Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
ForewordbyAleksanderBursche
Ontherecordingandinterpretation
ofancientcoinfnds
ThefirstattemptsattheinterpretationofancientcoinsdiscoveredinEurope
outsideoftheMediterraneandatetotheRenaissance,andinPolandweremade,
morenotably,bythesavantsassociatedwithCracowUniversity.Theoccurrence
ofancientcoinfindswasattributedoccasionallytosupernaturalphenomena.For
instance,therewasabeliefthattheearthinsomelocalitiesbreedsclaypotsfull
ofcoins,andthatthebesttimetolookforthemisatPentecost.Butmuchmore
oftenthesefindswererecognizedasevidenceoftheactualpresenceofGreeksor
RomansinanareafarfromtheMediterraneanworld.Suchaninterpretationraised
thestatusofone’slocalhomeland.Linkswithancientcommunitiesknownfrom
classicalliteraturewouldbe‘documented’byassortedfabricationsandforgeries,
e.g.ancientinscriptionsorfigurines,allegedlydiscoveredinthefarNorth,orby
LatininscriptionsonlocalpotterylateridentifiedasdatingfromtheBronzeAge.
Manysuchforgerieswereexposedonlyaslateasinthelatterhalfofthetwentieth
century,andhavecausednumerousgenuineancientcoinfindstobetreatedwith
considerabledistrust.Inpointoffact,ancientcoinsareoneofthelargestgroups
ofMediterraneanimportsandaninvaluablehistoricalsource.
ThefirsteducatedinterpretationsoftheoccurrenceofancientcoinsinEast-
CentralEuropewereformulatedinthesecondhalfofthenineteenthcentury,the
timeofamajorbreakthroughinhistoricalsciences,archaeologyandnumismatics
included.Findsofancientcoinsandthelikestartbeingrecordedincreasinglyoften,
andtheirrolefortheinterpretationofsocio-economicandpoliticalphenomena
isrecognized.
ThisisthetimewhenTheodorMommsen(1817-1903),polyhistorian,Noble
Prizewinner,andclassicsscholarlywithanuncannyintuition,madethefirst
educatedattempttoexplainhoardsofRomandenariifoundintheterritoryofthe
formerBarbaricum.Whatismoreimportantforthesubjectaddressedinthisbook,
inabriefcontributionwrittenin1885Mommseninterpretedasmallcollectionof
180lateRepublicanandAugustandenariifromthecollectionofthefamilyvonBar,
landownersfromBarenaue,inthevicinityofHannover.Thecoinshadsurfaced
duringfarmworkinthenearbyfields.Mommsenusedthemtoidentifythesite
oftheBattleoftheTeutoburgerForestofAD9.InthePrussianscholarshipofthe
time,andinthemuchlaterGermanscholarshipaswell,thisinterpretationmet
