Minting, state and economy in the Visigothic kingdom, ca. 418--ca.713

This dissertation is an investigation of minting in the Visigothic kingdom in Gaul and in Hispania from ca. 418 to ca. 713. It traces the development of the monetary system from perhaps one or two mints in the Kingdom of Toulouse in the fifth century to a greatly expanded system in Hispania in the sixth and seventh centuries. Nearly one hundred Visigothic mints are now known. The conclusion from extensive discussion of the location of mints, metrological standards, and contemporary historical documentation is that the main purpose of striking gold currency in major cities was to facilitate taxation and expenditure, while minting at the vast majority of workshops, often in obscure places, was carried out to support military campaigns.; Chapter One covers the 'pseudo-Imperial' period of Visigothic coinage, from the settlement of the Visigoths in Aquitania until Leovigild's reign (568--586). Much attention is given to the problem of attribution of coinage to the Goths in Gaul. In the sixth century in Hispania new images on the gold coins---solidi and their thirds, tremisses---and a growth in the number of mints represented a departure from imitation of Roman minting. Chapter Two provides a fresh analysis of the several stages of transition to a regal gold coinage under Leovigild, who by 584 established the tremissis with royal name, mint-site, and an image of the king as the enduring currency model. The recent discovery of Visigothic bronze coinage is discussed. Chapter Three examines the material aspects of minting and the organization of the mints in the regal period, based on recent finds of previously unknown issues of tremisses and on a study of engraving styles. Several sets of tests of weight and fineness are brought together and a chronological treatment of standards is offered. Chapter Four shows that the production of gold coins at the few permanent mint-sites was intended to provide the state with a convenient instrument for collecting revenues and satisfying expenses, while minting at the many secondary, temporary mints was directly related to engagements of the army. Chapter Five demonstrates that authority over minting was in the hands of the king, and that a few exceptional rulers were able to carry out significant monetary reforms.