Monetary Circulation in Palestine during the Byzantine Period (Fifth-Seventh Centuries CE)

Thesis Hebrew University In response to the need for 'small change', quantities of small bronze coins - minimi -circulated alongside the official coins during the Byzantine period. Minimi included worn and illegible coins, remaining in circulation for long periods; poorly manufactured local imitative issues; pieces of metal that can hardly be classified as coins; and coins from foreign areas. All were an integral part of the monetary currency during the Byzantine period throughout the empire, as well as in Israel. Numerous publications deal with official imperial Byzantine coinage, however, there has been little interest in local coinage issues. This study focuses on the coinage circulating in Israel during the Byzantine period, with an emphasis on the nature of the daily currency or 'small change' from the beginning of the fifth century CE to the end of the seventh century CE, when Byzantine coins ceased to circulate in Palestine. Geographically, the research deals with the area that presently includes the State of Israel, Judea, Samaria and Gaza, the Golan and Sinai. While located on the periphery of the Byzantine empire, the region constituted the Holy Land - the ultimate center of Christian pilgrimage from the East as well as from the West. Thus, the numismatic assemblage from this region is unique. The results of this study will contribute to both the fields of numismatics and archaeology, providing an insight into Byzantine coinage circulating in Palestine and its implications on the socio-economic life. A major contribution of this work lies on its reliance on coins with a recorded provenance from archaeological excavations and not merely on coins from private collections, which form the basis for many studies.