Coins from the multi-stratified medieval site of Reccopolis: analysis of long-term numismatic records
Manuel Castro Priego|Pilar Diarte Blasco|Lauro Olmo-Enciso
ABSTRACTThe relationship between numismatic research and archaeological stratigraphy is one of the most significant resources for defining economic social mechanisms Middle Ages. A assemblage comprising 146 coins – mostly unpublished recovered from late sixth-century Visigothic settlement Reccopolis in Guadalajara, Spain, focus this study. Through characterisation deposits monetary finds it has been possible to establish a contextual interpretation which indicators durability, continuity rituality use currency can be observed. In connection with this, substantial number have found concentrated specific sectors site, especially neighbourhood church, where foundational value some hoards reinterpreted. This study establishes constant chronological dating stratigraphic contextualisation, exploring complex periods certain specimens, while also stressing importance interpreting coinage within wider material assemblages.KEYWORDS: Medieval coinsReccopolisZorita de los Canes Treasureal-Andalus hoardsCastilian coinsstratigraphy AcknowledgementsThis work part Its Material Culture: From Object Built Space (RECCULT) project. It funded Scientific Research Technology Transfer Projects (2022–2025) government Castilla-La Mancha. was carried out Alcalá University (Spain) group Archaeology: Landscapes, Colonialism Cultural Heritage.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict interest reported by author(s).Notes1 Doménech-Belda Gutiérrez-Lloret, “Viejas y nuevas monedas;” Castro-Priego, “Reccopolis hallazgos numismáticos;” Olmo-Enciso “Coins, Cities Archaeological Contexts;” Amorós-Ruiz Doménech-Belda, “Espacio, tiempo Barrios Rodríguez Blázquez-Cerrato, “Monedas antiguas halladas.”2 “Estratos, vellones, feluses tremises,” 123–25.3 Casey Reece, Coins Archaeologist.4 Saguì Rovelli, “Residualità, non residualità.”5 Klackenberg, Moneta nostra; Kemmers Myrberg, “Rethinking Numismatics.”6 Haselgrove Krmnicek, “The Archaeology Money;” Graeber, Toward an Anthropological Theory Value.7 Gullbekk, “Natural Money Economy;” Gullbekk et al., Churches.8 Harris “An Aid Study,” 30–33; Barker, Techniques Excavation.9 tremises.”10 Contexts,” 560; contextos numismáticos,” 475, “Absent Coinage,” 46.11 Olmo-Enciso, “De Celtiberia Šantabariyya,” 50–60.12 “Recópolis: una ciudad en época transformaciones,” 43–46.13 Campos, Juan Biclaro, obispo Gerona, 88.14 Cabré-Aguiló, El tesorillo visigodo trientes, 36.15 “Ciudad estado visigoda,” 102–06.16 Henning Revealed,” 737, 739; Olmo “Beside Within Walls,” 3–10.17 “Espacios poder Recópolis,” 76–85.18 52–53.19 Bonifay Bernal, “Recópolis, paradigma las importaciones africanas,” 103–10.20 Diarte-Blasco “Urban Defence Visigoths,” 40.21 739–47.22 Catalán Andrés, Crónica del moro Rasis, LXI LXIX.23 Simonet, Historia Mozárabes, 826; Pareja-Serrada, Diplomática arriacense, 115.24 37–41.25 46.26 38.27 “Un hallazgo monedas oro,” 349–56; Beltrán-Villagrasa, Leovigildo el Zorita Canes,” 23–48.28 44.29 43. No further Roman discovered basilica area, Cabré deposit.30 Miles, The Coinage Visigoths, 96–99; Barral i Altet, La circulation des monnaies suèves visigothiques, 86–92.31 87–88; Alonso, Las historias Godos, 258–59.32 Torres Balbás, Ciudades yermas hispanomusulmanas, 34–42; Raddatz, “Studien zu Recópolis 1,” 213–33; Claude, 2,” 167–94; Vázquez Parga, Recopolis 3,” 259–80; Palol, Arqueología cristiana la España Romana, 90–93.33 474–75; 559.34 “Arquitectura religiosa organización litúrgica,” 163–64.35 identification as baptistery undisputed past seventy years. Cabré, 38; 90–93; 173–74; Godoy-Fernández, liturgia. Iglesias hispánicas, 243; Utrero, tardoantiguas altomedievales, 523–26.36 Tomasini, Barbaric Tremissis 63–66; 86.37 136; Bartlett “Weight, Fineness, Debasement,” 178–82.38 treasure uncovered during maintenance cleaning work, Management Department Park wrote report on circumstances discovery made. See Gómez-García, “Memoria descripción superficial,” 1–2.39 Castro-Priego “Dírhams, contextualización arqueológica,” 1102–07; 89–92.40 477.41 “Entre periodo visigodo,” 105–09.42 Gómez Torre-Verdejo, “La producción vidrio 259–62; actividad artesanal 119–23.43 Marot Salsas, Península Ibérica siglos V-VI,” 139–49, first propose heterogeneous models Iberian Peninsula fifth seventh centuries. Tolmo Minateda site paradigmatic example microspatial sixth ninth centuries Spanish Levant, see monedas,” 337–74; 162–72. last decade seen increase context, analysis Andalusi copper types eighth century yielding enormous amount data, will interpreted coming sense, together Vega Baja Toledo interesting areas Šaqunda. 123–60; Casal-García “El arrabal Šaqunda,” 845–66.44 For review Merovingian coin Peninsula, Martínez-Chico, González García, “Hallazgo un denario,” 215–17.45 50–60.46 46.47 480–81.48 direct abandonment foundation medina Zorita, early century, had already highlighted written sources, yet contextualisation made statement more precise, revealing that gradual process independent Emirate Cordova 756–929 CE. Moro LXIX.49 115.50 114.51 Utrilla-Utrilla, “Aragón, reino corona,” 159.52 comprehensive approach phenomenon perforation Perassi, Monete romane forate, esp. 275–99, continuation Doyen, Chairman’s Address, IV–VI. excellent dissertation drilling its Viking societies, Audy, “Suspended Value,” introduction extent processes demonetisation amulets. subject various approaches since 1980s, primarily focused Emiral (eighth tenth CE) Caliphal (tenth eleventh periods. Canto, Perforations Coins; Rodrigues Marinho, Uma prática singular.53 Sánchez-González, necropolis medieval yacimiento Recópolis, 585. certainly handusi (fractional coin, trimmed, smaller than die minted it). On manufacture production these series twelfth CE, Francés Vañó, moneda handusí al-Andalus, 8–11. fragmentation prior minting. Regarding important metrological variability pieces, Vañó maintains there no stable weight ratio coins, but rather bars they were cut, conformed term Ūquiyya, etymologically derived uncia, unit representing 27.75 g.54 114–16.55 Numismatics,” 101–04.56 Spain; 86–92; Byzantine Gold Spania, 376; 178–82.57 82–86; Pliego-Vázquez, visigoda, 79–83; Mateos-Cruz tesoro tremises visigodos,” 255–67; 475–76.58 Metcalf “Sixth-Century Visigoth Metrology,” 77.59 “Nuove acquisizioni sulla vasca battesimale di Tas Silġ,” 230–42; “Coins Baptism Late Antiquity,” 108.60 112–13.61 Arslan, “Monete provenienti dal canale perimetrale fonte battesimale,” 176–77; Facchinetti, “L’oﬀerta monete nei fonti battesimali,” 45–53.62 Sotomayor, “Sobre fecha Concilio,” 137–68; Vilella Barreda, “Los cánones Hispana,” 567–69; Meigne, “Concile ou collection d´Elvire?” 361–87. date Council Elvira generated intense controversy, beginning philological Barreda (as classic Meigne), authors stated text so-called constituted texts at least three different sources. contrast, Sotomayor Berdugo, Concilio Elvira: replica,” 380–410, defended authorship pertaining fourth definitive configuration century. According new interpretation, Canon 48, act baptism payment, would later texts, time not before mid century.63 Vives, Concilios visigóticos e hispano-romanos; “L'oﬀerta 43–44.64 Leatherbury, Votive Gifts,” 253–69.65 Walls, Pits Foundations,” 519–30.66 Huffstot, “Votive (?) Use Coins,” 222.67 Bijovsky, Coin Small Change, 90–99.68 90.69 Kloner, Synagogues Horvat Rimmon,” 46.70 91.71 Ahipaz, “Floor Foundation Deposits,” 63–70.72 Burrell, “Small Bronze Hoards Fifth Century,” 166.73 “Il deposito monetale della trincea XII,” 290–94. recent version researcher highlights ritual-foundational function Capernaum hoard L812 Trench Deposit inside Synagogue,” 155–58.74 Ariel, Synagogue ‘En Nashut,” 148. author although difficult justify cases, are synagogues find under pavements cannot considered concealment purposes: “Thus, hypothesis period synagogues, though prove, supported growing body evidence. Published may thus Capernaum, Kh. Marus, Ḥorvat Kanef, Qaṣrin, Dabiyeh, Khorazin, Gush Ḥalav. instance, we referring what described ‘money pouch’ distinct genuine hoards), near threshold synagogue.”75 Dabiyye,” 74.76 García-López, “Relaciones topográficas España,” 125–26; Biblioteca Real Academia Historia, Signatura: 9/3954-60.77 126: “It acknowledged tradition refers Pippin, founder Carolingian dynasty France. His name must thoughtless transcription personage. Would memory Liuvigild or Reccared I, founders Recopolis, preserved such hidden way?”Additional informationFundingThis Junta Comunidades Mancha [grant SBPLY/21/180501/000205].Notes contributorsManuel Castro-PriegoManuel (PhD 2011) Assistant Professor Alcalá. He held internationally competitive contracts Ecuador (Prometeo Program) USA (International Numismatic Commission) published range works numismatics archaeology. lines Islamic definition culture Castile, European contact Pacific coast South America. Currently, he Principal Investigator project (RECCULT), Mancha.Pilar Diarte-BlascoPilar Ramón Cajal Researcher (MICINN) Institute History, CSIC (Madrid). She completed her PhD 2011 Universidad Zaragoza then several prestigious postdoctoral fellowships Italy, Spain UK, including Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship (2015–2017) Leicester. directed projects devoted post-classical transformations landscapes townscapes Antiquity As result, she numerous papers book Antique Early Hispania: Landscapes without Strategy? (Oxbow, 2018).Lauro Olmo-EncisoLauro Full History Philosophy, (Alcalá Henares). Fulbright Postdoctoral Visiting Scholar Harvard Fellow Siena. interests publications Archaeology, Historical Landscape Heritage. stays universities centres USA, Germany, Serbia, Ecuador, Jordan, Egypt, support National Plan Technical Innovation, Ministry Culture, Regional Plans Autonomous Communities. directs sites, royal city (sixth-ninth AD).
Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies