilement index lor Apulum

sett ement inde!

27

28

fEEEjsflg
EMPEROR (PCriOd)

ptate 3: Sedemenr index for potaissa

have a lack of coins Jot 275-284, and under Diocjeiian the seitjement index is slignry
below (16) the provincial average. The period of 302-332 is represenied at Utpja Traiana
Sarrnizegetusa by two coins irom the rule of Galerius. Thrs nray be due to a dearth of ar
chaeological excavations or their introduclion lo Dac a at a ater clate: a hoard was iound
ai Ulpia Traiana whose most recent coins date back to Valens and Valentjnianusi4.
POROL|SSUM,S (tabtes 7.

t7:

ptare S)

As at UlpiaTraiana, Philip's reign stands out in the coin circulation_ The seftlement index is
the highesi of the entire province (1322). An interesting aspect is the massive presence of

coins minted at Viminacium

(30 coins) rather than lhe ',pROVlNCtA DAC:A,'Iype

(6 coins). Under Traianus Decius we find a shaF dectine of the setflerneni index (169)
below ihe value of the pfovincial index. Atthough the index is stighUy up under Trebonia_

nus Gallus, th;s may be due to chance finds: three coins from Trebonianus Gallus versus
two coins from Traianus Decius. This is supported bythe lack of coins from Valerianus and
11
15

J. Winkler, Sargelia 11-12,1974-1975,117.

J. W nkier, ActaN4usNapoca 1, 1964, 218;V Lucdcel, Cata ogutcoteciieide monede ant ce a e Muzeurul
din ZaEu (1968)i E- ChirilA, ActaN4usPorol 5, $A1,273 275, N. cldea, AclaMusporo j3, 19a9,
420 821; idem, Actat\4lsPorol 14 15, t99O 1991 {1991) 155 174.

N4onetary circulal on in ihe ma n setilements oJ Roman

D ac

a 244 332 AD

29

I150

450

750

E
Plare

PEROR (Pod6d)

4: settlement indexJor UlDiaTraiana Sarmizeoetusa

the settlement jndex under Gallienus which is lhe lowest in the province (20). Flucluatjons
;n the index iorthe rejgns of Claudjus ll and Aureiian confirm the decline of lhe military and
busjness centre oJ Porolissum. No coins have been found irom the periads 275-284 and
284-305. Onlyfive coins were found.from Consiantine which means an index mlrch lower
than the orovincial ;ndex (32).
At Porolissum as at Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa it is difficult to analyse the actual monetary circulation because of the trade with ancient objecls which had already started in the
Nliddle Ages'6. lt is hard to believe thal a military and custorns centre and town ol slrch
scope could yield such a small qLrantity of coins (52 coins).
16

E Chirid, ActaMusPoro 1rF15, 1990

1991 (1991) 154 n.8.

30

cHERLA,? (tables 4. 14; ptare 6)

This Roman seit ement has a specialpiace in ouf study because ofthe current staie of re,
seafch. At 26 coins, the yield is extremely poor
Philip's reign is marked bythe highest setttement index (965)_ Some authors consider the

reign oJ Philp as an exception to the rule because cojn circulation contracted after 235
and the situation becarnefairly desperate atter24913. This opinion is supported bythe lack

of coins irorn Traianus Decius, Trebonianus Gallus and Valerianus. For Gallienus the
setUemenl index (41) is much lower than the provincial index. The situation imoroves
under AureJian, exceecling the provincial average, wh ch means that the ojficial abandofment of Dacia had no signiiicant impact on the economjc tife of this set ement,,. The
selilement index decreases gradually in 275 284 (76) and under Diocletian (14) and rises

again under Constantine.

We can say that the wiihdrawal of the Roman garrison from cherla afiected the rnoletary situation but did not cause irretrievable damage. The civilian seiflement coniinued
to exist in the 4th century as is attestecl by coins irom ihe reions of Dioctetian and CurL

SUCIDAVff, (tables 9. 19; plaie 9)

In contrast to other settlements, the index for Sucidava is much lower than ihe provjncial
index (94). [,4oreover, no coins have been found from Traianus Decius and Trebonianus
Gallus, and the jndex for the reign of Valerianus is the lowesi in the who e oi our study.
This means that the settlement was of ljttle economic importance in the orovjnce of Dacta
during lhis period. Bui the pjcture changes at the trme of the Boman withdrawal. The inclex
rises Jor the reign of Galljenus (147) and practicatty exptodes at the iime ofAuretian (S4tl.
This remarkable development can be explained by the setflement,s new role as a tfansit
zone. Sucidava, an importanttown on the banks ofihe river Danube. remained as the llnK
to the Roman Empire aiter the abandonment of Dacia. The index for 275,284 and Dio_
cletian shows a gradual decrease which is perfectly normal considering the monetary situ,
dlion i .he Poma^ fmp e as a whole
When Constantine the Great reconquered the area at the Lower Danube, it entered jnio a
new period of prosperity reflected in the setttement inclex (j21).
DIERNA,s (tabtes 3. 13; ptate 8)

As in the case of Sucidava, the Roman period shows up as a weak and below-average
segment oi currency circulation. Thus, the index for philip is very low (98), possibly the
consequence ol an attack of the Carpi durjng his reigat a. The peak under Trebonianus
Gallus (247) is based on ihe short and sharneiul peace after the batUe of Abritus and tre
need for coins because of the low content of silvefs. For the next emperors, Valerianus
and Gallienus, the index is once again down (46, 20). After the Rornan withdrawal frorn
jj3,j1S.

r? R.

Ardevan, Ephemers Napocensis 3, 1993,

tr

Tldor,DaciaT 8,I937-1940 (1941)393 39aiidem, Dacia

O.

'd
E.

z ll.

u Borded. SrCe

Chirild

Ch4escu

,5 lbid. laa.

c\un o,

t97q,

60 rob

N. c !dea, ActaN4usPoro 6, 1992, i 3i .

- Gh. Poenaru-Bordea, BSocNumRom 75-76,

j1 12,1945

j981

1982,

1947 (i948) 202;Gh poe_

l69

2OB

N4onetarv

ci.culation

n the main

settlemenis oi Roma. Dacia 24,F332 AD

31

1350

1250
1200

7s0

A;i;

J:=s::i::e

settlment index

l*;t;,i

EMPERoR

(P.riod)

Plale 5: Seluement indexior Porolissum

Dacja, Dierna became a bridgehead to the Boman Empire and trading point between lhe
northern and soulhern banks of the Danube, thanks to its position as a harbour on the
Danube River. lts consequent rise in economic imporlance is reflected in the settLemenl
inclex: the period oi 275-284 has the highest index (108) of all the settlemenls taken jnto
consjderation, and even though it drops during Diocletan's reign (62) it still remains
above the general average. ll should be noled that the majorily of the coins Jrom the reign
of Diocletian was minted in 295 296. This was the time when the ouadriburous was

32

450

Plate 6: Settlement lndex for Gherla

built'". There are a few coins from 284-294 and none for 3OO-301 and 304-30#?. The
index for Constantine coniirms Dierna's importance in ihat period: for 305-332 it is higher
/J'A7) Ihan fat 244-275. The grealesi supply of Constantine's coins arrived in 313 324.
Circulation suflered afterwards because of the war with the coths which ended with the

tealy (foedus)

of 332,3.

PRAETORIVM" (tables 8. 18; plate 7)

The seltlement is characterised by a continuity of coin circulation throLlghout the ent re

period under study. The index ior the reign of Philip (214) is below ihe provincial average,
but reaches that level under Decius (357) and Trebonianus Gallus (357). During the reigns
oi Valerianus (150), Gallienus (179), Claudius ll (179) and Aureiian (143) it emulates the
flucluations oi the provincial index, although at a higher level- Located further away from
':6

'

lbid. 193; L Barnea - O. lliescu, Conslantin cel t\4are (19a2) 94.

M. Chilescu - Gh. Poenaru-Bodea, op. cit. 193.

N. Gudea, SicercJstorv

2611,1975,147 152.

lvlonerary c rculation ln the main setilemenls oi Roman

a.ia 244-332 AD

genercL index

5i5?

6;;o
EMPEROR (PeTiod)

Plaie 7: settlement index lorPraelorium

settlament index

1q\\a.gr;

&i;ti,iE+;a
:4f:;;e.;;A

dr-;6;\i

:.
EMPEROR (Period)

Plare 8: setrlement index for Dierna

33

34

sttlement inder
generor In0ex

450

q!clq-i:gg

;F-;;si.t;
EMPERoR (Period)

Plate 9: Seilemenr indexlor Sucdava

550

500

lEEq4
tr-F:,9

!$9|
j"
EMPERoR

iN36
(P.dod)

Piate 10: Settlement index lor Ortea

Monerarv circulation n ihe main setlemenls oi Rornan Dacia 244-332 AD

35

PANNONA SVPEROR
PANNONA INF'ROR

ate

: comparison ol indices for

Dacia, Upper Pan nonia and Lower Pannonia

ihe Danube's course ihan Dierna and Sucidava, Praetorium shows a decrease in the
index during Aurelian's wjthdrawal, but coin cjrculation still remains within normal parameters and is even slightly up (153) in 275-284- The decrease of the settlement index
during Diocletian (14) could be due malnly to lhe state of research. The shortage oi coins
can be made up by archaeological finds irom ihis periocP. Like the provincial index, the
local index indicates a new boom in Conslantine's reign (39). In Praetorium's case this
was due to reinlorcement works3r at a fortress that appears to have been an important
slrategic centre of the area in the 4th century@.
ORLEAs3 (tables 5. 15; plate 10)

The reign oi Phjlip marks the high point oi lhe settlement index (225) but even so it is
below the profincjal inclex. As can be seen from lhe chart, the settlement index similarly
30

M.

3r N.

.,

33

Macrea N. Gudea L Molu, Praelorllm. casirulti a9ezarea romane de la Mehadia (1993) 81.
G!dea, SicercLstorv 26/1, 1975, 150.

M. N/acrea N. Gudea L Mo!u, op. cit. 81

J. W nkler, ActaMusNapoc 10, 1973, 181-143.

36

fails to exceed lhe provlncial index for the next period. Generally coiJr circulation jn th s
settlemeni is very fragmeniary. There are no coins Jrom the periods of Trebonianus Gallus, Valerianus and Claudius Il, probably the result of the destruction oJ ihe setflement
in 251 253s, Coin circulation continued jn a small way after the abandonment o1 Dacia.
This situaiion is normal for a place which was a small rura settJement in ihe 4th cerl
tury35. As to Constantine's coins, it is difficult to make judgemenis because the descriptrons of earlier iinds do not allow us to djstinguish Constantine,s coins issued Drior to
33233.

Conclusions
As it can be seen irom the general index, coin circulation continued unbroken throughout
the entire period under studv
Under PhiJip, who provides the starting point of our study, a fjnaj attempt was made to
ward otfihe crisis oJ ihe currency circulation sysiem. Operaiing ihe provinctatmint oj Ulpja
Traiana Sarrnizegetusa was, however, only a stopgap solution. But although the various
issues of coins were in use ior a shorttime only, ihey appearto have exefred consideraDle
influence on circulationt. lt has already been demonstrated that the chiel purpose of the
provincial minls was to sLrppJy the neighbouring areas wiih coinagdB (cf. table 21). In my
opinion, the rnints ol Ulpia Traiana and Vimjnacium supptied philip,s coirs to the setfle,
ments of lhe inner Carpathians, where most of the troops and towns were located: Apulum, ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, Porolissum, Potaissa. The situation of the set|ernents
in tfie outer Carpathians - Sucidava, Dierna, Praetorium, Ortea is reilected in ihe index
-

ior Phjlip's rejgn.

Philip's stopgap measure was followed by a sharp decline in monetary circutation during
the reign oi his successors: Decils, Trebonianus Gallus and Valerianus. The crash was
not limited to Dacia but extended to the whole of ihe Empire. The suppty of coins dried
up rn 253 2603,, by 260 the antoninjani had been reduced to their lowest vatue and jnflatjon was rampant4o. callienus tried to jncrease the supptl/ by starting mints at Sisc a,
Smyrna and l\,4ediolanurn!?. Some schoiars feel that ihis emperots monetary poJicy was
driven solely by efforis to keep the loyalty of his iroops43. In Dacia it certainly had the ef
fect oi increasing circulation to a level higher than the inclex Jor philip,s reign. Under
Claudius Il we can observe a sJow decrease, probabty due to the high inflation through,
oul the Empire and his victories against the coths which boosted conficlence jn the curIn Pannonia, the index was more or less the same until Claudius Il, vet in 269-294 there
iollowed a period of strengthenlng and consolidation,.. In both provin;es oi l\,4oesia45 atso,

3 fl. Chilescu
-

35

Gh. Poenar! Bordea, op. cit. 191.

J. Winkler, ActatMlsNapoc 10, 1973, 1a6.

3? R.

Ardevan, Moneaia provi.ciala de a Sarmizegerusa, BsocNumRom (fonhcoming).

33

Ch. Howgego, op. cit. 12 16.

4,

Je

Cattu, op. cit. 478.

lbidem; L. de Blois, The policy oi the emperor cattienus (1976) 93.
!3 L. de Blois, op. ct 9a.

a5

S. Dusania, Aspects ol Foman Mining in Nortcum, Pannonia, Dalmaria and Moesia Superoi tn:ANRVV
6 (1977) 93; B. Gerov Die E nialle der Nordv{j ker tn den Ostbalkanraum im Lichte der M(jnzsctratzfurF
de l. Das ll. und lll. Jahrhunded (101-2e4), in:ANFW tt 6 \1977) 142.

Monelary circu ation in the main sefi emenis ol Roman Dacla 244-332 AD

37

Plare 1 2: Map oJ the sett ements in Dacia discussed in lhis paper

1. Ulpia Traiana sarmizegetusa, 2. Apu !m,3. Poiaissa,4. Porolissurn,5 Gherla,6. sucidava, T. orlea
B. Dierna, 9. Praeto.lum

coinage from the reign of Claudius ll is present in huge quantities, whereas it is very rare
n Dacia (16coins, isolated finds in selllements, ci. tables l and ll). By the end of lhq
reign of Gallienus, Dacia thus appears to have become removed from lhe Empire's control, at leasl in financial matters.
Under Aurelianus. the first impression js that of a more constant supply than under Claudius ll. Bui ihis is due to the hjgh index for Sucidava, whiLe the other settlements, with the
exception of Orlea, show a decrease of the index for Aurelianus (plates 2 10). His monelary reform, which gave credibility to bronze coinagel6 afterthe Boman withdrawal in 274,
would not a{fect Dacia Lrntil later.
The period aiter the abandonrnent of Dacia, 275 284, appears as a slow decline of ciF

culalion. Conlrary to some opinions4T, we can say ihat there was a hiatus in cojn circulation between the time when Dacia was a Roman provinc and after it was abandoned
by the Roman army and administralion. Thjs decrease aiter 275 was quite normal, considerjng that the army, lhe largest consumer o1 coinage, had lett Dacia. Nevertheless,

'

The monerary reiorm oi emperor Aurelian established new denominaiions ol a bronze contenl of I, 4 and
2 asses ior ihe bronze coins and 4 and 2 denar pieces of silver coinage (J. P' Ca u, op. cit. 479).
lvl. Macrea believes lhat there was a break in coin circulation Jrom Aurelian to Constanune lhe Greal (M.
Macrea, Viala i^n Dac, romana []9691328 329).

38

many scfiolars see a continuily of the coin supply ailer the Roman withdrawalas. The cir,
culation contjnues its decljne under Dioctetiall (cf. ptate 1), which could be exptajneo oy
the transiUon lo a barter economy, Consiantjne's campaigns against the Goths enoeo
with the treaty (loedus) of 332 which pacjfied ihe area untilihe febellion ol procooius in
3644'g. The peace of 332 marked the return oi the Romans io the northern banks oJ the
Danube and renewed the supply of coins, which would continue io grow over the next
Anoiher aspect to consider is the mints that struck the coin$0. I\,4ost coins were issueo oy
the central rnint in Rome. [lajor provincjal mints were jn Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa and

Viminacium (cJ. table 21), which were supplemented by mints in Siscia, Thessatonrua,
Heraclea, Ticinum, Antiochja and Nicomedia. Eastern mints thus played a major role in
sLrpplying coins to Dacja, especially during the rejgn of Constantine, while western m rrs
were negligible: two co ns irom Mediolanum, one from Lugdunum and one from Arelate.
We can conclude that the supply of coins to the majn setllernents in Dacia continued even
aiter the Roman withdrawal, albeit at a lower level. The ancient towns certarnlv remained
inhabited after the abandonment of Dacia, since more of the bronze coins of 6e 4ih century were found there51. While economic life was more highty developed in the interjor ol
Dacia during its time as a Roman province, its soulhernmosl setflements beoan to flourish
towaros lre e.d o' rhe 3rd ccn,ury and begirni']g of the 4 h cent .rv ocrelring pon their
location as neighbours of the Roman Empire.
Tables
The following abreviations are used:
Denominations:

AE bronze coins wirh no speciat denomination

ant antoninian

dp
hs
PMS

Viminacium Province oi

PD

s
Th
Ti

Tr

r K. Horedt

linds a decrease n co n circu ation cturing 276 gO5 becaLrse ol the smatl quantiry oi coinase
{apud C Prcda, SloerclstoiV 2613,1973,443). -D. Prolase obserues the nonex stence oia mo.etary
hiatus between 271 and 305 and poinrs ro lhe same prob ern olrhe sma tquanrily oi coinage
iD. prora$e,
Problema coniln!ftaliln Dacia in tumina arheotosiei !i n lrnismatic [1966] 1s6j. Onrhe;rherhand, C
Preda obserues a h gh Jrequency forthe period between Au.etianls a.d Conslanine the creat consdenng that lhe bfdgeheads on rhe leii bank ol the Danube had ass!red coin slppty jn Dacia (C. preda,
op. crr. 443. 445. 456).
3! L Bamea O. lliescu, op. cir. 107.
50 We mention
thar this probtem was srud ed only jn the cases where it was posstbte to jdeniiiy ihe mint.
Many coins were struck withour indtcaring lfre piace or rssue.
5r E. Ch r la, op. cit
133.

Moneraru circu ation in lhe main seltements of Roman Dacia244-332

AD

39

Table l:Coin iinds by setlemenls

10

39

130

372

61

84

57

3
42

58

53

t0

19

96

16

1t

23

43

2
2

t0

23
1l

15

21

2
3

382

19

531

54

26

79

52

21

23

146

2Ta

25

15

1.012

40

Cristian Gdzdac

Table 2: Coin linds lrom Apulum

ANT

HS
5

DP

PD

AE

33

38

{2,A)

59
3. TrebonianLrs

cattus

61

55

57

42

42

(11)
53

53

3
2

2
1

l
10

10

Table 3:Coin li.ds Jrom Dierna

HS

PMS

PD

(1A)
2.

Trebonianus cattus

2hs

1(M)

5
(3

S,2 C)
1T

lTr

2S

(1Aq,4Th,3H,1 C)

Monetarv clrcularion in the main seltlements oi Roman Dacla 244 332 AD

ANT

HS

DP

AE

PD

10. Maxim'nus Daza

11.

Licinius

(r s, 1 Th)
6

(1

S,2 H, r C,2

AD

l9

'17

(l

Tr, 1 Ar,3Ti,7 S,
2Th,1 Cp,1 N,1 L)

Tabe 4: co

linds lrom Gherla

Plrs

ANT

PD

AE

t0

l
1

Tabe 5: Coin Jlnds irofi Orlea

ANT
5

HS

AE

AS
2

l0

2
2
2

7. Constanrius Chlorus

53???

Cristian Gazdac

Table 6:Coin finds from Potaissa

ANT
39

3. TrebonianLrs Gattus

Ptus

PD
91

130

13

12

19

10, Auintillus

6
2

14. Constantius

Chlorus

10

10

22. Licinius

27

27

Moneiary circ! ation in lfre rnain seiuements oJ Roman

43

acia 244-332 AD

Table 7:Coin iinds lrom Poroissum

ANT

HS

30

AE

PMS

DP

39

2
3,

Trbonianus Gallus

Tabe 8:Coin Jinds irom Praetori!m

ANT

HS

PMS

DP

PD

2
3.

Trebonianus Gallus

I
1

'I

2
2

l
3N

Table 9: coin linds ifom sucldava

ANT

HS

AS

PMS

PD

AE

2
'l

10

10

ANT

HS

PD

AE

16

16

23

23

Tabl- _0:Con rndr

ANT

HS

l.on

jlo'a tr- --d

AS

rarr

23

23

zegF-usa

PtllS
5
(3 hs)

0A)

AE
19
(5 hs, 1 dp)

31

3
(1 A)
3.

Trebonianus callus

1M

2'l

2C

Table 1l: Monelary index olthe period 244-332 A. D.

244-249

3f2

249 251
3. Trebonianus Gattus

5. Gallienus+ Postumus

365

251-253

80

253-260

5a

260 26A

97

40
4,28

348

72
105

Monetary clrcularion in the majn settlements oi Roman Dac a 244 332 AD

6. Claudius ll+Victorinus + Quintillus

268 274

7.

Aurelianus+Tetricus

27Q-275

A.

Tacitus + Probus+ Carus+ Carinus

275-244

9. Diocletianus + Maximianus+ Galerius

244-30s

10, Galerius+Consiantius Chlorus+ Maximinus

+ Maxentius +

Licinius

18

7A

9
27

3
1,90

17

305-332

197

61

244-332

1012

ro0

244 219

138

636

249-251

61

40,5

703

251-253

60

30

691

253 260

42

260 268

53

Constantinus

Table r2: Settleme.t index Apulum

3, Trebonianus Gallus

138
6,62

26A 270

152
127

274-275

0,6

6. Diocletianus+ Marimianus

244-30s

0,14

Constantinus + Galerius

303 332

0,40

S.

244-332

382

100

244 249

9a

251-253

1,5

253 260

0,24

Table 13: Settlemenl index Dierna

2. Trebonianus Gallus

260 26A

o,12

246

20

46

275 2A4

0,66

108

6. Diocletian + Maxim ianus + caterius

244 305

0,38

62

7, Constantinus + Galerius + Licinius +

305-332

3l

244-332

187

0,61

100

Tab e 14i Sett ernent index Gherla

244-249

965

260-26A
3. Aurelianus + Tetricus

o,12

270 275

275 2a4

244 305

134
4,22

76

0,04

305-332

o,22

76

244-332

26

4,29

100

244-249

10

225

249 251

'112

260-268

2A

270-275

Table 15 SeUement indei Ortea

275-244

7-

Conslantius Chtorus+
Licinius + Constantinus

284J05

305 332

60

244-332

79

0,11

12

o,09

10

249

0,89

100

N4onetary circularon in lhe maln sellLements ol Roman

D acta

47

244-332 AD

Table 16: Setllement index Potaissa

244-249

26

850

249 251

13

251-253

253 260

5. Gallien us + Postumus

264 264

20

2,5

a2

6. Claudius lt +Victorinus + Ouiniillus

26A 2TA

25

a2

7. Aurelianus+Tet.icus

270 275

12

275-244

t0

1,t

36

9. Diocletianus + IMaximianus

284J05

1a

0,66

22

10. Galerius + Constantius Chlorus

305 332

3,

Trebonianus Gallus

L Tacilus+ Probus

+ CarLrs

+Car'nus

6,5

37

78

54

[Iaximinus+ Maxentius+ Licinius

244-332

274

3,06

100

39

78

1322

Table 17: Senlement index Poroliss!m

3, Trebo.ianus Gallus

tl

249 251

169

251-253

254

264 28

264 270

o,12

2A

0,5

a5

274-275

4,2

34

306-332

0,19

32

244-332

52

0,59

100

4A
Table

3, Trebonianus Gallus

la:

Settlement index Pmetorium

244-249

o,6

214

249-251

357

251 253

253 26a

4,42

150

0,5

179

260-26a
264-270
274-275

179
2

143

275 284
244-3A5

0,04

306-332

o,11

39

244 332

25

o28

100

Table 19: Settlement index Sucidava

244 249

0,4

253 260

0,14

260 26a
4. Claudius

ll+Quinlittus

268-270
270-275

8. Galerius + Licinius + Constantinus

10

16

1,25
0,5

23

59
541

275 284

o44

52

244-3A5

0,19

22

305-332

28

244-332

75

121

o,a5

100

Monetary cjrculat on in the maln settlements ol Roman

244 332

ac a

AD

49

Table20: Settlemenllndex ULplaTraanaSarmizegelusa

244-249

1127

31

3.

Trbonianus Gallus

273

251-253

253-260

0,28

51

260-264

o,62

1T3

244-305

009

T6

305 332

o,o7

13

055

100

244 332

Tab e

PD

364

249-251

21: ssles ol provincialminls

PMS

Th

Ti

Tr

39

3
2

5
2
6

l
81

2
2

Address: Cistian Gdzdac, Mlzeul Nalional de lstorie a Transllvaniei,

str C

2a

146

Dalcoviciu 2, Fo 3400 Clui.