Roman coins from caves in Croatia

Abstract

The most frequent Latin term for a cave is antrum1 - a very convenient place for hiding treasures. The folklore of the Southern Slavs is full of tales about such treasures guarded in caves by the devil himself.2 The author discusses numismatic evidence from four caves in Croatia: the Kukuruzovič Cave at Gornji Vaganac3 near Ličko Petrovo Selo, Medvedica near Ogulin,5 Veternica near Zagreb and Vindija near Ivanec - both Veternica6 and Vindija7 additionally being important Palaeolithic sites. Only two of these caves have produced considerable numismatic material. A hoard of Roman Republican coins was found in the Kukuruzovič Cave prior to 18964 - unfortunately the coins had been damaged by fire. In course of various field campaigns led either by S. Vukovič8 or M. Malez 173 coins have been excavated at Vindija. Out of 139 of the coins from Vindija, held either by the City Museum in Varaždin or the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, the earliest specimen was struck for Claudius (41-54) and the last was a coin of Theodosius I (379-395), mentioned by J. Klemene.9 The bulk of the material belongs to the 4th cent. A. D. (97.8%) and the mints represented are: Arelate (0.72%), Aquileia (5.76%), Rome (1.44%), Siscia (19.42%), Sirmium (1.44%), Thessalonica (1.44%) and Nicomedia (0,72%). Emperors represented by various issues included Constantine I (0.72 %), Constantius II (2.88 %), Constans (0.72%), Valentinian I (18.70%), Valens (7.19%) and Gratian (3.59%). The most frequent types are SECVRITAS REIPVBLICAE (30.21%) and GLORIA ROMANORVM (23.30 %). A hoard of denarii and antoniniani found in a cave in Carniola with a terminus post quem of A. D. 260 is also mentioned.