A Small Byzantine Hoard from the Desert of Aswan

In January 2020, a small Byzantine hoard was brought to light during an archaeological survey carried out by the Aswan-Kom Ombo Archaeological Project (AKAP) in the desert hinterland of Aswan, southern Egypt. The hoard consists of 8 folles and 15 dodecanummi struck at the mints of Constantinople, Antioch, and Alexandria, with coins dating from ad 512 to 646. The coins were found scattered near an amphora contemporary in date, on one of the hillocks of the desert plateau overlooking the inner part of Wadi Kubbaniya, the major desiccated river intersecting with the Nile Valley from the West, north of Aswan. This paper analyses the hoard and attempts at investigating the reasons why it was deposited in such a remote area, and what it can add to our knowledge of monetary circulation during the Byzantine period in southern Egypt.