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Madrider Mitteilungen, Vol. 61 (2020), In dem Beitrag wird der Zusammenhang zwischen Bergbau, Edelmetallf��rderung und M��nzpr��gung in der sp��ten r��mischen Republik und im Principat untersucht. Dabei steht der r��mische Bergbau auf der Iberischen Halbinsel im Zentrum; es wird angenommen, dass der Abbau von Silber und Gold in den hispanischen Provinzen Voraussetzung der Pr��gung des denarius im 2. und 1. Jahrhundert v. Chr. und des aureus im 1. Jahrhundert n. Chr. war und dass das Ende der Bergbauaktivit��ten gegen 200 n. Chr. eine wichtige Ursache der Krise des r��mischen W��hrungssystems im 3. Jahrhundert darstellte.

Additive manufacturing is proposed as a novel alternative to coin blank’s production routes based on rolling, blanking and edge rimming. The presentation draws from laser powder bed fusion of cylinders, slicing into individual coin blanks by electro discharge machining and surface preparation by polishing, to coin minting in a laboratory press-tool system. Special emphasis is given to material deposition and coin minting due to the originality of producing coin blanks with complex intricate contoured holes and to the necessity of subjecting the additive manufactured coin blanks to extreme compressive stresses that are typical of coin minting. Numerical and experimental results confirm the excellent performance of the additive manufactured coin blanks. The new design layouts included in the additive manufactured coin blanks open the way to produce high value-added singular collector coins, which are disruptively different from those available in the market nowadays.

The objective of this paper is to present a new hybrid additive manufacturing route for fabricating collector coins with complex, intricate contoured holes. The new manufacturing route combines metal deposition by additive manufacturing with metal cutting and forming, and its application is illustrated with an example consisting of a prototype coin made from stainless steel AISI 316L. Experimentation and finite element analysis of the coin minting operation with the in-house computer program i-form show that the blanks produced by additive manufacturing and metal cutting can withstand the high compressive pressures that are attained during the embossing and impressing of lettering and other reliefs on the coin surfaces. The presentation allows concluding that hybrid additive manufacturing opens the way to the production of innovative collector coins with geometric features that are radically different from those that are currently available in the market.

Fire assay by cupellation is an early form of quantitative chemical analysis that required the use of specialized vessels typically made with ashes. Its use became particularly prominent in Europe since the Middle Ages, as reflected in technical treatises and archaeological remains that record a variety of recipes for their manufacture and use. Here we present chemical and microstructural analyses of cupels from the Porto Mint in Portugal, recovered from two distinct contexts spanning from the 14th to the 16th century CE. Based on the data, we argue that one set of cupels was likely used for the analysis of bulk metals as they entered the mint, while the other was used for the assay of bullion coins for quality control. We also show that most cupels were made of a mixture of bone ash and wood ash. In addition, our work illustrates strategies to identify and study severely corroded cupels. We recommend further studies of cupellation contexts, which will allow us to map knowledge transfer and technological traditions in this crucial strand of early science.

Recent advances in areas of research as different as long-distance trade, coin minting, and paleoenvironmental studies, have led us to confirm the existence in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula of an interesting system of production intended for export from the early sixth century to the mid-seventh century AD. This paper has two main objectives. The first is to improve our knowledge of this economic system, mainly studying one of its most representative sectors: mining. Second, based on this knowledge we will try to gain a better understanding of the material basis of the social and political power of local and regional elites in the Suevic- Visigothic Gallaecia and the mechanisms for articulating their power with royal central power. The integration of different kinds of data allows us to observe a real geography of economic power in northwest Iberia. Specifically, bishops and the main church hierarchies seem to have played a much more dynamic role than the textual sources indicate.La combinación de recientes avances en áreas tan diferentes como el comercio a larga distancia, las acuñaciones monetarias y los estudios de paleoambiente, permiten constatar la existencia en el Noroeste peninsular de un interesante sistema productivo destinado a la exportación entre inicios del siglo VI y mitad del siglo VII d.C. Este trabajo pretende profundizar en el conocimiento de este sistema económico, a través principalmente de una de sus piezas más representativas: la minería, y desde este conocimiento, comprender mejor las bases materiales del poder social y político de las élites locales y regionales de Gallaecia suevo-visigoda y sus mecanismos de articulación con el poder monárquico central. La integración de distintos tipos de datos nos permitirá observar una verdadera geografía del poder económico del Noroeste, en la que los obispos y jerarquías eclesiásticas debieron de jugar un papel mucho más dinámico del que las fuentes textuales transmiten.

Recent advances in areas of research as different as long-distance trade, coin minting, and paleoenvironmental studies, have led us to confirm the existence in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula of an interesting system of production intended for export from the early sixth century to the mid-seventh century AD. This paper has two main objectives. The first is to improve our knowledge of this economic system, mainly studying one of its most representative sectors: mining. Second, based on this knowledge we will try to gain a better understanding of the material basis of the social and political power of local and regional elites in the Suevic- Visigothic Gallaecia and the mechanisms for articulating their power with royal central power. The integration of different kinds of data allows us to observe a real geography of economic power in northwest Iberia. Specifically, bishops and the main church hierarchies seem to have played a much more dynamic role than the textual sources indicate. La combinación de recientes avances en áreas tan diferentes como el comercio a larga distancia, las acuñaciones monetarias y los estudios de paleoambiente, permiten constatar la existencia en el Noroeste peninsular de un interesante sistema productivo destinado a la exportación entre inicios del siglo VI y mitad del siglo VII d.C. Este trabajo pretende profundizar en el conocimiento de este sistema económico, a través principalmente de una de sus piezas más representativas: la minería, y desde este conocimiento, comprender mejor las bases materiales del poder social y político de las élites locales y regionales de Gallaecia suevo-visigoda y sus mecanismos de articulación con el poder monárquico central. La integración de distintos tipos de datos nos permitirá observar una verdadera geografía del poder económico del Noroeste, en la que los obispos y jerarquías eclesiásticas debieron de jugar un papel mucho más dinámico del que las fuentes textuales transmiten.

Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos seniausių Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės monetų kaldinimo aplinkybės. Analizuojami istoriniai, archeologiniai, heraldiniai, sfragistiniai, paleografiniai, ekonominiai ir kiti argumentai, kuriais grindžiama monetų kalybos pradžia ir jų priklausymas. Išnagrinėjus heraldinius ženklus, pavaizduotus anoniminėse monetose, daroma išvada, kad lietuviškas monetas kaldinęs Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės sritinis kunigaikštis Skirgaila. 1. Diskutuojant dėl seniausių LDK monetų, būtina skirti didžiojo kunigaikščio ir jo vasalų kaldintas monetas. Seniausiomis LDK monetomis laikytinos vasalo Vladimiro Algirdaičio Kijeve kaldintos monetos. 2. Istorinių, archeologinių, religinių, heraldinių, numizmatinių, paleografinių, sfragistinių, ekonominių ir kitų argumentų analizė leidžia teigti, kad seniausiomis LDK valstybinėmis monetomis, kaldintomis didžiojo kunigaikščio vardu, laikytinos PECAT tipo monetos. Jos nukaltos valdant Algirdui (iki 1377 m.) 3. Ietigalis su graikiškuoju kryžiumi yra Algirdaičių heraldinis simbolis. Jis naudotas ir Algirdo vasalo Kęstučio, taip pat jo sūnaus Jogailos monetose. 4. Monetos su Liūtu (barsu) kaldintos Jogailos vasalo Trakų ir Vilniaus kunigaikščio Skirgailos 1382-1392 m. 5. Lietuviškus denarus su Gediminaičių stulpais vienoje pusėje ir ietigaliu bei kryžiumi kitoje kaldino Trakų kunigaikštis Kęstutis (1345-1381 m.), galbūt ir būdamas LDK valdovas (1381-1382 m.). 6. Gediminaičių dinastinis simbolis Gediminaičių stulpai pavaizduoti Kęstučio, Vytauto (Aleksandro), Švitrigailos (Boleslovo) ir Kazimiero monetose. The article examines the circumstances of making of the oldest coins of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and analyzes the historical, archeological, heraldic, sphragistic, paleographic, economic and other arguments, basing the commencement of making and dependence of coins. Upon examination of the heraldic signs, presented on the anonymous coins, the conclusion is made that the Lithuanian coins were made under regional duke Skirgaila. 1. When discussing the oldest coins of the Grand Duchy, it is necessary to distinguish the coins, made under the Grand Duke and his vassals. The oldest coins of the Grand Duchy are those, made under vassal Vladimir, son of Algirdas, in Kiev. 2. The analysis of historical, archeological, religious, heraldic, numismatic, paleographic, sphragistic, economic and other arguments allows for stating that the coins of the PECAT type were the oldest coins of the Grand Duchy, made under the Grand Duke. The coins were made during the rule of Algirdas (till 1377) 3. The spearhead with the Greek Cross is a heraldic symbol of the House of Algirdas. It was also used in coins, made under Algirdas’s vassal Kęstutis and his son Jogaila. 4. The coins with the Lion were made under Jogaila’s vassal Skirgaila, the duke of Trakai and Vilnius in 1382-1392. 5. Lithuanian coins with the Columns of the Gediminids on the averse and spearhead and cross on the reverse were made under Kęstutis, the Duke of Trakai (1345-1381) and probably during his being the ruler of the Grand Duchy (in 1381-1382). 6. The Columns of Gediminids, i. e. the dynasty symbol of the Gediminids were presented on the coins, made under Kęstutis, Vytautas (Aleksandras), Švitrigaila (Boleslovas) and Kazimieras.