Nijmegen Coinage 450–1200 CE: A Short Synthesis of Independent Research

This synthesis examines 1,001 single-coin finds from the Rhine–Meuse delta between 450 and 1200 CE. It proposes that the southeast quadrant, and particularly the Meuse–Niers valley, operated as a resilient pilaster-quadrant within polycentric networks. Extension of the pilaster-place model to the quadrant scale reconciles the Valkhof Paradox by demonstrating a remarkably balanced numismatic profile, high adaptive capacity, and low rigidity in the eastern delta. Statistical analyses, including chi-square tests with Holm–Bonferroni correction, Cramér’s V, Shannon entropy, and cosine similarity, together with cluster-specific adjusted standardised residuals, provide a transferable heuristic for understanding early medieval power structures in dynamic riverine landscapes (Duchateau, 2026b–e).