Coin Finds of Roman Austria: Styria

Research project P 14421 Coin Finds of Roman Austria: Styria Michael ALRAM 08.05.2000 Projects of coin findings have- long been a main field of work of the numismatic research in Europe. They engage in the cataloguing of all available coin findings within a certain region and a certain period, and on the other hand m an adequate interpretation of the catalogued material in regard of its historical, numismatic, archeological as well as its expressiveness in social and economic history. The present project aims at an interdisciplinary analysis of the economic and settlement areas of Styria between the 2nd century B.C. until the 5th century A.D. The coin isn`t only seen as such but in its function and appearence in. space and time. The well documented archeological topographical survey of Styria allows a comparative analysis of the archeological and the numismatic source materials. The innovativeness of the project lies in the complexity of that analysis which includes the entire source material for the political, economic and social development of Roman Styria. For the area of Roman Austria it is the first investigation of its kind. The so far published volumes of FMRO must be seen as collection of material in the service of numismatic basic research awaiting adequate analysis to this day. They form, however, precious comparative material for the analysis of the economic picture of Roman Styria and therefore have to be included in the investigation at any rate. Territorial diversities in the monetary supply - e.g. the varying supply of coins - allow to draw important conclusions on the political and economic development of a region in a certain period of time. It is the numismatic comparison of different regions - within and across the borders of a province -that can give a vivid description of the money circulation within Austria Romana, thus closing a long existing gap in numismatic research in Austria.

The aim of the project "Coin finds of Roman Austria: Styria" (P14421) was firstly a complete digital registration of ancient coins found in Styria and secondly the historical, archaeological, monetary and economic analysis and interpretation of the registered masses of coins. In the late Latène and early Roman imperial times there were Celtic as well as Roman coins in circulation. This was the result of good economic connections between Rome and Noricum. Celtic coin finds were concentrated mainly in and near the major Celtic hillforts in Styria, but they were also found in the later Roman settlements. One important outcome evolved from our study: There were two different currency areas, which means there was a dividing line between the money of the western and the eastern Celtic tribes of Noricum, even if they had the same coin standards. At the end of the first century BC the so called Norican Kingdom was occupied and annexed by the Romans without any warlike turbulences. During the first century AD Celtic coins disappeared little by little from the monetary circulation and in the second half of the century there was doubtlessly an advanced Roman money economy in Styria. At that time people primarily used bronze coins in everyday life. Silver money does not seem to be so essential in the first two centuries AD. Perhaps there was only a small prosperity and economic activity. In the second half of the century the province was hit by the plaque and the Marcomannic wars. At the same time the coin supply decreased, but at the end of the second century it had gained in importance again with people quickly having recovered. Now the currency changed, because from this time on mainly silver denars were in use. Originally made of pure silver the denars were then alloyed with base metals. The coin volume increased more and more while the material of the denar got lower. These are signs of an increasing monetary crisis. From 240 AD on the denars disappeared from money circulation at all. They were replaced by the Antoninian as the most important coin of the third century, which was struck at the beginning for the most part in silver. But soon the Antoninian became the most inflationary coin of the hole antiquity, so its monetary value continuously sank. Antoniniani form the most frequently found coins in Styria. The few coin hoards of Roman Styria must be seen in this context. In a time of disastrous monetary policy and permanent danger of war people hid money worthwile. At the end of the century the coin system was reformed by Diocletian, so the circulating money volume drastically decreased. Good new money seemed to circulate rarely. In the fourth century money economy steadily developed until 400 AD. The coin volume stayed the same, even though the new Follis lost more and more weight and silver content, which means that it was also touched by inflation. After 400 AD no more new Roman coins came to Styria and Roman monetary economy came to an end. It is probable that the coins of the fourth century kept on circulating way into the fifth. The result of the investigation of the money supply lines in Styria shows, that until the third century coins mainly came from Rome itself. In the fourth century they were brought from the nearer mints, which were opened in the century before for supplying the legions. The most important for Styria was Siscia/Sisak on the Save.