This master’s thesis examines a coin assemblage from Sector 1 at the SNG Drama site in Ljubljana, excavated between 2023 and 2024. The site is located within the walls of Roman Emona, near the forum. A total of 474 coins were discovered, which were preliminarily cleaned and documented. Most of the coins are Roman, identified with the help of the Roman Imperial Coinage catalogues.
The earliest specimen is a small Noricum silver coin from the 1 st century BC, while the latest coins belong to the first half of the 5th century AD. Republican issues are absent, the Principate is only modestly represented, whereas the Dominate is strongly attested. Particularly prominent are the bronze issues of the second half of the 4th century, reflecting intensified monetary circulation in the final decades before the collapse of Emona. At that time, older coins also remained in use, including even an isolated Noricum specimen. The largest share of the assemblage derives from the mints of Siscia and Aquileia.
The Sector 1 assemblage largely corresponds to the general trends observed in Emona. Stronger representation of the late Roman coins is linked to the workshop that operated in
this area during that time. Overall, the coins reflect the development of the city from its early stages to its late flourishing and decline in the first third of the 5th century AD.
|