Speakers
Description
In January 2020, during the fieldwork carried out by the “Aswan-Kom Ombo Archaeological Project” in the desert hinterland of Aswan, southern Egypt, a small Byzantine hoard was brought to light.
The hoard consists of 8 folles and 15 dodecanummi, struck at the mints of Constantinople, Antiochia and Alexandria, with a starting and closing date of AD 512 - AD 641.
The coins were found scattered near an amphora of the same period, among the rocks of one of the hillocks of the desert plateau overlooking the inner part of Wadi Kubbaniya, the major desiccated river intersecting the Nile Valley from the west, north of Aswan.
Why was the small hoard hidden in such a remote area? Could this be a votive or religious deposit? How does this hoard add to our knowledge of monetary circulation during the Byzantine period in this area and its connections to the Mediterranean?
