Abstract: One of the fiercest debates about the monetization of the Roman Empire concerns the difference between rural and urban sites. One view has been that the use of coined money was limited to the cities of the Empire, given that excavations of villas in Italy have yielded only a very small number of coins. However, archaeologists working on Roman Britain have pointed out that a substantial number of hoards in Britain have been found in rural sites, while fewer have been found on military sites or in towns. This chapter considers whether the now very extensive numismatic evidence from the Balkans, Asia Minor, and Syria can help to clarify the level of coin use in the countryside. It reassesses the role of diverse economic forces — such as the army, trading activities, and the urbanization of the provinces — and raises some questions about their impact on the monetization of the North and Eastern frontier through an analysis of the numismatic material found in the course of excavations or surface surveys at urban centres, fortress-cities, and military installations in rural areas.

Keywords: money, rural areas, Balkans, Asian Minor, Syria, coins, military sites, trading activities,