Aurifices in Julio-Claudia Rome. The Roman gold fever Cover Image

Aurifices en la Roma Julio Claudia. La fiebre del oro romana
Aurifices in Julio-Claudia Rome. The Roman gold fever

Author(s): Jordi Pérez González
Subject(s): History, Archaeology, Social history, Ancient World
Published by: Editura Universităţii »Alexandru Ioan Cuza« din Iaşi
Keywords: aurifices;aurifex;aurarius;aurarii;gold;gold trade;gold mines;goldsmith;urban craftsman;

Summary/Abstract: The Italic Peninsula never stood out in antiquity as a rich gold territory. The subsequent Rome's expansion outside Italy with the conquests of the gold zones of Hispania and Dacia made it possible to directly control the gold resources of these territories. The conquest of the Spanish northeast by Augustus (26–19 BC) gave rise to an authentic unprecedented 'gold rush' in Rome and can be seen by the high number of inscriptions related to the characters destined for the making and trading of golden objects in Rome. The different epigraphs reveal the dominance of certain families in the sale and preparation of objects of gold and other metals. At the same time, the inscriptions can help to understand the reality obviated in the literary sources, emphasizing the double moral of the emperor Augustus and his wife Livia. In this line, thanks to the epigraphs we can also highlight some of the commercial areas in Rome, where these gold artisans perform their work.

  • Issue Year: 23/2017
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 37-70
  • Page Count: 36
  • Language: Spanish
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