New Perspectives on the Roman Coinage on the Eastern Limes

The work discusses the monetary development in Roman Syria and Judaea in the Late Republican and the Early Imperial Period from a numismatic archaeological and historical point of view. In effect the work focuses on the 1st century B.C. to the 1st century A.D. that is the assumed time of introduction of Roman denarii to the region. The work benefits from the silver coin hoards of Khirbet Qumran recently published by the author. Studies of the provincial coinage of Judaea (A.D. 6-66) also shed new light on the authority of the Roman governors in economic and monetary matters in eastern Mediterranean regions. Furthermore a new suggestion as to the length of the mandate period of Pontius Pilate is made. The extent of Emperor Augustus' monetary reforms as well as the military history of Judaea are discussed in the light of new analytical studies which show that the production of Roman base metal coins appears to have been a highly controlled process contrary to popular opinion. Statistical calculations related to the coin alloy revealed striking similarities with Roman and other local metalwork found in Israel.