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Coins from the neighbourhood of a Roman mine in Southern Spain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2012

G. F. Hill  and
H. W. Sandars
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Extract

In the heart of the Sierra Morena, and at some twelve kilometres as the crow flies to the north-west of the modern town of La Carolina, in the province of Jaen, a silver-lead mine is at present being successfully worked by an English company. But the English company would not be working it to-day, nor would they be doing so successfully, were it not for the fact that the Romans had been there before them and that the Roman miners had left indications on the surface that pointed to extensive workings below, and had not exhausted the riches which kindly Nature had stored in the vein which they exploited. That the Romans must have worked the mine which is known in our times as “el Centenillo” during a long period is principally evidenced by the extent of their underground operations, which attained the astonishing depth of 210 metres (690 feet) from surface, while in length they exceeded a thousand metres (3,280 feet) and gradually narrowed down in depth until, for some reason that will never be known and which it would be imprudent to guess at, the “old men” abandoned the mine. They worked on the best part of the lode which, in all probability, resembled other lodes in the district in being richer in silver near the surface. The Romans must, however, have been principally working the mine for lead when they determined to leave it, as their lowest workings were in a highly mineralised zone which was very good for galena but relatively poor in silver; although, as a matter of fact, the mineral, even at the depth of 325 metres (1,066 feet) which has been attained to-day, carries more silver than the other silver-lead mines of the district. (The galena contains about 82 per cent, of lead and yields about 20 ounces of silver to the ton.)

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Roman Studies , Volume 1 , November 1911 , pp. 100 - 106
Copyright
Copyright © G. F. Hill and H. W. Sandars 1911. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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References

page 102 note 1 Archaeologia, lix, 311-332, fig. 14.

page 102 note 2 On the casts from which fig. 4 has been made the letters s.c. have been strengthened with ink.

page 102 note 3 Delgado, , Nuevo Metodo, iii, 398Google Scholar.

page 102 note 4 The British Museum also possesses a specimen thus counter-marked, acquired in 1844 at the sale of the collection of William Mark, who was British Consul at Malaga. Its exact provenance is not known. In the workings of yet another Roman mine in the same district of Posadas, not many kilometres away, was found a copper bucket with the letters s.c.c punched on it in the same pointillé method. This seems to represent the name of some other company.

page 103 note 1 Plin. N.H. xxxiii, 18Google Scholar.

page 103 note 2 Polyb. xxxiv, fr. 9; quoted by Strabo, ii, 2, 10.

page 103 note 3 Revue Archéol. 1907, i, 58-68. The first is inscribed SOCIET MON · ARGEW ILVCRO; the second SOCIET · ARGEN · FOD • MON · ILVCR · GALENA; in each case the inscription is divided into three compartments.

page 103 note 4 In Paulv-Wissowa, ii, 712.

page 104 note 1 Rev. Trophy with seated captives, i.e. Grueber, B.M.C., Roman Republican Coins, ii, p. 368, 86, or 369, 89Google Scholar.

page 104 note 2 The references are to Grueber's catalogue of the British Museum Collection (which has been followed for the chronology), to Delgado's Nuevo Metodo and to Hübner's Monumenta Linguae Ibericae.

page 106 note 1 In this respect it exactly coincides with the earlier find, from the same place, so far as evidence thereof is forthcoming. The attribution to Spain, and the date of 45 B.C. assigned to these coins, are due to Count de Salis (see Grueber, , op. cit. ii, 369Google Scholar, note). It must be confessed that the evidence for this later date and attribution, as opposed to the date of 50 B.C. (Babelon, , Monn. ie la Rép. rom. ii, 12Google Scholar) is not entirely conclusive. However this may be, the date of the deposit is not materially affected, since the coins of M. Poblicius and of T. Carisius date from about the year 45.

page 106 note 2 On this and other Spanish hoards, see Mommsen in Annali dell' Inst. 1863, 69, f. The hoard of Santa Elena, in the province of Jaen, not far from the mine with which we are concerned, is published in Rev. Num. 1905, 398, ff. but the latest denarii contained in it date from about 89 B.C.