Hussein, M. (2018). THREE UNPUBLISHED ROMAN & BYZANTINE COINS FROM OXYRHYNCHUS. Journal of the General Union of Arab Archaeologists, 3(1), 134-152. doi: 10.21608/jguaa2.2017.1690.1001
Mona Gabr Hussein. "THREE UNPUBLISHED ROMAN & BYZANTINE COINS FROM OXYRHYNCHUS". Journal of the General Union of Arab Archaeologists, 3, 1, 2018, 134-152. doi: 10.21608/jguaa2.2017.1690.1001
Hussein, M. (2018). 'THREE UNPUBLISHED ROMAN & BYZANTINE COINS FROM OXYRHYNCHUS', Journal of the General Union of Arab Archaeologists, 3(1), pp. 134-152. doi: 10.21608/jguaa2.2017.1690.1001
Hussein, M. THREE UNPUBLISHED ROMAN & BYZANTINE COINS FROM OXYRHYNCHUS. Journal of the General Union of Arab Archaeologists, 2018; 3(1): 134-152. doi: 10.21608/jguaa2.2017.1690.1001
THREE UNPUBLISHED ROMAN & BYZANTINE COINS FROM OXYRHYNCHUS
Department of Greek Roman Archaeology, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, Egypt
Abstract
(En)This Article betakes Studying & Publishing- to the first time- three Coins, two Roman and a single Byzantine, from the excavated material of Season 2015 of the Spanish Expedition in El-Bahnasa (ex. Oxyrhynchus) in Minya Governorate, Middle Egypt. These three pieces have the Numbers: N.1173, N.1174 & N. 1175, and are kept now in the Museum-magazine in Site El-Bahnasa, Hall 8, They could be dated respectively from approximately the 4th century AD for the first two coins, unearthed in the site of HighNecropolis, and apparently from middle of the 7th century AD, i.e. Late Byzantine unto dawn of The Arab Conquest in year 642 AD, for the third piece found in the Osirion Site. The several Excavations in the site unearthed more evidence thereof, while the coinages have their importance in the historical story of the region , so this Article betakes Studying & Publishing- to the first time- three, two Roman and a single Byzantine, Coins from the excavated material of Season 2015 of the Spanish Expedition, specially the coins found in both Sites of High Necropolis & Osirion .The Alexandrian Coinages was produced, at first, according to Ptolemaic Style and standard weight, but going forward up to the Roman Period, they showed decrease in size & weight . The bronze coinage were struck in several nomes of Roman Egypt, Alexandria, as the main metropolis had some known mints, moreover many other local mints were present nearby, such as those in Memphis , Sais , Arsenoie (mod. Kiman-Faris in Fayyum), Heracleopolis (mod.Ihnasia El-madineh, Antoniopolis (mod. Sheikh Abada), Hermopolis (mod.Al-Ashmunein), Coptos (mod.Qeft), and also Oxyrhynchus (mod.El-Bahnasa) . The local standard type of coinages of Oxyrhynchus displays the Goddess Athena, on obverse, where she stands wearing The Chiton, the Peplos, & the military helmet, holding the double axe in her Hand , Athena there was assimilated with the local Deity of the territory, i.e., Tweres (Egy. Taweret) goddess of Motherhood, shaped normally as female hippopotamus, in spite of this close relation, Athena retained her standard form, as depicted normally by the Greek & Alexandrian way . The main Importance of these our coins is not only in spotting light upon some types, and local coinage-industry in Roman& Byzantine Egypt, and its relations to the Alexandrian Mint during that era, but also in clearing more the economic role of Egypt as a Roman Province, and different faces of coinage industry, either produced in Alexandria or being struck in some local mints in other territories throughout Egypt. (Ar) تتناول هذه الورقة البحثية نشر ودراسة لثلاثة قطع من العملات الرومانية والبيزنطية، والتى تعد جزءاً من مکتشفات حفائر البعثة الأسبانية فى البهنسا، أوکسيرينخوس القديمة بمحافظة المنيا، وذلک خلال موسم حفائر 2015م، وهي محفوظة حالياً بالفاعة رقم (8) الخاصة بأعمال البعثة الاسبانية داخل المخزن المتحفى بمدينة البهنسا. وهذه القطع هى ذات الأرقام: N.1173, N.1174 والتى تم اکتشافهما فى موقع الجبانة العليا، والتى يمکن أن تؤرخ من القرن الرابع الميلادى(؟)، بالإضافة إلى القطعة الثالثة رقم: N.1175 والتى تم اکتشافها فى موقع الأوزيريون، والتي يمکن تأريخها بحوالى القرن السابع الميلادى، أي أواخر العصر البيزنطى وقبيل الفتح العربى لمصر عام 642م. هذه العملات تلقى الضوء وتعطى قراءة تحليلية عن بعض طرز ودور سک العملات البرونزية فى المقاطعات، أو علاقتها بدار سک الأسکندرية، وکذلک توضح بعض جوانب وضع مصر ودورها الاقتصادى، لاسيما فيما يتعلق بنظام تداول العملات داخل الإمبراطورية الرومانية کإحدى الولايات الرومانية الهامة.