Trade between Minturnae and Hispania in the Late Republic (original) (raw)
Related papers
Trade between Minturnae and Hispania in the Late Republic (Part 2)
The Numismatic Chronicle, 2021
In the 2019 Numismatic Chronicle, two of us published a comparative isotopic analysis of the struck lead from Minturnae and the grandes plomos monetiformes of Ulterior Baetica. We showed that the Italians exploited the coastal mines at Cartagena-Mazzarón before those of the Sierra Morena. We also used epigraphic evidence to identify gentes present in both Minturnae and Hispania, and to show that Minturnae was one of the first cities to exploit the Spanish Silver/lead mines soon after the Second Punic War. In our new paper, we expand our horizon to a number of aspects of the mines of the Baetican interior, and the organisation and areas of influence of the large-scale anonymous societates that exploited them. We first briefly review current ideas about the status and nature of the mining societates of the interior. We then consider further the identification of C·SAM, whom we had identified as one of the signatories of a group of lead pieces struck in Minturnae, which were in all probability made by a societas involved in the Spanish lead trade. This leads to a proposed new reading of a text from Pliny regarding what we now show to be a societas Samiarianensis, with a probable link to Minturnae. Our main focus, however, is on assembling and considering the physical evidence for the operations of the mining societates of the interior, which includes objects marked with the names of societates, two large groups of coins, and lead seals, including one in the name of the city of Corduba. We aim to provide as complete a picture as possible, as a contribution to future research. We also review the relationship of the Italo-Baetican grandes plomos monetiformes to the mines.
Mineral provenance of Roman lead objects from the Cinca River basin (Huesca, Spain
A set of 50 lead artifacts, out of which 29 were glandes plumbeae, found at archaeological sites located in the Cinca River basin (Huesca, Spain) were analyzed by MC-ICP-MS to determine lead isotope ratios. A comparison with lead ore deposits exploited by the Romans in the Iberian Peninsula allowed to differentiate two main groups of samples: those manufactured with Pb from nearby Pyrenean or Iberian Range ores (30%), and those from mining areas of Cartagena-Mazarrón in southeastern Spain or S'Argentera in the island of Ibiza (70%). This finding supports the existence of lead-ore extraction in the Central Pyrenees in the Roman period and enhances our understanding of metal supply networks in the region and army provisioning during the Sertorian war.
THE LEAD INGOTS OF CAPO PASSERO: ROMAN GLOBAL MEDITERRANEAN TRADE
Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2008
Summary. Epigraphic and isotopic analysis of the lead ingots recovered from a shipwreck off Capo Passero (in Sicily) in mid-2006 suggests that the ingots were produced in Spain, in the Cartagena region. The shipwreck is estimated to have occurred around 38 BC, at the beginning of the Hispanic era. This provides further evidence that the Romans were trading lead throughout the Mediterranean Sea.
SOMA 2012 Identity and Connectivity: Proceedings of the 16th Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology, Florence, Italy, 1–3 March 2012 edited by Luca Bombardieri, Anacleto D’Agostino, Guido Guarducci, Valentina Orsi, and Stefano Valentini, Oxford, Archaeopress, ISBN 978 1 4073 1206 4, 2013
The Molar-Bellmunt-Falset (MBF) mining district was an important source of lead and silver from medieval times to the 20th century, as many historical documents show. Pre-Roman operations have not been documented in the area, but a few fragments of Roman pottery were recovered during 20th century mining. Two field surveys did not provide any evidence of ancient exploitation. However, some evidence of lead metallurgy has been documented at some prehistoric sites within the region. This study is based on lead (Pb) isotope analysis (LIA) and tries to identify the provenance of archaeological items prior to the Roman conquest of the region. Early Iron Age occupation horizons show that MBF mineral resources were exploited for their metals. We also try to investigate if archaeological material from other parts of the Iberian Peninsula could be related to the MBF district to infer the patterns of trade.