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Image Credit: Flückiger et al., 2026
A Fifth Century Burial Reveals a Changing Economy in the Post Roman World
A burial discovered at the Roman coastal fort of Oudenburg in present-day Belgium is offering new insights into how people adapted to economic change after the decline of the Roman monetary system.
The grave, dated to the late fourth or early fifth century AD, contained a purse filled with a mix of coins and fragmented metal objects. This unusual combination suggests that people were experimenting with alternative ways of conducting everyday transactions at a time when official bronze coinage had largely disappeared .
Inside the purse were at least three coins: two dating back to the reign of Trajan in the early second century AD and another from the late fourth century under Valentinian II. The presence of coins from very different periods in a single context indicates that older coins remained in circulation long after they were minted, though likely not in their original monetary role.
Alongside the coins were fragments of copper-alloy objects, including broken parts of brooches and belt fittings. These pieces had lost their original function and could not be repaired, suggesting they were collected for their material value rather than reuse in their original form.
Researchers propose that such metal fragments—often referred to as “Hackbronze”—may have functioned as a form of bullion. Instead of relying on official currency, people may have used weighed pieces of metal for small-scale exchanges, especially when higher-value gold and silver coins were impractical for daily use.
Weight analysis of the purse contents reveals a striking pattern: the combined mass of the coins and metal fragments closely matches known Roman weight units. This raises the possibility that both coins and scrap metal were valued by weight rather than face value, reflecting a shift toward a more flexible, locally organized exchange system.
The burial also contained typical late Roman military items, including a belt set and a crossbow brooch, suggesting the individual may have been associated with the army or local authority. The purse was likely part of the person’s everyday belongings rather than a symbolic offering, providing a rare snapshot of economic behavior during life.
This discovery highlights a broader transformation in the post-Roman economy. As centralized control weakened and new coinage stopped arriving, communities appear to have relied on a mix of barter, weighed metal, and reused objects to sustain local trade.
The Oudenburg burial may represent one of the earliest examples of this transition, illustrating how people adapted to a changing world where traditional money was no longer reliable.
Published on: 01-05-2026
Edited by: Abdulmnam Samakie
Source: Britannia
