CANTILENA R., ROVELLI A., SAGUÌ L., Setting Coins in their Context: A Methological Reflection

The importance of an integrated approach to the study of coins and that of archaeological contexts is underscored, with a brief review of the origins and development of this trend. The first part of the article presents a series of case studies drawn from urban excavations, especially that of the Crypta Balbi in Rome, which is characterised by a long-running and well-documented stratigraphic sequence; it then addresses the topic of numismatic residuality and the continuity of circulation, which only a comparative evaluation of both numismatic and archaeological evidence can place in proper historical context. The second part, which draws on experiences gained through a major study of coin finds in and around Paestum, highlights the usefulness of GIS for numismatic research; it also suggests how evidence derived from the identification of the find spots of coins can support a synchronic and diachronic reading of the phases of occupation and of the transformations in urban and surrounding areas