Group of tetradrachms from the reign of Diocletian discovered at Kom el-Dikka in Alexandria
Group of tetradrachms from the reign of Diocletian discovered at Kom el-Dikka in Alexandria

Summary/Abstract: A group of more than 30 tetradrachms from the second half of the 3rd century AD was discovered in Alexandria in Egypt, at the Kom el‑Dikka site excavated by a Polish mission, in a zone of public buildings constructed in the 4th century AD. A row of lime kilns from the construction site of this complex of buildings stood on top of the ruins of an early Roman domestic quarter and, once they were no longer needed, were covered with earth and rubble coming in part from the destruction layer of these houses. Excavation of the kilns in 2008 and 2009 produced large quantities of 4th and 5th century pottery, as well as pieces of marble revetment that were used to produce the lime in the kilns and isolated late Roman coins. The group of tetradrachms from the fill covering two of the kilns (Fc and Fd), collected apparently around AD 293–295, appear to precede the destruction of the early Roman houses underlying the kilns and may have actually been hoarded away in one of the houses.

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