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The article deals with the imitations of copper Jochid coins of the XIV century that have signs of silvering and gilding, imitating coins of the state «New Sarai» type with the image of a «double-headed bird» («double-headed eagle»). The author has established that they are not unique (their issue was serial). Hypotheses about the reasons for the appearance, methods of production, possible purpose and region of minting of silvered and gilded imitations of Jochid copper coins are put forward and analyzed.The most reasonable assumptions are that metal raw materials were used in their production, which were copper products coated with silver and gold (ware, plates, etc.). This practice could be due to a shortage of ordinary copper raw materials. The considered numismatic monuments were probably minted in the former Bolgar lands within the Jochid State («Ulus of Bolgar » or « Vilayat of Bolgar ») and were intended for local circulation.

The history of the rise, prosperity, decline and heritage of the Golden Horde has been in the center of attention of Russian and foreign specialists for many decades. In the XIV century the power of the khans of the Golden Horde covered the territory of a large part of modern Russia (except for Eastern Siberia, the Far East and the Far North), northern and western Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Moldova, part of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The modern Penza region territory was part of the Mukhsha Ulus, the northwestern district of the Golden Horde, bordering the Principality of Ryazan. Trade caravans to Rus and back from Bolgar, the Lower Volga cities and Khwarazm moved through the region. The study of archaeological sites of the Golden Horde period in the Penza Oblast began in the late XIX and continued in the early XX century. V.M. Teryokhin, A.A. Spitsyn, I.F. Sadin and A.A. Krotkov were the fi rst to identify the scientific potential of the Narovchat settlement and the nearby burial grounds for future generations of archaeologists and historians. Later, new settlements of the Golden Horde period, trade routes were found, and artifacts – jewelry, ceramics, numismatic finds were studied. Research results over the past thirty years were presented in scientifi c articles by G.N. Belorybkin, V.A. Vinnichek and K.M. Vinnichek, O.V. Golubev, Yu.A. Zeleneyev, E.D. Zilivinskaya, and O.V. Melnichenko. The study of already discovered and the search for new Golden Horde archaeological sites continues.

The article describes the possibilities of 3D documentation of historical monuments by photogrammetry on a selected sample of coins. It applies this selected method, verifies its suitability and describes some other digitization methods. It also contains a basic description of the methodology of creating 3D models of ancient coins.

Abstract In this paper, ‘contextual numismatics’ is presented as the most recent and innovative research direction in the field of numismatics. In addition, its further potential for research and the limit of gaining knowledge are outlined. A historical overview of the gradual development of an archaeological-oriented approach to numismatic material serves as an introduction to the discussion. This is followed by a presentation of the distinguishing features compared to other research methods to study Roman coin finds, as well as a discussion of possible paths and goals in the further development of this approach to study these culturally significant objects.

This article provides an overview of the most important coin types depicting frontal lions from the Greek Archaic period to the first century BC. The spear-biting lions are not included in this paper as they form the subject of a separate study. Starting from the ancient written tradition, explanations are offered based on the effect of the lion’s gaze, which is repeatedly mentioned in ancient texts. With the addition of the respective reverses and modes of representation, it is possible to identify references to religious cults: Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Hera and Heracles. But rulers also used frontal lion images for specific purposes. To express the solar aspect of Apollo, frontality seemed the most appropriate. A particularly close connection between the lion and Loxías has been demonstrated for Rhegion. The example of Samos shows that an autocrat could choose the emblem of a “frontal lion’s head” – probably also to suggest solar qualities. Under Achaemenid influence however, the lion regularly became the victim of the ruler – albeit a particularly dangerous and fearsome one, which was emphasised through its frontality. The same goes for Lysimachus, whose choice of image is astonishingly close to Pliny’s reflex, which focuses entirely on the lion’s sight. It is also shown that lion masks are often associated with the deeds of Heracles, which also gave rise to other coin images in which the use of frontality brought special nuances of meaning, for example the illustration of special effort or a narrative connection between two coin images. In one case, a frontal lion leaping out of a rectangle was associated with the cult of Athena. Another group of frontal lions may have had an apotropaic-demonic character, mainly conveyed by the eyes fixed on the observer. Here we can see a connection with the Gorgoneion. As for the frequent image of devouring lions, a biblical source suggests that the animals were particularly irritable and dangerous during this process. Finally, it was recommended that lions and leopards should be carefully separated, with leopards being particularly suitable for depicting the ‘man-destroying’ god Dionysus in frontal perspective.

The object of the study is a coin hoard that probably belonged to a Bulgarian collector. The hoard was identified before the Law on Cultural Heritage came into force and there is no exact information about both its whereabouts and discovery. There are some reasons to believe that the hoard was found in Northern Bulgaria. The idea of its composition is only based on photos; the measurements and weights of the coins are not available. One hundred and twelve silver coins of the period 175—243 CE were deposited, specifically 111 denarii and one antoninian. One cannot be sure of the accuracy of the available information about the actual amount of the hoard. However, the coin complex deserves publication, since it enables the clarification of our understanding of the composition of monetary circulation in Northern Bulgaria in the 3rd quarter of the 2nd — in the 1st half of the 3rd century.

Изучение памятников античной нумизматики из Южного Крыма продолжается вводом в научный оборот сведений об очередной группе римских денариев из Байдарской долины. Речь пойдёт о подъёмном материале (7 экз.) и о небольшом кладе (обнаружено 22 экз., изучено 10 экз.). Так, на уровне современной поверхности найдены монеты I— начала III вв.: Гальбы (1 экз.) и Веспасиана (1 экз.), а также Адриана (1 экз.), Антонина Пия (1 экз.), Септимия Севера (2 экз.) и Каракаллы (1 экз.). Клад состоял из денариев, выпущенных при императорах из династии Антонинов. Он включал монеты, датируемые правлениями Траяна (1 экз.), Адриана (2 экз.), Антонина Пия (2 экз.), Марка Аврелия (4 экз.) и Коммода (1 экз.). Если изученная выборка верно отражает содержание клада, то он сформировался при последнем из вышеперечисленных императоров или же при его ближайших приемниках. Все эти монеты могли обращаться в среде легионеров, служивших в гарнизоне Харакса. Также был найден обломок литого лимесного денария Коммода, изготовленный из высокооловянистой бронзы. Этот артефакт был изготовлен, по-видимому, в эпоху денария—статера.

За время раскопок городища Сарайчик обнаружено и с разной степенью подробности зафиксировано 8 кладов серебряных джучидских монет. Накопившееся количество находок сокрытых сокровищ требует и позволяет провести их анализ. Целью исследования является выявление особенностей состава серебряных монетных кладов Сарайчика, обнаруженных в ходе археологических раскопок, а также установление источников поступления серебряной чеканной продукции для обеспечения потребностей местного монетного обращения в динамике. Изучены условия обнаружения кладов, их хронологический и эмитентный состав, оценена частота встречаемости продукции тех или иных монетных дворов, указанных на монетах. Сокрытие кладов укладывается в период с 753 г. х. / 1353 г. по начало 770-х гг. х. / ~ 1368—1373 гг. Большинство же кладов имеют период тезаврации в течение 750-х — 760-х гг. х. / 1350-х — 1360-х гг. В составе кладов преобладает чеканная продукция монетных производств области Сарай и Гулистана, присутствуют единичные монеты Сыгнака, Крыма и Азака. Процент хорезмийской серебряной монеты — менее 5%. Товарно-денежные отношения начали развиваться на изучаемой территории средневекового Сарайчука только в XIV в., в правление Узбек-хана. Данги поступали в Сарайчук из области Сарай, а затем и Гулистана. Можно полагать, что средневековый Сарайчук в этот период непосредственно входил в состав области Сарай.

Статья продолжает ввод в научный оборот памятников античной нумизматики, обнаруженных в последние годы в Юго-Западной Таврике, близ скифских поселений долины р. Альма. Сравнительно недавно в поле зрения оказалась весьма редкая для этого региона находка — бронзовая драхма Птолемея IV Филопатора. Она обнаружена на современной поверхности холма Тавель. Монета привлекает внимание не только своей редкостью: она пополняет выборку монет Птолемеев с холма Тавель, подтверждая тем самым ранее представленный вывод о местном скифском святилище и о том, что монеты, почитавшиеся за обереги, приносились святилищу древними обитателями данной местности.

The article revisits the first catalogue of ancient Greek and Roman coins in British collections, published by N.F. Haym in London in 1720. In the collection of the Duke of Devonshire, Haym found a golden coin from Cyrene with the image of strange small animal next to the silphium, the vegetative symbol of Cyrene, which evinced a multidisciplinary interest during the Enlightenment period in England. Such coins from Cyrene constitute the subject of the current investigation, which aims to analyze their iconography and, specifically, to identify the animal and tentatively suggest the reason that it was depicted together with the silphium. Among other things, the author concludes that the coin from the collection of the Duke of Devonshire helped the development of three fields of study: numismatics, zoology, and botany.

Studies on the institutions of the Macedonian Koinon have expanded considerably in recent years since excavations in the region of Macedonia revealed a significant amount of numismatic and epigraphic evidence. Even though literary sources concerning the foundation and the existence of the Koinon are obscure, numismatic testimonies contributed to the institution and its role within the Macedonian territory under the Roman rule. In the current article, the “Serres, 1966” hoard is examined, which was found in 1966 and is today kept at the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum. Emphasis is given to the iconographic types and the legends, which provide valuable information regarding the institutional and cultural character of the Macedonian Koinon.

Integration of data on coin finds into the ARIADNE portal presents a number of challenges, partly related to the use of the Getty AAT as a controlled vocabulary, in particular its incomplete coverage and hierarchical structure. Further problems arise from the fact that the majority of the data are being provided not from primarily numismatic projects and institutions, but rather from disparate archaeological resources that integrate a wide range of artefacts and records. As a result, they often focus less on the peculiarities of using the AAT for coin finds and the difficulties that arise from its use. This article illustrates how this can lead to quite disparate and inconsistent mappings of data to the ARIADNE portal. Potential solutions such as aligning the AAT to the established vocabulary of Nomisma.org, or even implementing the latter in the portal, as well as implementing a standard mapping for coin finds, are discussed. Also addressed are the possibilities for complex, granular searches using the SPARQL endpoint in the ARIADNElab Virtual Research Area.

We have developed a device for digitizing coins using photometric stereo, which serves two purposes. For inventory it allows identifying a coin, which has been digitized before, and avoids mixing up similar coins. This is important because the classic marking directly on the object is not possible without obscuring the design. Secondly, one can view a digitized coin on screen and interactively change the light direction similar to Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI). This enables researchers to better recognize details, especially in the case of often corroded coin finds, and also enables location independent investigations and exchanges. The digitization result consists of color (albedo) and normal information for each pixel, which allows to analyze topographic properties apart from color. We think that this type of data can enable the development of new algorithmic analysis methods. The classification of coins, especially medieval coins, requires specialist knowledge and a great deal of experience. Digital support can help archaeologists without numismatic knowledge to classify coins correctly by providing initial clues and showing, which coins in a comparative data base show similarities with a newly found coin. For the development of such digital tools, we provide a selection of coin data as an open dataset. For the dataset we have selected samples of medieval coins from three different types, which are described in Mehl 499, 595 and Bahrfeldt 19. The dataset contains 2D and 3D data only for their obverses. A possible research direction could be to measure similarity between these samples, such that samples of the same type are more similar than samples of different type. Many samples show only a part of a complete coin. This increases the challenge e.g. for shape correspondence. Multi-scale integral invariant (MSII) features included with the 3D data may help to focus on minting features.

This paper shows that the Nazi persecution of Jewish coin dealers and collectors prominent in Germany’s economic and cultural life resulted in a weakening of the domestic numismatic market. The failure of Nazi cultural-economic policy is illustrated by a study of the trade in ancient coins. While the Nazi authorities (e.g., Foreign Exchange Offices, Customs) failed to prevent the export of numismatic assets, the most prominent Jewish dealers were able to reestablish their businesses abroad, especially in Switzerland as the new international trading center for ancient coins. Their non-Jewish German colleagues, in turn, had great difficulty filling the gaps in the supply of ancient coins in the German Reich left by the Jews who had emigrated or fled.

Объектом изучения стали семь монет. Шесть из них выпущены провинциальными монетными дворами. Речь идёт о четырёх тетрадрахмах Антиохии на Оронте, отчеканенных от имени Траяна Деция (2 экз.), его сына Геррения Этруска (1 экз.) и Требониана Галла (1 экз.), а также о бронзовых монетах Гордиана III (1 экз.) из Анхиала (Фракия) и Траяна Деция (1 экз.) из Резены (Месопотамия). В выборке представлен также антониниан Геррения Этруска, выпущенный в Риме. Представляется, что монеты поступили на полуостров в период «скифских войн», причём тетрадрахмы из Антиохии на Оронте и бронза из Резены завезены из малоазиатских провинций Римской империи.

В 2008—2013 гг. в Байдарской долине было найдено пять римских денариев. Четыре монеты отчеканены от имени магистратов и полководцев периода Поздней Республики, а одна, позднейшая, поступила в обращение при Веспасиане. Самый ранний денарий, выпущенный Аппием Клавдием Пульхром, Т. Манлием Мациной (Манциной?) и Кв. Урбинием в 111 или 110 г. до н.э., обнаружен близ Скельской пещеры вместе с обломками позднескифской лепной миски. Неподалёку нашли монету Марка Антония, выпущенную в честь IV Скифского легиона. Ещё один артефакт этого типа с эмблемами III Киренского легиона был найден в южной части долины вместе с денарием Г. Юлия Цезаря типа Венера — Эней с Анхисом и палладиумом, в сопровождении обломков позднескифской мисочки на невысокой ножке. Монета Веспасиана была найдена без сопутствовавшего материала. Республиканские денарии в разной степени стёрты, но не пробиты. Приходим к выводу, что местные жители ценили их за содержащийся в них драгоценный металл и использовали как вотивы. Позднейшая монета в подборке могла быть привезена на полуостров римскими легионерами и использоваться в качестве платежного средства.

The findings of Pontic coins on the territory of the Northern and North-Eastern part of Ukraine are analysed. The purpose of the research is to study and systematize the findings of coins of the Mithridates Eupator Pontic state in the Northern and North-Eastern part of Ukraine. For the first time in historiography, a study of coin finds of the cities of Pontus and Paphlagonia during the time of Mithridates Eupator was carried out on the territory of the Northern and North-Eastern part of Ukraine.

In the early 2011, an antique silver coin was found on the day surface south of the town of Zuya (Belogorsky district, Crimea), on the way to the village of Krasnogorskoe (Neizats). It is minted on a badly annealed rectangular plate. On its obverse, a very grotesque but still recognizable image is imprinted of a lion’s head with a lush mane turned to the left. The reverse displays a bow with an arrow put on it and a carelessly made legend “ΠΑΤΗ”. Judging by the manufacture style, the coin is a replica issued in a barbarian emission center, an imitation of the tetrobol of Nymphaion, minted on behalf of the community of Samos. Moreover, the replica could be minted during the period of circulation of the original, with taking into account the fact of the short duration of its issue. The legend of the reverse may contain the name of the Scythian ruler Patiy, who authorized the release of replicas. There is every reason to believe that Patiy could have had his nomad camps here, in Eastern Taurica, since the coins of Nymphaion, issued by immigrants from Samos, have not yet been identified in other regions of the antique world. The very fact of the discovery of the studied coin testifies to the existence of monetary circulation among the Tauride Scythians already in the 5th c. BCE.

Our attention was drawn to a small sample of antique coins (10 items) found at the beginning of this century by residents of the town of Poshtove, on the territory of the nearby garden. There are some reasons to believe that these artifacts were once owned by the inhabitants of late Scythian settlements: Alma, Terek-Eli, or an as yet unexplored site located in the area where coins were discovered. The earliest finds are the billon tetradrachms minted in Alexandria under Nero and in honor of Titus under Vespasian. All other coins are change coins made of low-value bronze alloys. Most of them (seven items) were issued in the Eastern Roman provinces in the 2nd — early 3rd cc. The latest of these was minted in Alexandria on behalf of Galerius during the reign of Diocletian. It is noteworthy that there are no coins of Chersonesos and Bosporus in the sample. Moreover, their inhabitants did not use money minted in Roman Egypt. Consequently, the studied artifacts came to the late Scythians not from Chersonesites and Bosporans or foreign merchants who traded in Taurica, but from Roman legionnaires transferred to the peninsula and apparently located in Alma-Kermen. The fact that most of the coins found were issued in the 2nd — early 3rd cc. testifies to the peak of the foreign policy of the Empire in Taurica at that time. In turn, the bronze of Galerius could have come to the region in the process of frontier petty trade. The very fact that these artifacts were discovered in a region of Southwestern Taurica quite far from the coast allows us to clarify our understanding of the economy of the region in the Roman period of its history. There is every reason to believe that its inhabitants traded with the territories controlled by the Romans. Moreover, they valued money not only made of precious metals, but also from bronze.

The research was aimed to reveal some evidence of coinage and to establish the nature of monetary circulation in Qayaligh during the 13th and the 14th centuries, under the Genghisids. For the first time, small silver akçe coins were identified, which are anonymous, since they lack both the year and the name of the mint, yet only bear a tamgha of Ögedei. Qayaligh became the possession of Qaidu by order of Möngke Kagan since 1252. It is this very year that Qaidu could have started issuing coins with such tamgha signs in Qayaligh. Two more coin types, lacking both data of issue and names of issuers, are confirmed to belong to the coinage of Qayaligh; these are copper pūls and silver full-weight dirhams. These coin releases are attributed to Algu of the Chaghatayids. For the first time, an attribution for a nominal coin of Mubarak Shah is proposed; this is a silver dirham, and it was minted in medieval Qayaligh as well. The ways of distribution of some coins were traced on the territory of Kazakhstan. Specific routes of the Silk Road were revealed to lead from Qayaligh to Otrar and to Yangi Taraz. This caravan routes was operated until the last third of the 13th century. Commodity-money relations have not been observed in Qayaligh since 1270.

The paper is concerned with the events that took place in the Ulus of Jochi after the rise to power of Uzbek Khan. Based on an analysis of numismatic finds at the Golden Horde monuments of Moksha and the Lower Volga regions, a series of actions is determined, which were taken by the Uzbek in the process of combating the oppositional nomadic aristocracy and in the course of administrative and religious reforms in the state. The period from 1313 to 1321 during which the khan's headquarters stayed in the Moksha region and the related development of the new administrative Golden Horde center of Mokhsha are outlined. The time of the complete strengthening of Uzbek power and his return to the capital region in the lower reaches of the Volga (1321) is determined. The stages of the project to change the internal structure of the state are also specified. The chronological boundaries of the creation of the state Muslim sacred center (a complex of mausoleums near the village of Lapas) and the construction of the new Golden Horde capital city of Sarai (Selitrennoye settlement), which received the epithet al-Jedid (New) under Khan Janibek, are determined. Based on numismatic data, it is noted that Uzbek himself and the khans who came to power in the Golden Horde after him could not have been buried in the Khan's necropolis.

Our attention was attracted by rather small yet interesting numismatic sample of the Hellenistic times. The coins were gathered at the beginning of the 2000s by the residents of the village on the present-day surface of the Tavel hill. The sample consists of bronze coins minted in Syracuse under Hiketas II and Hieron II as well as in Alexandria or in Cyprus under Ptolemies II, VI, and VIII, as well as IX or X. Judging by the fact that coins were released by rather remote polities using different standards of coinage based on low-value bronze alloys, it seems unlikely that they could be simultaneously used in Southwest Taurica as means of payment. We believe that we are dealing with offerings repeatedly made for the local sanctuary which situated upon Tavel hill between the 3rd and the 1st century BCE. We assume that the reason why coins were donated to the sanctuary was that the images placed on them were honored. The very fact of the discovery may surely testify that some contacts took place in the time range mentioned above between the population of the foothills of Taurica and those of the polities in Central and Eastern Mediterranean.

The subject of the publication is a group of electrum coins of Mysia — Kyzikus, Ionia — Lesbos, Mytilene, Phokaia, and Erythrae. The coins are 83 in number and were found together in a shipment of smuggled traffic. The numismatic term coin hoard, in this case, is not preferable by the authors and the group of coins is called coin pile. Given the need to prepare expertise for authenticity, some of the coins were analyzed for their metal composition. Detailed information is represented on the identification of coins and X-ray fluorescence analysis. In a catalog, the coins are arranged for convenience following thematic and chronological order.

Our interest in the coins of this group is by no means accidental. It is due to the fact that the image of Aphrodite sitting on a throne was not characteristic for the numismatics of the Bosporan state before Sauromates II. We believe that it is under him that they began to honor Aphrodite as the main deity of the local pantheon. Importantly, the marks of emission centers are imprinted to the right and to the left of the figure of the deity, with both of the capital one and of those peripheral located in the European and eastern parts of the Bosporan Kingdom. The coins were issued there with taking into account local ideas about symbolism of Aphrodite. Consequently, there has been no common ideology throughout the Bosporus at that time, the fact testifying the weakening of the royal power which seems to be quite understandable during the crisis caused by the Second Bosporan War.

At the turn of the first and second half of the IV century BC, qualitative changes in the development of the polis, associated with the arrival of new colonists, are taking place in Chersonesos. This circumstance also determines the transformations that have occurred in numismatics in this period, which the author of the article considers on the example of lower denominations – dihalks coin types.

Archaeological discoveries made since 2014 at the site of the Roman fort in Apsaros/Gonio (Georgia) have shed more light on the earliest as well as later stages of the presence of the Roman army on the Colchis coast and on the history of the Apsaros fort itself. The paper reports on the new findings concerning the chronology of the Roman fort, and an essential part of the conclusions draws upon the results of numismatic research on recent coin finds from the site. Six years of fieldwork by a Polish-Georgian team have uncovered the remains of a possible horreum, built in the last decade of Nero’s reign, underlying a balneum constructed probably during Trajan’s Parthian war and rebuilt under Hadrian into a praetorium; a fine mosaic floor decorated with geometric motifs was found in one of the rooms of this early 2nd-century structure.

Button battery ingestion requires emergency endoscopic removal since severe complications, such as esophageal perforation, can develop within 4 hours of the ingestion. Given that guardians do not witness the children’s foreign body ingestion 40% of the time, physicians can only guess what was swallowed based on plain radiography. We report a case of a 45-month-old-boy who visited the emergency department after swallowing an unknown foreign body and whose radiographs showed “circle-within-a-circle appearance” on the anteroposterior view and “step-off appearance” on the lateral view, suggesting button battery ingestion. We conducted emergency endoscopic removal, and found stacked coins mimicking a button battery on the radiographs. The coins were pushed into the stomach and came out through defecation 3 weeks later without further complications. Distinguishing between stacked coins and a button battery through radiography may help avoid unnecessary emergency endoscopy.

The paper reviews the main methods of stabilizing copper alloys using the example of the numismatic finds from the excavations of Tauric Chersonesos. In the course of this work, the coins were subdivided into seven groups depending on their preservation level and the methods applied. As a result of the completed work, con­clusions were made on the efficiency of the methods applied. It became obvious that not all copper alloy items require stabilization. The benzotriazole treatment can be used selectively, with adherence to the necessary safety measures and mandatory verification of the result. The deep rinsing method is only effective for objects shallowly affected by active corrosion. The tannin treatment is more effective for items where copper chlo­ride is deposited along the metal grain boundaries. The silver oxide treatment is affordable and effective, but it changes the colour of the object's surface. The Rosenberg method also changes the colour of the surface of the objects. A combination of tannin and silver oxide treatment has shown high efficiency of stabilization and reduction in the rate of corrosion processes. However, this requires closer follow-up observation of the objects.

The introduction of the angel and later the Tudor sovereign gold coins in the late 1400s became part of a political rhetoric aimed at mediating the king’s image, power, and wealth. However, it also played a part in the legitimation of the Tudor dynasty during the later stages of the Wars of the Roses, a time of Yorkist pretenders and foreign opposition to Henry VII’s reign. As only the rightful king was believed to have the gift of healing, Henry VII appropriated both coins and ritual from the Plantagenet dynasty associated with the sanctity of kingship. Ordinary objects bearing the King’s image were imbued by the people with supernatural and political powers. How could the religious function of contact relics also facilitate the use of the non-religious Tudor gold sovereign and other denominations by mimicking the iconography and ritual use of the angel? And how were these coins used as part of political rhetoric to legitimate the claim for the throne to support a myth of royal succession and prove Tudor right by appealing to the public? This article argues that the coins created and empowered the King with saintly abilities, granting the object carrying the King’s image a reliclike power, further fusing the image with people’s belief in the legitimate King’s God-given power of healing. The visual migration or transfer of an image’s symbolic properties, in this case the transference of its sacred properties to secular objects, mediated both the literal and conceptual image of the King as part of political legitimation against the Yorkist pretenders and foreign powers

Research objectives: The study of all known Golden Horde coin finds in India and China. Research materials: All the known coin finds of the Golden Horde in India and China in the context of published coin finds (the research of Ch.J. Rodgers, M.A. Stein, and others). Results and novelty of the research: The author, for the first time ever, summarized the information about Golden Horde coin finds from these two countries. All Golden Horde coins from China and a portion of Golden Horde coins from India (Indian museum) were minted in Khwarazm. There is numismatic catalogue of Islamic coins from the Calcutta Museum where it is possible to find information about Golden Horde coins from the collection of the museum. Any information about finds of these coins is absent in this publication. However, it is most probable that these coins were found in India because the numismatic collections of such local museums were created practically only from local finds. The Golden Horde coins from the Calcutta Museum collection are mainly silver dirhams of the fourteenth century from Khwarazm, but there are also several coins from Lower Volga region. Probably, the Golden Horde coins went to India and China via Khwarazm. The materials published in the article gives archaeological evidence about close trade routes between Khwarazm on one end and India and Eastern Turkestan on the other end. The peak activity on these trade routes is dated to the second half of fourteenth century (mainly the coins of Uzbek and Janibek Khan of the Golden Horde). At the end of fourteenth century, the most important cities of the Golden Horde were in decline or ceased to exist as a result of Timur’s campaigns against it. The main trade routes between East and West shifted towards the south and stopped passing through the territory of the Ulus of Jochi. Not a single specimen of the finds is dated to the fifteenth century.

It has become a truism that it is impossible to reconstruct a narrative history of Central Asia in the period after Alexander. Scant literary or epigraphic sources, and the pitfalls of reconstructing dynastic histories from coins, make scholars wary of writing ‘history’ in the traditional academic sense. It may therefore come as a surprise that Hellenistic-period Central Asia has emerged as the setting for a number of historical novels. This paper aims to deconstruct the research process that lies behind the crafting of narrative in several such pieces. It will identify the primary sources and works of scholarship used by authors, and explore how these have been used to construct visions of Hellenistic Central Asia which reflect not just on the ancient record, but on the modern authors’ political and social context. The works discussed will include Rudyard Kipling’s The Man Who Would Be King (on Alexander and his routes in Afghanistan), Teodor Parnicki’s (1955) Koniec Zgody Narodów/The End of the Concord of Nations (which explores the resonances of cultural encounter in Hellenistic Central Asia for the post-War world), and Gillian Bradshaw’s (1990) Horses of Heaven (which uses a hypothetical Graeco-Bactrian alliance with Ferghana as the backdrop for historical romance).

In numismatic collections, coins are typically documented and studied using 2D images of their obverse and reverse. While two photographs, under the correct lighting, provide adequate information for basic research, detailed numismatic study has generally required the physical handling of the items to capture the three-dimensional aspects of the coin. Recent advances in photogrammetry and digitisation provide new opportunities for numismatic research. Digitised, 3D models of ancient coins allow researchers and students to interact with these coins remotely, providing opportunities to study coins from collections that would otherwise be difficult to access. Ancient coins, however, can be challenging to digitise due to their small size, irregular shape, and reflectance. This study will explore and outline a methodology for creating 3D models of ancient coins that balances both expediency with quality. Three Roman Republican coins from the University of Auckland’s numismatic collection were digitised using photogrammetric methods to create 3D digital models for student use. Expedient capture relied primarily on the quality of the photogrammetry setup, as well as the use of macrophotography, to capture the detail of each coin effectively. While the digital models took longer to produce than traditional 2D images, it was possible to create high-quality digital 3D model coins in a relatively expedient manner. The balance between speed and increased data opens the door for a new era in numismatic cataloguing and qualitative research opportunities.

The article considers coins of the Bulgar minting of the Golden Horde Khan Pulad (1407–1410), deposited in the Izmery treasure. The total number of dirhams with the name of this khan reaches 220 copies. When studying the weight characteristics of coins, it was found that the mode corresponds to the value of 0.73 ± 0.02 g. Having studied the elemental composition of the surface layer of coin metal 50 dirhams, the authors established the amount of silver, copper and other elements: silver – 80.8–82.7%; copper – 15.2–16.9%; gold – 0.5%, the remaining components – about 1.7%. A comparison of the weight and elemental composition of the surface layer of the coins of Pulad and the previous ruler – Khan Shadibek, helped establish a slight decrease in the weight of Bulgar coins. The authors conclude that under Pulad in the Bulgar region there were no changes in coinage in the form of reforms.

Ophthalmology has a long history which is represented on numismatic materials. The branch of historical science numismatics (from the Latin "numisma" – coin) originated in the 19th century and became closely related to economics, politics, culture and law, and includes the thematic study of coins, medals and plaques. The history of ophthalmology is best illustrated by various forms of medal art (exonum or paranumism), and the medal became the prototype of a commemorative (memorial) coin. In this work, the authors presented a catalog of 127 numismatic materials (105 medals, 6 plaques, and 16 coins), including some unique ones, presented for the first time. Numismatic materials depicting common international symbols of this science ("eye", including "eye on the palm", "owl", "pince-nez", "candle") were reflected and the stages of development of native ophthalmology presented. The paper includes also references to significant historical events in ophthalmology and a highlight of biographies of 16 scientists who contributed invaluably to the formation of this science and whose lives were associated with Ukraine. The medals show the portraits of the ancient Kyiv doctor Agapetus and the founders of modern world ophthalmology. Unfortunately, up to date, eminent oculists of the past have been not sufficiently commemorated by issues of numismatic pieces. Hence, it is our hope that in the future, a systematic approach to this matter as well as the purposeful promotion of the achievements of national ophthalmology by numismatics will be used, to provide a clear example for studying the history of ophthalmology and enhance the educational attainment of doctors.

The object of the study was a hoard of Roman coins discovered to the Southwest of the Melnikovo—Kashtanovka highway. He was buried in a wooden box with bronze handles. The treasure consisted of brass coins of the Italic minting. Most of them are significantly worn out. Many coins are so badly worn that they have lost significant weight. But, judging by the fact of their discovery in the treasure, they continued to be appreciated. We come to the conclusion that the object of our research was not a collection of metal objects valued for the material from which they were made. It is a treasure of money, made up of well-known means of payment in the region. We believe that Roman brass coins came to the region in abundance under the emperors of the “golden age” in exchange for amber. We conclude that the population of the Sambian-Natangian culture valued the change money of the Roman coinage as a means of payment and accumulation.

The article focuses on the obols, tetrachalkoi and dichalkoi of the Panticapaeum and Phanagoria mints with busts of Apollo in a laurel wreath, bearded Hercules as well as Nike with six-pointed star with long rays on the obverse and with images of an arrow, lyre and palm branch, grazing Pegasus, bow with gorytos or laurel branch, intertwined with ribbon, club and lion’s skin, as well as ship’s prora on the reverse. Their generally accepted classification has not yet been developed, and their potential as a source of historical information has not been revealed. We solve this problem based on the results of iconographic analysis. In the first series, we single out obols with an arrow, lyre and palm branch and tetrachalkoi with a grazing Pegasus on the reverse, embossed on Asander’s coins. Judging by the Mithridatidic symbolism, they were minted in the time of Scribonius. After his overthrow in Panticapaeum, tetrachalkoi with gorytos and a bow and dichalkoi with club and lion’s skin on the reverse were issued. We attribute these coins to the second series of Panticapaeum. In Phanagoria during the period of the uprising, tetrachalkoi with a palm branch were minted. We select them in the second series of Phanagoria. And after the victory of the insurgents, they fired tetrachalkoi with a bow and arrow on the reverse. We attribute them to the third series of Phanagoria. Judging by the variety of coin symbols, after the death of Scribonius, the Bosporus state collapsed. At the beginning of the reign of Polemon I, in Panticapaeum and in Phanagoria, the same type of tetrachalke with a bust of Apollo on the obverse and with ship’s prora on the reverse were minted, which testifies to the restoration of the unity of the state. We attribute these coins to the third series of Panticapaeum and the fourth series of Phanagoria. As we can see, the coins that attracted our attention perfectly illustrated the events that took place in the Bosporus in the last third of the 1st century BCE.

Silver coins of Khan Beg Sufi (ruled in the Crimea in 822—824 AH) are studied by the method of the analysis of dies for minting coins. Graphic reconstructions of imprints of 20 obverse dies and 49 reverse dies were made. They worked in 93 die pairs. Schemes of die conneсtions were drawn up, the dating of coins that do not bear the date indication was proposed. A review of the main scientific publications on the topic was prepared, the metrology of the emissions was analyzed, the average weight of the dangs (0.84 g) was determined — silver content of these coins was explored. Aspеrs with the name Beg Sufi were minted by 13 die pairs; 7 obverse dies and 5 reverse dies were used in minting process. The average weight of aspеrs is 0.88 g. Copper anonymous Crimean puls, minted during the reign of Beg Sufi and dated 823 AH, were also analyzed. Catalogue of silver coins with the name of Beg Sufi khan is published: photographic images and graphic reconstructions of die pairs with which dangs and aspers of Beg Sufi were struck are reproduced, reconstructions and translations of coin legends are proposed.

Silver coins with the name of Tin-Sufi b. Mansur on their reverses can be divided into two groups. Dangs of the first group with the name and title of Emir Din-Sufi were published by Yu.V. Zayonchkovsky in 2012, a year later A.A. Kazarov and Yu.V. Zayonchkovsky made a more exact reading of the name of the beylerbey as Tin-Sufi. At present 7 specimens of this group are known, struck by 3 die pairs (2 obverse and two reverse dies). The average weight of coins of first group (according to available data) is 0.70 g. Ch.M. Frähn had known the coins of the second group in the 1st third of 19th century, later these dangs were once and again published by different researchers without reading the legend of reverse. The authors suggest reading this legend as “Tin-Sufi b. Mansour”. The information about 22 coins of this group struck by 5 die pairs (4 obverse and 3 reverse dies) was detected in scientific literature and numismatic collections. The average weight of coins of this group is 0.60 g. It can be presumed that the issue of silver coins with the name of Amir Tin-Sufi b. Mansur on the reverse, published in the paper, and, accordingly, the fact that he held the post of beylerbey under Khan Mahmud b. Muhammad b. Timur can be dated back to the end of the 1450s — the first half of the 1460s.

This study stems from the need for numismatics to establish whether there may be relationships between a group of 103 bronze coins from the Roman era found in archaeological excavations on the Cesén Mountain (Treviso, Italy) and a group of 117 coins kept at the Museum of Natural History and Archaeology in Montebelluna (Treviso, Italy). The chemists were delivered six coins with neither pre-agreements nor further information on the origin of the coins. Therefore, the request was to hypothetically assign the coins to the two groups on the basis of similarities and differences in their surface composition. Only non-destructive analytical techniques were allowed to be used to characterize the surface of the six coins taken blindly from the two sets. The elemental analysis of each coins’ surface was carried out by µ-XRF. To better observe the morphology of the coins’ surfaces, SEM-EDS was used. Compounds covering the coins coming from both corrosion processes (patinas) and the deposition of soil encrustations were also analyzed by means of the FTIR-ATR technique. The molecular analysis confirmed the presence of silico-aluminate minerals on some coins, unequivocally indicating a provenance from clayey soil. Some soil samples, collected from the archaeological site of interest, were analyzed to verify whether the encrusted layer on coins could contain chemical components compatible with them. This result, together with the chemical and morphological investigations, led us to subdivide the six target coins into two groups. The first group is made up of two coins coming from the set of coins from excavation (found in the subsoil) and from the set from open air finds (coins found in the top layer of the soil). The second group is made up of four coins that are devoid of characteristics corresponding to exposure to soil contact for long periods of time and, moreover, their surface compounds could suggest a different provenance. The analytical results of this study made it possible to correctly assign all six coins to the two groups of finds and support numismatics, which was unconvinced in considering all coins to come from the same finding site only on the basis of archaeological documentations.

This paper aims to present the results of archaeological works carried out within the framework of a post-excavation project, “Per lineam munitionum”, between 2005–2016 around the fortification system of the Roman legionary fortress and the late Roman and early Byzantine town of Novae. The research concentrated generally on completing and recording old trenches as well as recording remains of the original building substance, stratigraphy and other archaeological remains using modern technologies and precise geodetic equipment. The archaeological data and stratigraphical observations were compared with the numismatic findings in an effort to improve the final interpretation and the reconstruction of the main construction phases.

It is not for the first century already, that the composition of the monetary circulation of the Crimean Khanate in different periods of its history has been studied. As a result was developed an objective and largely consistent scheme of attribution and dating of its coins. But on the territory of the Khanate were not developed only local issues. Coins of the Ottomans, Moscow state, as well as of European rulers came in abundance on its lands, including and colonial coinage. Evidence of their active use has been preserved in the materials of Kadiasker books. Those books give information about the banknotes, their fluctuations and their rates against the Crimean and Ottoman currencies. However, there is hardly any reason to believe that we know everything about those means of payment. Indeed, the problem of circulation of both, imported and counterfeit coins made in the Crimean Khanate, has not still been properly studied. We believe that the issue of replicas was due to the high demand for large silver coins both on the territory of the Crimean Khanate and beyond, on the lands of the Moscow state. The problem was complicated by the fact that the Crimean khans, before Shahin Giray, could not mint money of great dignity because of the restrictions, imposed on their vassals by the Ottoman sultans. At the same time, the Crimea was an important element of the “Turkish path”, through which silver entered the Moscow state. Thus, the deficit of a large coin in it was very noticeable. In turn, the movement of large volumes of precious metal across the territory of the khanate facilitated the task of importing or producing on the spot fake coins that came to end consumers along with real money. And, indeed, we were able to identify cast imitations of the florins of Zwolle and the county of Oldenburg. They were discovered on the territory of medieval Kezlev. Judged by the primitiveness of technology and low quality of products, we believe that these replicas could not be delivered to the peninsula. Most likely, we should talk about local imitations. We give an affirmative answer to the question of the possibility of issuing replicas of a European coin on the territory of the Crimean Khanate.

Report 1 presented the definition of numismatics as a historical science, aspects of the study of its components (coins, medals, plaques), the images of common international symbols of pediatrics (Har-pa-Khered, or Harpocrates, a pelican feeding its chicks, and Florentine Infant), it was emphasized the role of prominent scientists and doctors who made an invaluable contribution to the development of pediatrics and they were provided on numismatic materials, their biographies were briefly highlighted. The insufficient modern usage of numismatics facilities in perpetuating the memory of famous pediatricians was emphasized. Report 2 considers the questions of the history of pediatric surgery based on numismatic materials, lists the specialized medical institutions in Argentina, Hungary, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Russia, the USA, Uruguay, France, where surgical interventions for sick children are carried out, and scientific forums for children surgeons (congresses, congresses, conferences, symposia) are clarified.

No name of the officials mentioned on the coins of Cyzicus in Roman imperial period caused such problems in research as that of Claudius Hestiaios: Thus, three different issues can be identified for this name, which, roughly dated, fall within a possible time frame of AD 138-169. It is uncertain in historical research if this one name, which has a different public designation in each of these coin series, refers to different persons or only to one. Up to now, researchers had assumed two identities, but it is also conceivable, that there are three or only one single Claudius Hestiaios. Since each of these issues not only represented the same name with a new official designation, but also an iconographic innovation for the mint of the city of Cyzicus, they deserve additional attention. Some of those new coin iconographies were subsequently established, some remained unique. A precise and comparative analysis of the style and inscription of the three series shall enable a more precise dating, which then, in comparison with epigraphic and historical evidence, allows further conclusions to be drawn about the identity/identities of the person responsible for minting the coins and the actual minting occasion.

The branch of historical science of numismatics (from the Latin numisma — coin) originated in the 19th century and became closely connected with economics, politics, culture and law, it includes a thematic study of coins, medals and plaques. Best of all, the history of infectology is illustrated by various forms of the medalist educational art (exonumia, or paranumismatics), and the coin became the prototype of the memorial medals. This work presents a catalog of 64 numismatic materials (including some unique, first cited), reflects the stages of development of the study of infectious diseases, methods for diagnosing and treating them; there are links to significant historical events; brief biographies of physicians who have made an invaluable contribution into the formation of this scientific discipline are mentioned.

It can be challenging to bring material culture to life in the classroom when the cultures that produced those materials are separated from the students by time and space. Students learning about Roman history and culture often find it difficult to work with and critically analyse non-literary sources as they rarely have the opportunity to engage with the material objects themselves. Depending on the size of the class, or materials available, it may be impossible to introduce such sources for the ancient world into classroom teaching.

The purpose of the work was to analyze the history of pediatrics development based on numismatic materials. Numismatics (from the Latin numisma — coin), the branch of historical science, originated in the 19th century and became closely related to economics, politics, culture and law, it includes the thematic study of coins, medals and plaques. The history of pediatrics is best illustrated by various forms of medal art (exonumia, or paranumismatics), and the medal became the prototype of a commemorative (memorial) coin. This work presents a catalogue of 116 numismatic materials (97 medals, 11 plaques, 8 coins), including some unique ones that were presented for the first time. There are images on coins and medals of common international symbols of pediatrics — Har-pa-khered, or Harpocrates (a boy holding a finger to his mouth), and later ones (a pelican feeding its chicks by the blood from the torn breast, and a Florentine swaddled baby). The stages of development of the study of using therapeutic factors were reflected in the work on the materials of numismatics, there are references to significant historical events; brief biographies of physicians (46 persons) were mentioned, who made an invaluable contribution to the formation of pediatric science. On the medals, it can be found the portraits of the organizers of the service of providing medical care for children, prominent pediatricians and representatives of narrow specialists. Unfortunately, for now the memory of famous pediatricians of the past is not sufficiently marked by release of numismatic products, therefore, we hope for a systematic approach to this matter in the future, for the purposeful promotion of the achievements of pediatrics by means of numismatics, which provides an visual example for studying the history of medicine, contributes to an increase in the level of doctor’s education. The authors expect to emerge of new interesting materials of such small forms of art.

Seriation was one of the earliest applications of computers to an archaeological problem. Despite the origins of the technique in numismatics, the vast majority of coinage studies manually sequence coin hoards and issues. For many periods, the coin designs or legends can be used to provide a date. For the Republican series, however, detailed sequences rely on the use of coin hoard data. In recent years, Correspondence Analysis has become the 'de facto' seriation routine of choice. For coinage studies, however, where the period of manufacture was very short, a successful seriation would leave one triangle empty in the re-arranged matrix rather than concentrating the largest values on the diagonal as would be the aim in other situations. The aim of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of various easily-available off-the-shelf open-source seriation routines that have been used in archaeology for the analysis of this type of data. Given that we know a great deal about the pattern of production of Republican coinage, it is possible to create simulated coin hoard assemblages to test the various seriation routines and assess which technique is likely to provide the most successful results. This paper presents the results of applying 14 seriation methods to 27 simulated coin hoard data sets, and discusses the results.