Uso e circolazione della moneta ad Abellinum tra età tardoantica e altomedievale. Riflessioni sull'abitato dallo scavo dell'edificio a Nord del decumano

This paper presents the preliminary results of archaeological investigations carried out between 2021 and 2023 as part of the project Abellinum. Piano per la conoscenza, la tutela e la valorizzazione dell’antico centro irpino, promoted by the Department of Cultural Heritage Sciences at the University of Salerno. The research has made it possible to outline a multilayered stratigraphic sequence, from the definition of the late Republican/Augustan urban layout to the medieval abandonment of the settlement. The analysis of stratigraphic evidence and the rich numismatic record (297 specimens) has clarified the dynamics of coin use and circulation in Abellinum between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, highlighting the persistence of economic activities during and beyond the sixth century AD. The recovered coin issues attest to a stable and diversified circulation of low–denomination currency, indicative of continued occupation and active exchange even after the eruption of Pollena (472–507/511 AD), traditionally regarded as a turning point in the city’s history.The integration of archaeological, numismatic, and ceramic data provides a renewed interpretation of the urban and socio–economic transformations of Abellinum during the transition from the Roman to the early medieval period, portraying a community which, although reduced in size, maintained notable settlement vitality and an ability to adapt to changing environmental and political conditions.