AL BAÏDA

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Location

City

Al Bayda [البيضاء]

County

Jabal al Akhdar [الجبل الأخضر]

Region

Cyrenaica [برقة]

Country

Libya

Ancient place

Balagrae

Lat/Long/Alt

32.760779 / 21.715697 / 610 view

Location details

Centred on field

Find spot comment

The findspot was located in the area of the sanctuary of Asclepius, precisely in the ambulatory of the theatre.

Information

4951

Permalink

https://129.67.241.168/hoard/4951

Hoard name

AL BAÏDA

Alternative names

BALAGRAE; EL-BEIDA; AL BAYDA; البيضاء

Data type

Hoard

Date of discovery (from)

May 1956

Total number of coins

271

Summary

The hoard comprised 259 nummi of the House of Constantine and Valentininian I (AD 364-375. The coins kept in the Shahat Archaeological Museum related to this find are 271, as proved by a recent survey which also made possible to identify more coins listed as illegible in the Goodchild's report. Terminal year remains unchanged. Many of the coins are clipped.

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

Discovery method

Controlled archaeological investigation
Land Use

Archaeological site
Disposition

شحات Shahat, Archaeological Museum
Closing reign (earliest)

Valentinian I
Terminal year (earliest)

364
Closing reign (latest)

Valentinian I
Terminal year (latest)

375
Opening year (earliest)

335
Opening year (latest)

337
Coin-level data

Available to enter

Fetching coin data

Numismatic rating

Fair
Context rating

Excellent
Findspot rating

Excellent

Site comment

Ancient Greek colony of Cyrene. Except for a Byzantine fort and its adjacent church, the main ancient monument is the Asclepium. The foundations are well-preserved, and there is a delightful odeon next to it. The capitals of the Ionian columns are especially interesting, as they are decorated with silphium, a medicinal herb that was produced in this area. (https://rambambashi.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/the-asclepium-of-balagrae/)
Associated features

Found in theater in the Sanctuary of Asclepius. It laid on the floor of a late dwelling which had been improvised in the ambulacrum of the Theater after its disuse, and which was later destroyed in an earthquake which tumbled down masses of masonry and trapped at least one human victim.
Recovery method

Excavation
Site class

Urban

Context

Theatre

Depositional context

Floor

Period

Roman
End period

Roman

References

Reference

Goodchild, R.G. - 1966 - A coin-hoard from Balagrae (El Beida), and the earthquake of A.D. 365.

Ref

203-212

Reference

Goodchild, R.G. - 1976 - A coin-hoard from Balagrae (El Beida), and the earthquake of A.D. 365

Ref

229-238

Reference

Asolati, M. and Crisafulli, C. - 2018 - Cirene e la Cirenaica in età greca e romana. Le monete. I. I ripostigli

Ref

149-152 and cat. ns. 5/1-271

URI 1

URI 2

Comment

Goodchild 1976, 230, fig. 71

P. Walton (2015); uploaded by Jerome Mairat (Nov. 2015); updated by C. Gazdac (Jan.; Nov. 2019; Nov. 2021); updated by A. Stella (Jan. 2020).

Coin Hoards
of the Roman Empire

AL BAÏDA

Data not added to the map

References

Coin Hoardsof the Roman Empire

AL BAÏDA

Data not added to the map

References

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Coin Hoards
of the Roman Empire