SMINTHEION

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Location

City

Gülpınar

County

Çanakkale

Region

Aegean

Country

Turkey

Ancient place

Smintheion

Lat/Long/Alt

39.539 / 26.118 / 62.92 view

Location details

Centred on field

Information

8844

Permalink

https://chre.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/hoard/8844

Hoard name

SMINTHEION

Data type

Hoard

Date of discovery (from)

1 Aug 1998

Total number of coins

677

Summary

A hoard of ca. 677 provincial coins, ranging from Commodus Caesar to the joint reign of Valerian and Gallienus (AD 253-60), found in the sanctuary of Apollo Smintheion. Coins were mainly minted in Alexandria Troas (665 coins), but also in Parium (6 coins) and Abydus (1 coin). Çizmeli connects the deposition of this hoard with the invasions of the Goths in Asia Minor.

Details
Coins Summary
Coins
Rating
Archaeological context
Containers
Objects
References
Reports
Images
Credit

Discovery method

Controlled archaeological investigation
Land Use

Archaeological site
Disposition

Laboratoire du Musée des Civilisations Anatoliennes, Ankara, Turkey
Closing reign (earliest)

Valerian I and Gallienus
Terminal year (earliest)

253
Closing reign (latest)

Valerian I and Gallienus
Terminal year (latest)

260
Opening year (earliest)

172
Opening year (latest)

177
Coin-level data

Available to enter

Fetching coin data

Numismatic rating

Good
Rating comment

A monograph on the hoard is planned (Çizmeli 2016, p. 184, n. 5)
Context rating

Good
Findspot rating

Good

Site comment

The sanctuary of Apollo Smintheus was located on the territory of the city of Hamaxitus. In the Roman times, Hamaxitus was combined with Alexandria Troas to form a single city. The fame of Apollo Smintheus increased following this synoecism and the Smintheum continued to appear on Roman and early mediaeval itineraries such as the Tabula Peutingeriana (4th or 5th century) and the Ravenna Cosmography (7th or 8th century). (Wikipedia) The hoard was found in the ground of a civil building, outside of the boundary of the sanctuary.
Associated features

Beyond the archaeological limits of the sanctuary. Area 98/3, within a building of unknown functionality.
Site class

Urban

Context

Uncertain structure