A team of researchers from the University of Jaén identified the first known stone mold for making coins in all of Hispania at the ancient settlement of Obulco, known today as Porcuna, Jaén,.
The object found is one half of a bivalve mold, used to produce unstruck metal discs (known as cospeles) that would later be hammered into coins. The mold measured 11 cm in height, 13.7 cm in length, and 5.4 cm in width. Its flat surface revealed circular casting marks created by the pouring of molten metal, indicating its role in the ancient coin-making process, according to Arkeo News.
The mold holds particular historical significance as it provides detailed insights into the technical aspects of coin production, specifically the bronze ases dated to between 189 and 165 BCE. This series is linked to one of the earliest coin series issued by Obulco. An analysis involving X-ray fluorescence spectrometry confirmed the metallic impressions within the mold to be of a binary copper-lead alloy, consistent with compositions identified in coins from Obulco.
The mold was constructed using local stone from the Porcuna area, an analysis pointed out by labrujulaverde.com. This finding emphasizes the use of local resources in industrial tool-making during antiquity, an integral aspect of economic activities which complemented the growing influence of Roman administrative practices within indigenous communities.
The discovery provides tangible evidence of production workshops in Iberia. It fills a long-standing archaeological gap regarding the visibility of Iberian mints.
The archaeological site of Obulco was a significant Ibero-Roman settlement, prominent for its strategic location along trade routes and active minting operations. It played a crucial role in the economy of Republican Hispania. Its coinage, tagged with names of local magistrates inscribed in both Iberian and Latin, bore symbols including plows, wheat ears, and yokes, reflecting the agricultural foundation of the local economy.
Coinage was central to the Romanization of the Iberian Peninsula, serving as a critical link between local communities and the broader Roman economic system. This integration into the Roman framework is symbolized by the iconography on the coins which combined local and Roman influences. Researchers have long believed that minting workshops were frequently situated in peripheral areas under local magistrates or military control rather than urban centers, a theory supported by similar findings in Carteia and confirmed by recent analysis, according to labrujulaverde.com.
The increasing monetary production in the region coincided with a broader extractive economic system of the Roman Republic, fostering a territorial reorganization and the expansion of cereal agriculture.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.