So Crawford’s listing of the contents this hoard in CHRR doesn’t emphasize enough that it was incomplete.
Notice here in Cesano 1942, her point no. 3: large rectangular pieces of bronze were removed by unknown passing workers and could not be retrieved by E. Cocozza. This strongly suggests that Roman Currency Bars (so-called aes signatum) were part of this deposit.
This reminded me that Ardea was on the list of findspots known to Garrucci in 1882 from the same cache?! (early post on this)
The other key point, no. 5: the find was associated with tufa blocks and “among the earth there are fragments of Etruscan Campanian pottery, and of roof tiles, elements that hint at a place inhabited in the republican period” I wonder if any field survey or excavation has been done in this area?!
The recovered materials from this hoard are on deposit in Rome and were published with full illustrations by Catalli 1989 in BN 13 (on file).
One of the most interesting aspects of this hoard is the presence of RRC 16/1 which must share a similar date to the earliest aes grave [RRC 14, RRC 18, RRC 19] also in this hoard. This hoard would have been excellent support as well for my dating of the currency bars in my #NotAllElephants article from 2021 (formatted full text). Drat.
I’m also intrigued by role of Opera Nazionale Combattenti in bringing this to light. I can find plenty on their activities but nothing easily about the Romanians or veterans returning form Romania?
Liv Mariah Yarrow 