The author begins this chapter by discussing the reasons why coins of the Republican period are found in archaeological strata, and uses and problems of using coins to date strata, and in so doing, explores the different ways that numismatists can define the date the coin was issued. Then, the author explores how coins were used, including a particular method of use, in hoarding. Finally, the author ends the chapter with a case study, the introduction of the Iberian denarius, to sketch out the ways excavated coins are combined with history, epigraphy and numismatic studies to provide both questions and answers about the Roman world during the Republican period.