Roselle: le monete dagli scavi archeologici (1959-1991) e dal territorio

An Etruscan, Roman, and later medieval city, Roselle has yielded a large quantity of materials over more than fifty years of activity by the Superintendency for Archaeological Heritage of Tuscany. The cataloging and publication of a significant portion of the numismatic finds now make it possible to trace the history of this city and its excavations, from the first scientific research conducted in 1959 to 1991, when the investigations by the Municipality of Grosseto revealed the Christian church and cemetery. Starting from the earliest evidence of coins from Campanian and Etruscan mints (4th-3rd century BC), the recovered coins help outline the socio-economic contexts of different historical periods and suggest movements of people and trade exchanges. A significant portion of the finds is from the Republican period, when Roselle experienced renewed development (2nd century BC) following the Roman conquest in 294 BC, and from the early Imperial era, coinciding with the growth and monumentalization of the city (1st century AD). The presence of coins is abundant throughout the Imperial period, with a peak in the second half of the 3rd century and a noticeable reduction in the 4th century, when new building activities ceased in the city. The absence of coins minted after AD 388 makes it plausible that, like elsewhere, Roselle continued to use coins minted earlier during the late 4th and 5th centuries. After a gap of several centuries, numismatic evidence reappears at the end of the 8th century, with a coin of Charlemagne, and later with specimens from the 11th and 12th centuries, recalling Roselle's role as a bishopric until 1138, before it ultimately fell into ruin. The picture offered by the coins recovered from the city’s excavations is complemented by a series of finds from the surrounding territory of Roselle, allowing for a more complete understanding of the spread and circulation of ancient coinage in this part of Etruria.