Coin offering container
Comment
The thesaurus consists of two superimposed blocks of the same material, a local leucitite. The upper block, average high 22 cm, measures approx. 56 x 50 cm. The hole to insert coins has the upper entrance of 6.5 x 5 cm and narrows to funnel up to the crack of 3.5 x 1.5 cm. From here a cavity with a truncated pyramid shape opens up with a rectangular base of 16 x 14 cm. The lower face of the lid has a part polished in the central area, the one that adhered to the container, framed by a roughly worked band, on average 7 cm wide, which hindered an easy opening of the thesaurus preventing the heavy cover from sliding on the edge of the container at the same level as the walking surface.
The container part is about 41 cm wide and 43.5 cm high. It has a conical shape and a depth of 20 cm which was filled, almost to the brim, with 215 coins. The upper surface is smooth, to allow a perfect adherence to the lid. The shape and the material suggest the possibility that the container may have been obtained from a block originally designed to be a millstone. The presence of a non-through hole of quadrangular shape on the outer surface of the bottom, perhaps is what remained of the housing for the wooden axis of the catillus frame, could be another proof of this reuse. It should be noted, however, that the block does not present, at present, the characteristic bell shape necessary for the correct functioning of an asinarium grinding wheel and that among the elements of leucitite millstones - of various shapes and sizes - recovered in the sanctuary area, not include blocks of similar shape to the container of the thesaurus. The small quadrangular recess on the bottom may also suggest that the block was originally worked as an architectural element, perhaps as a column body, and that the small cavity could be what remains of the fixing system between a block and the other.
Preservation
complete
Form
Money-box
Material
Stone
Hoard
Objects:
This container doesn't have any objects associated to it
Coins:
This container doesn't have any coins associated to it
