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1.Introduction
UkraineandinBelarusaresimilar,andverystringentwhenitcomestoamateurs
prospectingforartefactswithametaldetector.Inprinciple,ifasearchisnotan
archaeologicalinvestigationrunaccordingtotheacceptedprocedures,itisillegal.
Inaccordancewiththesamelaw,everyarchaeologicalobject,includingancient
coins,belongstothestate.Thismeansthatthevastmajorityofthepeoplewhouse
metaldetectorstosearchforhistoricalartefactsinPoland,UkraineandBelarus
aretechnicallycriminals,andthecoinsandotherartefactsrecoveredbythemare
ineffectstolenobjects.Inpractice,therestrictivelawisverypoorlyenforcedby
thestateinstitutions,includingthepolice.Asaresult,thereisnocontroloverthe
wholesaleretrievalofmetalartefactsfromthefields;ontheotherhand,obtaining
informationabouttheillegallyacquiredobjectsfromthefinderswhoareafraid
ofbeingreportedtothepoliceisanuphillstruggle.And,evenwheninformation
ofthissorthasbeenobtained,itisusuallylackingindetailandincomplete,andif
wearelucky,thephotographofthecoinfindisprovidedbutthereisnohopeof
examiningtheoriginalinprivatehands.12
Thus,themapoftherecordedcoinfinds,boththepre-1990sonesandlater,
islargelytheconsequenceofarchaeologicalfieldworkcarriedoutinparticular
regions,someofitinconnectionwithlarge-scaleindustrialandinfrastructure
developmentprojects.13Someareashavenotbeeninvestigated–andneverwill
–becauseofheavyimpactontheenvironmentofpasthumanactivities.14Ifthis
werenotenough,notallcoinsrecoveredduringarchaeologicalfieldworkcould
beaccessed,scatteredastheyareinmanyresearchcentresandvariousother
institutions.
15
Manycoinsknownfromearlypublicationshavesincegonemissing,
especiallyduringWorldWarII.Allofthismakesthedrawingofconclusionsusing
theinformationavailableaboutthefindsfromagivenareaaprecariousexercise
attimes,onethatmayaffectourabilitytoattemptinterpretationsatthelevelof
‘deadculture’,nottomentionthe‘livingculture’.
16
Thus,inthecaseoftheRoman
12AtmorelengthonthissubjectseeDymowski2011a,pp.29-43.
13Wielowiejski1984,p.88;Kolendo1998d,p.13.
14Wielowiejski1984,p.89.
15Forexample,accesswasnotgainedtoalargegroupofRomancoinfinds,presumablysomeof
themRepublican,fromGreatPolandandKuyavianowinthecareoftheAdamMickiewiczUniver-
sityinPoznańandinthecollectionsoftheMuseumofArchaeologyinPoznań.Thereweresimilar
difficultiesingainingaccesstofindsofRepublicancoinsfoundlocallyandnowinthekeepingof
museumsinUkraine.
16Particularlyprecariousareconclusionsdrawnbasingontheabsenceofaparticularcategory
offindsinagivenarea.Forexample,until2007wehadnoinformationaboutfindsofRoman
RepublicancoinsfromBelaruswhichcouldhaveledustoconcludethatthesecoinsarenottobe
foundthere.OnlythankstothestudiesofVital’Sidarovichdowenowhaveinformationabout
atleastsevenRepublicandenariifindsfromBelarus(seetheCalatogueoffinds).Similarly,until
recentlywewerenotfamiliarwithfindsoflegionarydenariiofMarkAntonyfromEast-Central
EuropenorthoftheSudetesandtheCarpathiansotherthantwospecimenseachofthembelonging
toalatehoarddatedbytheyoungestcoinstothesecondandthirdcenturies.Onlyin2012areport
waspublishedaboutthefirstrecordedsinglefindofalegionarydenarius(BodzekandSztyber2012,
