From the Dodecanese to Rome: history and catalogue of a coin hoard discovered in Kos in 1929-1930

This paper presents an unpublished hoard of 145 bronze coins discovered in the Odeion of Kos, in Greece, during the Italian excavations at the site in 1929-1930. After the re- covery, the hoard was brought to Italy, in the Medagliere of the Museo Nazionale Romano, where it has been held up to the present day. In view of the imminent repatriation of the hoard as part of the strengthening cooperation between the Ministries of Culture of Italy and Greece, the coins have been restored, photographed and catalogued. The hoard consists of 145 Roman provincial and imperial bronze coins of the mint of Rome, dated to the second and the third centuries AD (the most recent coin being a sestertius of Trajan Decius). Despite the shortage of information about the discovery and the original context in which the assemblage was found, the study of these materials oπers unique insights both into the coin production of some civic mints of Roman Asia Minor under the Empire, especially in Caria, and more broadly into the hoarding practices in the region.