Resumen de The Roman settlement of Tienen (BE): a numismatic analysis
In this paper the circulation of coins in the region of Roman Tienen (FR: Tirlemont) in Belgium is analysed. An examination of the coin finds in archaeological contexts in this area and a comparison with other settlements suggest that an influx of money began in the settlement between AD 10 and 30. Continuous occupation until the 4th c. has been established through local pottery production, but it has been assumed that coin loss was interrupted between AD 260 and 300. This paper shows that this assumption is probably inaccurate. There are indications within the boundaries of the vicus that suggest a different interpretation. Moreover, antoniniani and their imitations were found at a villa site barely 2 km north of the settlement. The misleading information may have been caused by the fact that the locations examined in the archaeological research were only at the borders of the vicus. Additionally, 4th-c. coinage in the mithraeum and in the area demonstrates that there was activity there until at least the mid-4th c. AD. Due to a lack of more well-known 4th-c. contexts it is difficult to determine whether the settlement was still occupied.
