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MAIASP. 2024. No. 16 Ersin Çelikbaş ( The First Numismatic Evidence from the Inner Castle
Baptistery of Paphlagonian Hadrianopolis DOI: 10.53737/2713-2021.2024.45.74.037 Access this article (PDF File) Pages: 751—767 |
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The subject of this article is the sixteen coins found in the Inner
Castle Baptistery, where excavations began in 2022. The archaeological datas from these excavations revealed that the Inner
Castle Baptistery was built in the 5th century CE. It remained in
use with its original function until the end of the 7th century CE,
undergoing various repairs and additions. The last phase of the building
consists of the remains of a wall built with earthen mortar. Given the
long-term use of the Inner Castle Baptistery, the coins discovered during the
excavations are dated from the period of Licinius I
(314 CE) to that of Michael VII Ducas (1071—1078 CE).
The numismatic datas from the Inner Castle
Baptistery are significant as they corroborate the archaeological findings
related to the building’s construction, use, and renovation periods. These
findings are also essential to understand the Middle-Late Byzantine Period of
the city. Until the 2022 excavations, most of the coins discovered in the Hadrianopolis excavations were from the Late Roman and
Early Byzantine periods, with only a few exceptions. The dominance of coins
from these periods, coupled with the lack of post-8th century CE
data, except for a few surface finds not directly associated with the
buildings, suggested that the city might have been abandoned during this
century. However, the sixteen coins from the Inner Castle Baptistery, which
is the focus of this study, are crucial in providing archaeological evidence
that Hadrianopolis continued to be inhabited during
the Middle-Late Byzantine Period, at least until the end of the 11th
century CE. |
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Key words: Paphlagonia, Hadrianopolis,
Late Roman, |
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Received
June 20, 2024 Accepted
for publication July 5, 2024 |
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About the authors: Çelikbaş Ersin ( E-mail: ersincelikbas@gmail.com Oyarçin Kasım ( E-mail: kasimoyarcin@omu.edu.tr |