The solidus hoard of Casa delle Vestali in context

Abstract

In this paper, I discuss the context of a Late Roman solidus hoard found in the Casa delle Vestali on the Forum Romanum in Rome. The hoard consists of 397 solidi, Late Roman gold coins. Most of the hoard consists of uncirculated solidi struck in the name of the Western Roman emperor Procopius Anthemius (AD 467-472). By means of situating the hoard within the context of the reign of Anthemius and the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the aim of this paper is to determine if the coins in the Vestal hoard can be related to other contemporary coin hoards by means of numismatic typology; this information could add to our understanding of why Anthemius' reign is considered such an unmitigated failure and why the Empire collapsed soon after his murder. In this article, the composition of the hoard is examined, and the contents are compared to other contemporary solidus hoards in the Mediterranean, Gaul, Poland and Scandinavia. I argue that this comparison shows that the Vestal hoard is not part of a larger network but that the hoard constitutes the remains of an isolated occurrence-as initially suggested by its unusual composition and location.

Vidracco, Braone, and San Lorenzo. Recruitment or dilectio?

“…In the 21st century, works include Horsnaes 2002;2012;Fischer 2008;Fischer et al 2011. The first numismatic publications to explicitly demonstrate die-links connecting solidus hoards in Scandinavia and Italy to each other are those of Fischer 2014;2017;2019a;Fischer & Lind 2015;Fischer & López Sánchez 2016. In the Italian material, Svante Fischer has conducted dielink studies of the two hoards from Casa delle Vestali and the Esquiline in Rome, the Zeccone hoard near Pavia, and the San Mamiliano hoard in Tuscany, see Fischer 2014, tables 2-3;2019a, It is not known how the transfer of solidi from the imperial mint to the barbarian mercenaries was organized, nor is it clear how such arrangements were ever represented in the official propaganda and public records of the Late Roman state apparatus and Germanic successor kingdoms-was it all presented as dilectio, that is, a sort of voluntary bonus when the ruler was pleased with his army? Note there that the Roman ruler portrayed on the solidi could have been uninformed of the newly struck issues or even opposed to their distribution, as they could have been considered counterfeit or illegitimate.…”

“…RIC X, 204.35 For San Mamiliano a Sovana, see Arslan 2015. For Zeccone, seeBrambilla 1870;Peroni 1967;Vismara 1998;Fischer 2014;Fischer & Lind 2015. For Soldatergård, see Fagerlie 1967 …”