The Qula hoard (n = 2019) was found in a farmhouse located within the hinterland of Diospolis (Roman Lydda). The hoard consists exclusively of radiate antoniniani and aurelianiani, containing less than 50% silver, which were issued by the Roman emperors in the third century CE. The exact reasons for the concealment of the hoard remain unclear. The hoard’s composition suggests that it was deposited in the early 290s CE, before the new currencies of Diocletian’s reform (293/4–296 CE) were introduced. The coins were issued almost exclusively in Eastern mints (Antioch, ‘Samosata’ and Tripolis), indicating that the coins from these mints circulated locally. The deposition date of the Qula hoard in the late 290s CE parallels at least eight other Syrian hoards with similar composition and deposit dates. This phenomenon seems to suggest that the hoarding of antoniniani and aurelianiani was the consequence of the monetary reforms of Diocletian and the subsequent hyperinflation that occurred between 293 and 301 CE. 

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