Featured What's in the Till? (Pompeian Version)

While recently reading R. Hobbs' Currency and Exchange in Ancient Pompeii, I came across this fascinating table. It's a list of 1,385 coins found in a large dolia at a bar in Pompeii. Presumably the coins were left behind by the owner who fled the eruption in a hurry.


Unsurprisingly, coins struck by Vespasian dominate the hoard.

The dolia was sunk into the counter (like the one pictured below) and perhaps held the previous evening's takings.




Prices normally were listed in asses because bronze was the common currency for everyday exchange while gold and silver was for storing one's wealth. Poignantly, silver and gold coins are normally found on the fleeing victims of the eruption who wished to take their stored wealth with them. Rarely are bronze and precious metal coins found in a mixed condition. The Pompeian fresco below wonderfully illustrates this - precious metal on the left, bronze on the right.




Pictured below is a price list from Herculaneum of various wines in asses.



Outside of one Pompeian bar a graffito reads: Hedone says you can drink here for one as, if you give two, you will drink better; if you give four, you will drink falernian.

Just as today, the bar scene was certainly lively.





At any rate, I thought this would be of some interest. I'll end the post with a nice, common bronze of Vespasian, which could have very well ended up in a bar's dolia at the end of a long evening.


Vespasian
Æ As, 9.85g
Rome mint, 76 AD
RIC 897 (R). BMC p. 169 note.
Obv: IMP CAESAR VESP AVG COS VII; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r.
Rev: VICTORIA AVGVST; S C in field; Victory stg. r. on prow, with wreath and palm

 

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Fascinating post, thanks!

 

OMG I'm actually starting to understand that stuff! Lol yes I did enjoy that post as well. TY

 

that's purdy kool info and pics David, thanks!

 

Great post & coin, David.

 

I found several points of interest here. There were about 60 coins illegible (worn?). There were many Agrippa asses compared to those of Caligula or Nero but a large number of Claudius asses. There were several Galba but no Vitellius. Did this show a pattern of circulation by geography or did people discriminate against some rulers? There were many older asses but most larger coins were Vespasian and Galba, the recent ones but still no Vitellius. Did Vespasian remove Vitellius coins from circulation? Too many questions!

 

Curious, are any of the coins discovered here exceptionally rare or outstanding?

 

I would love to know the story of how a 300+ year old Ptolemy came to that bar.

 

I'd be willing to bet it was a matter of geography and simple distribution (including when they received infusions of cash). But its also too small a time frame to expect much usable data.

We know that some ancient people collected coins. While a single coin does not make a collection it could have been a 'pocket piece' or curio. Some old guy walks into the bar with a old unspendable coin...barkeep says, 'what the heck, I'll take it and hold on to it'. I could see that happening. I imagine many of us have done the same. I once found a 1,000 year old Chinese coin in the parking lot of the post office. Sadly it had been run over by many cars and thus was not really collectable but I kept it anyway. Just a curio.

 

Excellent thread & replies!

 

Of great interest, thanks for sharing David.

 

We know there is a library buried in Herculaneum. Imagine what it contains! Maybe Claudius' history and the missing parts of so many other texts.

 

Very cool! So the I As wine was the "Boone's Farm" grade stuff.

 

When I was in the Navy we consumed an awful lot of Boone's! At 75 cents a bottle it was within reach of us enlisted!

 

I recall reading that a group of the legionary series of Marc Antony were found, all from different legions, indicating that they were being collected as a series. Also that Augustus collected coins - wonder what his collection looked like!

 

This is great, and fascinating for what are missing as well - no coins of women, none of Vitellius, so many of Galba, and no provincial coins.

What I hope is that some day the hundreds of carbonized rolls/books will be read - what a treasure! From what I understand there is a way to (perhaps) read them without causing any harm but both Italy and France, which have a few of the rolls, have refused to make them available. It would be great if these include an unknown book of Livy, or another historian.

 

Very fascinating stuff!

Some points of note
- It's interesting to see so many Republican bronze coins were in circulation a century plus after the fall of the Republic. I wonder if some of the older coins were being spent as larger denominations; e.g. an early As as a sestertius? Otherwise it's interesting that a sextans would still be kicking around in people's pockets when the quadrans was so uncommon.
- Not a single coin of any of the ladies in over a thousand? I would expect at least a few.
- I recall having read somewhere that there was some Greek coin that was particularly common in the Pompeiian version of the family penny jar

 

Just think,,,,, what would they say about stuff or coins found in my house or YOUR house in 1,000 years?(((hope that service I paid got rid of all that porn I had))) lmao