Arkadiusz Dymowski - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Books by Arkadiusz Dymowski

Warsaw University Press, 2020

The present monograph reports on the results of a research project Use of ancient coins in East-C... more The present monograph reports on the results of a research project Use of ancient coins in East-Central Europe in the medieval and modern periods project financed by the National Science Centre in Poland (No. 2016/23/B/HS3/00173), completed 2017–2020 under the direction of dr hab. Arkadiusz Dymowski at the Institute of Archaeology of the University of Warsaw. The aim of the Project was to examine the use of ancient coins (understood here as pre-AD 6th century Greek, Celtic and Roman issues) in Central, Eastern and Northern Europe in a period spanning the early medieval period and the modern age (approximately 7th – turn of the 18th century). The main territory addressed in our studies of the archaeological, numismatic and written sources was that of Poland within its present-day borders. A detailed preliminary survey of Polish coin finds was made, its results published in a catalogue included in the present monograph. Similar resources from the Baltic States, western Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, eastern Germany and Scandinavia provided a rich reference base for our research. In addition, as a background for the main research problem, some important processes and phenomena have been addressed in less detail: first – the influx and use of ancient coins into the territories of European Barbaricum during the pre-Roman, Roman and Migration periods, second – the collecting of ancient coins in Polish lands during the pre-partition period (before the partition of Poland in 1772), third – prehistoric and classical objects other than coins discovered in East-Central Europe in medieval and modern period contexts.

The publication presents the results of research completed within the ‘Coins of the Roman Republi... more The publication presents the results of research completed within the ‘Coins of the Roman Republic in Central Europe’ project implemented at the Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw. The author discusses the coins of the Roman Republic found in East-Central Europe north of the Sudetes and the Carpathian mountains (the territories of Poland, western Belarus and western Ukraine) – issues from the period of the first Roman emissions until 27 BC.
The region of interest was never a part of the Roman state. This means that all of the Roman coins found in this territory must be treated as imports. The main aim of this study is to specify the time, causes, circumstances and directions of the import of Republican coinage to the study area, and to determine its uses in this region.
The book includes a foreword written by Aleksander Bursche and contains the inventory of the finds with a comprehensive commentary. It is both numismatic and archaeological in its subject matter, placing itself somewhere on the border between these two disciplines.

Papers by Arkadiusz Dymowski

Wiadomości Numizmatyczne , 2021

In the areas occupied by the Cherniakhiv and Wielbark archaeological cultures during the Roman pe... more In the areas occupied by the Cherniakhiv and Wielbark archaeological cultures during the Roman period, including the areas of eastern and northern Poland, there are relatively numerous finds of Roman aurei of Trajan Decius (249-251) and his direct predecessors on the imperial throne. These coins are interpreted as part of the imperial treasury looted by the barbarians (Goths) after they won the Battle of Abritus in 251. In the same areas one can distinguish a horizon of finds of silver Roman coins, denarii and antoniniani, which cannot be directly linked to the Battle of Abritus, but more broadly, with the Goth raids on the Roman provinces in the early 250s, the spectacular culmination of which was the Battle of Abritus. This horizon is not clear in finds from southern, central and western Poland, occupied in the Roman period by the Przeworsk and Luboszyce cultures, not related to the Goths.

Notae Numismaticae - Zapiski Numizmatyczne, 2022

This paper presents a graphical method for analysing chronological patterns which can be successf... more This paper presents a graphical method for analysing chronological
patterns which can be successfully applied to coin sets (e.g. hoards) containing specimens dated within multiple, overlapping timespans of up to several dozen years. The timespans are considered rounded up to full years, i.e. the shortest timespan would be 1 year, while the longer ones could cover several, a dozen or more years. This works well, for example, with Roman coins from the Imperial period, or with some categories of medieval or modern European coinage. The method is based on a simple mathematical model and the values calculated for each year are presented in a graphical form (as values of a discrete function spread on a timeline) to show the chronological distribution of coins in percentage terms. Such distributions make sets of coins easy to compare. The method is much less effective when applied to precisely dated coins (e.g. with an accuracy of one year), like Roman coins from the Republican period, or certain categories of early medieval Islamic coins.

E. Droberjar, B. Komoróczy (eds.), Příspěvky k poznání barbarských komunit (Archeologie barbarů 2016 a 2018). Brno (Pp. 195-217), 2021

The present article refers to two phenomena, the greatest intensity of which in the area of the B... more The present article refers to two phenomena, the greatest intensity of which in the area of the Barbaricum should be dated to the Late Roman
Period and to the beginning of the Migration Period. The first phenomenon is the presence of a significant number of hoards of Roman Imperial denarii from the 1st – 2nd centuries AD in the Barbaricum. The second phenomenon is the large-scale production and use of imitative Roman denarii, especially from the Nerva-Antonine dynasty period, in the Barbaricum. Our understanding of these phenomena has changed in recent years, mainly due to the publication of huge material found in the territory of present-day Ukraine. A lot of new denarius hoards and thousands of imitations of Roman Imperial denarii have been recorded there.

otae Numismaticae-Zapiski Numizmatyczne, vol. XV, pp. 167-178, 2020

The rapid increase in the corpus of finds of denarii subaerati in the territory of Barbaricum in ... more The rapid increase in the corpus of finds of denarii subaerati in
the territory of Barbaricum in the last two decades has allowed us to expand our knowledge about the occurrence of these coins in this area. To date, only subaerati have been recorded in finds while recently previously unnoticed categories of non‑silver denarii from unofficial issues have been noticed. Furthermore, it is possible to state with a very high probability that denarii subaerati were manufactured in eastern areas of Barbaricum at least since the end of the 3rd century. This of course does not mean that all subaerati that were found in Barbaricum were made there. On the other hand, it is still a very surprising conclusion, due to the fact that until recently it has been considered obvious that all subaerati found in Barbaricum are imports from the territory of the Empire. Thanks to new finds research on subaerati (and on denarii from irregular issues in general) which are situated within a broader context of examinations of finds of Roman coins and their imitations and copies in Barbaricum turn out to be more and more crucial for understanding of the role of Roman Imperial denarii (and Roman money in general) among the Barbarians in the Roman Period and the Migration Period.

Aleksanderia Studies on Items, Ideas and History Dedicated to Professor Aleksander Bursche on the Occasion of his 65th Birthday, eds. R. Chowaniec, R. Ciołek, 2021

Средневековая нумизматика Восточной Европы, 8, Санкт-Петербург / Srednevekovai͡a numizmatika Vostochnoĭ Evropy, 8, Sankt-Peterburg, 62-76, 2020

In (south-)eastern part of the Baltic region a few ancient Roman coins have been recorded (for su... more In (south-)eastern part of the Baltic region a few ancient Roman coins have been recorded (for sure, or possibly) within hoards of silver dated to 10th and 11th centuries: from Nāvessala (Latvia), Eversmuiža (Latvia), Shpan’kovo (Leningrad Oblast, Russia), Kurkijoki (Republic of Karelia, Russia) and vicinity of Tallinn (Estonia). These hoards contained mostly early medieval coins (mainly Islamic and western European) and silver ornaments, both complete and in fragments. The problem should be considered within a phenomenon of the presence of ancient coins in early medieval hoards of the 9th-12th century found in the whole Baltic region, especially in its (south-)western part. Taking into account only reliable finds, we have 16 hoards like this from Scandinavia and 31 from present-day Poland and eastern Germany. These tend to be hacksilver hoards, typical for the region during that age. Ancient coins found in these hoards total about 150 specimens, an overwhelming majority of which are Roman Imperial denarii. Most possibly ancient silver coins had a similar function as other coins and silver objects; all of them served mainly as bullion, usually accepted by weight.
Probably ancient coins discovered in early medieval hoards from the Baltic region came from more than one source. E.g., some may have been found locally in the Middle Ages (like Roman antoniniani from the Nāvessala hoard) , others could be medieval imports from other areas (like a Roman quinarius from Eversmuiža). Unfortunately we are still unable to answer this crucial question: why do we find ancient coins almost exclusively in hoards dated to the narrow time-period of 9th - early 12th century and restricted in their distribution to a relatively small area of the Baltic region? This disproportion becomes particularly obvious when we consider the huge number of deposits of early medieval silver that have been recorded in Eastern, Central and Northern Europe.

Notae Numismaticae-Zapiski Numizmatyczne, vol. XIV, pp. 149-181, 2019

The largest category of barbarian imitations of Roman denarii that appear in Polish finds consist... more The largest category of barbarian imitations of Roman denarii that
appear in Polish finds consist of coins that are probably or certainly modeled after imperial issues from the 1st and 2nd (and 3rd?) centuries – in particular, the coins of emperors from the Nerva-Antonine dynasty (the years 96–192). Forty six imitative denarii of this kind have been noted, most of them made from silver. To this number we can add seven coins – also found in Poland – from certain irregular issues. No fewer than 19 of these imitative denarii were part of hoards of denarii from between the 1st and 2nd centuries. Of the 46 imitative denarii recorded in Polish finds, it is possible to show that as many as 20 have dies that are linked to other coins found in Poland or in other regions of the former Barbaricum: primarily present-day Ukraine, and Scandinavia, northwestern Germany and Hungary. Taking into account the available sources, even if some of the imitative denarii from the period of the Nerva-Antonine (and Flavian) dynasty came about within the lands of present-day Poland, no doubt the majority of the coins of this type that have been found in Poland were produced by the Chernyakhiv culture in areas occupied in later phases of the Roman Period, that is, above all, in Ukraine. Some of them were in use in the Barbaricum until the Migration Period.

by Cristian Gazdac, Sanja Bitrak, Michele Asolati, Alessandro Cattaneo, Arkadiusz Dymowski, Benjamin Hellings, Lajos Juhasz, Lucian Munteanu, Leilani Stajer, Varbin Varbanov, and Rada Varga

JOURNAL OF ANCIENT HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY MONOGRAPHIC SERIES 1, 2020

by Arkadiusz Dymowski, Audrone Bliujiene, Helle Horsnaes, Fraser Hunter, Kyrylo Myzgin, Lennart Lind, Lucian Munteanu, Jan Pelsdonk, Wital Sidarowicz, Istvan Vida, Mirjana Vojvoda, and David Wigg-Wolf

C. Găzdac (ed.) Group and Individual Tragedies in Roman Europe. The Evidence of Hoards, Epigraphic and Literary Sources (Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology: monographic series, 1), 2020

The publication presents a complete and up-to-date list of Imperial denarius hoards from the Euro... more The publication presents a complete and up-to-date list of Imperial denarius hoards from the European Barbaricum with a very basic comment. It is not intended to be a detailed catalogue of hoards, but only a starting point for more detailed searches and studies.

C. Găzdac (ed.) Group and Individual Tragedies in Roman Europe. The Evidence of Hoards, Epigraphic and Literary Sources (Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology: monographic series, 1), 2020

The hoard found in 2018 at Skypche in the western region of Ukraine included seventy Roman denari... more The hoard found in 2018 at Skypche in the western region of Ukraine included seventy Roman denarii of the 1st and 2nd century AD (Trajan to Commodus) and a presumably silver ring. The hoard is typical for the territory of Ukraine occupied in the later phases of the Roman period and the Migration period by the people of the Chernyakhiv culture identified with a federation of Gothic and non-Gothic peoples under the Gothic leadership. Among the coins in the hoard was one barbarian imitation of a Roman denarius and seven denarii weighing of less than 2 g identified initially as of official issue. Some of the lightweight denarii could be copies of Roman denarii. It is not unlikely that these copies were manufactured within the Barbaricum.

The Numismatic Chronicle, 2019

Donum cordis. Studia poświęcone pamięci Profesora Jerzego Kolendo pod redakcją Krzysztofa Jakubiaka , Warszawa, 2019

Professor Jerzy Kolendo pointed out the possibility that the infl ow of Roman imports into the te... more Professor Jerzy Kolendo pointed out the possibility that the infl ow of Roman imports into the territories of south-east Poland and western Ukraine could have been related to the people living there taking part in the Dacian Wars. It is worth verifying whether it would be possible to support this thesis by using the available data on the fi ndings of Roman coins, specifi cally denarii, from the territories of south and central Poland, occupied in the Roman period by the Przeworsk culture, identifi ed with the Lugii tribes. In the territories which are of interest here, one can clearly distinguish two hardly intersecting groups of denarii fi ndings: fi rstly, coins from the Republican period, secondly, imperial coins from the 1st–2nd century. These groups can be identifi ed with the two most important waves of the infl ux of denarii into the territories of the Przeworsk culture. Taking into account the coin fi ndings recorded so far, it is impossible to present any evidence that would prove that the infl ux of Roman denarii into the territories north of the Carpathians was related to Trajan’s Dacian
Wars. It would only be possible to present traces based on which one could try to very hypothetically outline this phenomenon, if it existed at all. During the period of the Dacian Wars denarii could have travelled north in two waves: fi rstly, Republican coins with a mix of imitations and coins from the emissions of the fi rst three emperors,
secondly, coins from Trajan’s emissions, perhaps with a small amount of earlier coins mixed in. The fi rst wave could have originated in the money circulating in the area of pre-Roman Dacia, the second one – in the imperial treasury. In the second case, these could have been payments made to the Lugii, related to military activities (e.g. wages for mercenaries) or diplomatic ones (e.g. tributes, subsidies) payed out by the Romans in newly issued coins.

M. KARWOWSKI – B. KOMORÓCZY – P. TREBSCHE (Hrsg.) AUF DEN SPUREN DER BARBAREN – ARCHÄOLOGISCH, HISTORISCH, NUMISMATISCH (ARCHÄOLOGIE DER BARBAREN 2015) SPISY ARCHEOLOGICKÉHO ÚSTAVU AV ČR BRNO 60, BRNO 2019, 51–64, 2019

The hoard recovered at Nowa Wieś Głubczycka in Upper Silesia in southern Poland before 2010 conta... more The hoard recovered at Nowa Wieś Głubczycka in Upper Silesia in southern Poland before 2010 contained approximately 1000 denarii from
the period of the Roman Republic and the reign of Emperor Augustus. At the time of preparation of this paper, more detailed information
is available on a group of 126 denarii from the deposit (including three denarii of Emperor Augustus struck after 27 BC and a Numidian
denarius of Juba I). The oldest coin in the recognised part of the hoard was minted in 155 BC and the latest, in the period 15–13 BC. There
is no evidence that the hoard contained imitations or the legionary denarii of Mark Antony. However, the most crucial discovery associated
with the deposit from Nowa Wieś Głubczycka is the presence of one of the coins (a denarius of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus from 61 BC) with
a countermark (I)MP∙VES. Countermarks with the name of Vespasian are dated to the 70s AD. This establishes the terminus post quem of
the deposition of this hoard and of the influx of coins it contained from the territory of the Roman Empire. Using the data on the newly found
hoard and other finds of denarii of the Roman Republic and of the first emperors now available from the territory of Poland, we can draw
a number of conclusions. First, the influx of the Republican silver to the north of the Carpathians was probably of more extended duration
and presumably spans from the second half of the 1st century to the 70s AD, possibly even later. Second, the most likely direction of this
influx is from Dacia, although the Republican denarii could have entered also from the Middle Danube region. The causes of this influx are
less clear and may have been related to economy or politics.

Denarius. Slovenské národné múzeum Historické múzeum. Numizmatický časopis 7, pp. 31-34, 2018

Biuletyn Numizmatyczny 2019 : 1 (392), pp. 29-37

Krótko przed 1903 rokiem w Rybicach (niem. Riebitz) 1 niedaleko Kamienia Pomorskiego (Kammin) zna... more Krótko przed 1903 rokiem w Rybicach (niem. Riebitz) 1 niedaleko Kamienia Pomorskiego (Kammin) znaleziono niewielki, wczesnośredniowieczny skarb monet, fragmentów monet i innych przedmiotów srebrnych o łącznej wadze około 800 g, ukrytych w naczyniu glinianym 2 . Pierwsza wzmianka o skarbie, bez opisu jego składu, pojawiła się w notatce Emila Waltera dotyczącej nowych nabytków muzeum w Szczecinie 3 . Skarb, którego inne fragmenty trafiły do zbiorów muzeów w Berlinie i Trzebiatowie (Treptow an der Rega) oraz do kolekcji prywatnych, był przed II wojną światową jeszcze kilkukrotnie wzmiankowany w publikacjach polsko-i niemieckojęzycznych 4 . Najdokładniejszy, ale niestety bardzo ogólny opis składu depozytu z Rybic podał Władysław Łęga, według którego były tam monety niemieckie, saskie, bizantyjskie i krzyżówki oraz siekańce 5 . Po ostatniej wojnie zachowała się tylko część skarbu przechowywana w Gabinecie Numizmatycznym Berlińskich Muzeów Państwowych Pruskiego Dziedzictwa Kulturalnego, a sam depozyt od lat 50. do końca XX wieku był wielokrotnie opisywany w literaturze tematu 6 . Według najnowszych ustaleń zamieszczonych w pomorskim tomie inwentarza Frühmittelalterliche Münzfunde aus Polen 7 w skład skarbu z Rybic, obok srebrnych sztabek, drutu i fragmentów ozdób, wchodziły następujące srebrne monety wczesnośredniowieczne z IX-X wieku: około 80 fragmentów monet islamskich, jedna moneta bizantyńska, ponad 30 całych i jeden fragment monet niemieckich, ponad 10 denarów krzyżowych, 3 monety włoskie, 2 całe i 3 fragmenty monet czeskich, 17 monet duńskich oraz nieokreślona liczba wczesnośredniowiecznych denarów naśladowczych. Terminus post quem depozycji określono na rok 983, lub ewentualnie na rok 985 8 . Ustalenia te bazują m.in. na materiałach archiwalnych przechowywanych w Muzeum Narodowym w Szczecinie (teczka nr 468) 1 Artykuł prezentuje rezultaty badań prowadzonych w Instytucie Archeologii Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego w ramach projektu pod tytułem Użytkowanie monet antycznych w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej w średniowieczu i w okresie nowożytnym, nr 2016/23/B/HS3/00173, finansowanego ze środków Narodowego Centrum Nauki. Serdecznie dziękuję Panu Krzysztofowi Kowalskiemu z Muzeum Narodowego w Szczecinie za pomoc w dotarciu do materiałów archiwalnych przechowywanych w tej placówce.

Wiadomości Nimizmatyczne, vol. LXII, pp. 269-279, 2018

­The ­paper ­presents ­three ­cases­ of­ alleged­ classical ­coins,­ that­ are­ in ­fact­ modern­... more ­The ­paper ­presents ­three ­cases­ of­ alleged­ classical ­coins,­ that­ are­ in ­fact­ modern­ items ­imitating­ classical coins,­ purportedly ­discovered­ at­prehistoric­ sites­ on ­the ­present-day­ territory­ of­ Poland.­This­ is­ used­ as­ a­ starting­ point­ for­ discussion­ on­ critical­ evaluation­ of­ numismatic­ and­archaeological­ sources­ related­ to ­coin­ finds.

Warsaw University Press, 2020

The present monograph reports on the results of a research project Use of ancient coins in East-C... more The present monograph reports on the results of a research project Use of ancient coins in East-Central Europe in the medieval and modern periods project financed by the National Science Centre in Poland (No. 2016/23/B/HS3/00173), completed 2017–2020 under the direction of dr hab. Arkadiusz Dymowski at the Institute of Archaeology of the University of Warsaw. The aim of the Project was to examine the use of ancient coins (understood here as pre-AD 6th century Greek, Celtic and Roman issues) in Central, Eastern and Northern Europe in a period spanning the early medieval period and the modern age (approximately 7th – turn of the 18th century). The main territory addressed in our studies of the archaeological, numismatic and written sources was that of Poland within its present-day borders. A detailed preliminary survey of Polish coin finds was made, its results published in a catalogue included in the present monograph. Similar resources from the Baltic States, western Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, eastern Germany and Scandinavia provided a rich reference base for our research. In addition, as a background for the main research problem, some important processes and phenomena have been addressed in less detail: first – the influx and use of ancient coins into the territories of European Barbaricum during the pre-Roman, Roman and Migration periods, second – the collecting of ancient coins in Polish lands during the pre-partition period (before the partition of Poland in 1772), third – prehistoric and classical objects other than coins discovered in East-Central Europe in medieval and modern period contexts.

The publication presents the results of research completed within the ‘Coins of the Roman Republi... more The publication presents the results of research completed within the ‘Coins of the Roman Republic in Central Europe’ project implemented at the Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw. The author discusses the coins of the Roman Republic found in East-Central Europe north of the Sudetes and the Carpathian mountains (the territories of Poland, western Belarus and western Ukraine) – issues from the period of the first Roman emissions until 27 BC.
The region of interest was never a part of the Roman state. This means that all of the Roman coins found in this territory must be treated as imports. The main aim of this study is to specify the time, causes, circumstances and directions of the import of Republican coinage to the study area, and to determine its uses in this region.
The book includes a foreword written by Aleksander Bursche and contains the inventory of the finds with a comprehensive commentary. It is both numismatic and archaeological in its subject matter, placing itself somewhere on the border between these two disciplines.

Wiadomości Numizmatyczne , 2021

In the areas occupied by the Cherniakhiv and Wielbark archaeological cultures during the Roman pe... more In the areas occupied by the Cherniakhiv and Wielbark archaeological cultures during the Roman period, including the areas of eastern and northern Poland, there are relatively numerous finds of Roman aurei of Trajan Decius (249-251) and his direct predecessors on the imperial throne. These coins are interpreted as part of the imperial treasury looted by the barbarians (Goths) after they won the Battle of Abritus in 251. In the same areas one can distinguish a horizon of finds of silver Roman coins, denarii and antoniniani, which cannot be directly linked to the Battle of Abritus, but more broadly, with the Goth raids on the Roman provinces in the early 250s, the spectacular culmination of which was the Battle of Abritus. This horizon is not clear in finds from southern, central and western Poland, occupied in the Roman period by the Przeworsk and Luboszyce cultures, not related to the Goths.

Notae Numismaticae - Zapiski Numizmatyczne, 2022

This paper presents a graphical method for analysing chronological patterns which can be successf... more This paper presents a graphical method for analysing chronological
patterns which can be successfully applied to coin sets (e.g. hoards) containing specimens dated within multiple, overlapping timespans of up to several dozen years. The timespans are considered rounded up to full years, i.e. the shortest timespan would be 1 year, while the longer ones could cover several, a dozen or more years. This works well, for example, with Roman coins from the Imperial period, or with some categories of medieval or modern European coinage. The method is based on a simple mathematical model and the values calculated for each year are presented in a graphical form (as values of a discrete function spread on a timeline) to show the chronological distribution of coins in percentage terms. Such distributions make sets of coins easy to compare. The method is much less effective when applied to precisely dated coins (e.g. with an accuracy of one year), like Roman coins from the Republican period, or certain categories of early medieval Islamic coins.

E. Droberjar, B. Komoróczy (eds.), Příspěvky k poznání barbarských komunit (Archeologie barbarů 2016 a 2018). Brno (Pp. 195-217), 2021

The present article refers to two phenomena, the greatest intensity of which in the area of the B... more The present article refers to two phenomena, the greatest intensity of which in the area of the Barbaricum should be dated to the Late Roman
Period and to the beginning of the Migration Period. The first phenomenon is the presence of a significant number of hoards of Roman Imperial denarii from the 1st – 2nd centuries AD in the Barbaricum. The second phenomenon is the large-scale production and use of imitative Roman denarii, especially from the Nerva-Antonine dynasty period, in the Barbaricum. Our understanding of these phenomena has changed in recent years, mainly due to the publication of huge material found in the territory of present-day Ukraine. A lot of new denarius hoards and thousands of imitations of Roman Imperial denarii have been recorded there.

otae Numismaticae-Zapiski Numizmatyczne, vol. XV, pp. 167-178, 2020

The rapid increase in the corpus of finds of denarii subaerati in the territory of Barbaricum in ... more The rapid increase in the corpus of finds of denarii subaerati in
the territory of Barbaricum in the last two decades has allowed us to expand our knowledge about the occurrence of these coins in this area. To date, only subaerati have been recorded in finds while recently previously unnoticed categories of non‑silver denarii from unofficial issues have been noticed. Furthermore, it is possible to state with a very high probability that denarii subaerati were manufactured in eastern areas of Barbaricum at least since the end of the 3rd century. This of course does not mean that all subaerati that were found in Barbaricum were made there. On the other hand, it is still a very surprising conclusion, due to the fact that until recently it has been considered obvious that all subaerati found in Barbaricum are imports from the territory of the Empire. Thanks to new finds research on subaerati (and on denarii from irregular issues in general) which are situated within a broader context of examinations of finds of Roman coins and their imitations and copies in Barbaricum turn out to be more and more crucial for understanding of the role of Roman Imperial denarii (and Roman money in general) among the Barbarians in the Roman Period and the Migration Period.

Aleksanderia Studies on Items, Ideas and History Dedicated to Professor Aleksander Bursche on the Occasion of his 65th Birthday, eds. R. Chowaniec, R. Ciołek, 2021

Средневековая нумизматика Восточной Европы, 8, Санкт-Петербург / Srednevekovai͡a numizmatika Vostochnoĭ Evropy, 8, Sankt-Peterburg, 62-76, 2020

In (south-)eastern part of the Baltic region a few ancient Roman coins have been recorded (for su... more In (south-)eastern part of the Baltic region a few ancient Roman coins have been recorded (for sure, or possibly) within hoards of silver dated to 10th and 11th centuries: from Nāvessala (Latvia), Eversmuiža (Latvia), Shpan’kovo (Leningrad Oblast, Russia), Kurkijoki (Republic of Karelia, Russia) and vicinity of Tallinn (Estonia). These hoards contained mostly early medieval coins (mainly Islamic and western European) and silver ornaments, both complete and in fragments. The problem should be considered within a phenomenon of the presence of ancient coins in early medieval hoards of the 9th-12th century found in the whole Baltic region, especially in its (south-)western part. Taking into account only reliable finds, we have 16 hoards like this from Scandinavia and 31 from present-day Poland and eastern Germany. These tend to be hacksilver hoards, typical for the region during that age. Ancient coins found in these hoards total about 150 specimens, an overwhelming majority of which are Roman Imperial denarii. Most possibly ancient silver coins had a similar function as other coins and silver objects; all of them served mainly as bullion, usually accepted by weight.
Probably ancient coins discovered in early medieval hoards from the Baltic region came from more than one source. E.g., some may have been found locally in the Middle Ages (like Roman antoniniani from the Nāvessala hoard) , others could be medieval imports from other areas (like a Roman quinarius from Eversmuiža). Unfortunately we are still unable to answer this crucial question: why do we find ancient coins almost exclusively in hoards dated to the narrow time-period of 9th - early 12th century and restricted in their distribution to a relatively small area of the Baltic region? This disproportion becomes particularly obvious when we consider the huge number of deposits of early medieval silver that have been recorded in Eastern, Central and Northern Europe.

Notae Numismaticae-Zapiski Numizmatyczne, vol. XIV, pp. 149-181, 2019

The largest category of barbarian imitations of Roman denarii that appear in Polish finds consist... more The largest category of barbarian imitations of Roman denarii that
appear in Polish finds consist of coins that are probably or certainly modeled after imperial issues from the 1st and 2nd (and 3rd?) centuries – in particular, the coins of emperors from the Nerva-Antonine dynasty (the years 96–192). Forty six imitative denarii of this kind have been noted, most of them made from silver. To this number we can add seven coins – also found in Poland – from certain irregular issues. No fewer than 19 of these imitative denarii were part of hoards of denarii from between the 1st and 2nd centuries. Of the 46 imitative denarii recorded in Polish finds, it is possible to show that as many as 20 have dies that are linked to other coins found in Poland or in other regions of the former Barbaricum: primarily present-day Ukraine, and Scandinavia, northwestern Germany and Hungary. Taking into account the available sources, even if some of the imitative denarii from the period of the Nerva-Antonine (and Flavian) dynasty came about within the lands of present-day Poland, no doubt the majority of the coins of this type that have been found in Poland were produced by the Chernyakhiv culture in areas occupied in later phases of the Roman Period, that is, above all, in Ukraine. Some of them were in use in the Barbaricum until the Migration Period.

by Cristian Gazdac, Sanja Bitrak, Michele Asolati, Alessandro Cattaneo, Arkadiusz Dymowski, Benjamin Hellings, Lajos Juhasz, Lucian Munteanu, Leilani Stajer, Varbin Varbanov, and Rada Varga

JOURNAL OF ANCIENT HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY MONOGRAPHIC SERIES 1, 2020

by Arkadiusz Dymowski, Audrone Bliujiene, Helle Horsnaes, Fraser Hunter, Kyrylo Myzgin, Lennart Lind, Lucian Munteanu, Jan Pelsdonk, Wital Sidarowicz, Istvan Vida, Mirjana Vojvoda, and David Wigg-Wolf

C. Găzdac (ed.) Group and Individual Tragedies in Roman Europe. The Evidence of Hoards, Epigraphic and Literary Sources (Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology: monographic series, 1), 2020

The publication presents a complete and up-to-date list of Imperial denarius hoards from the Euro... more The publication presents a complete and up-to-date list of Imperial denarius hoards from the European Barbaricum with a very basic comment. It is not intended to be a detailed catalogue of hoards, but only a starting point for more detailed searches and studies.

C. Găzdac (ed.) Group and Individual Tragedies in Roman Europe. The Evidence of Hoards, Epigraphic and Literary Sources (Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology: monographic series, 1), 2020

The hoard found in 2018 at Skypche in the western region of Ukraine included seventy Roman denari... more The hoard found in 2018 at Skypche in the western region of Ukraine included seventy Roman denarii of the 1st and 2nd century AD (Trajan to Commodus) and a presumably silver ring. The hoard is typical for the territory of Ukraine occupied in the later phases of the Roman period and the Migration period by the people of the Chernyakhiv culture identified with a federation of Gothic and non-Gothic peoples under the Gothic leadership. Among the coins in the hoard was one barbarian imitation of a Roman denarius and seven denarii weighing of less than 2 g identified initially as of official issue. Some of the lightweight denarii could be copies of Roman denarii. It is not unlikely that these copies were manufactured within the Barbaricum.

The Numismatic Chronicle, 2019

Donum cordis. Studia poświęcone pamięci Profesora Jerzego Kolendo pod redakcją Krzysztofa Jakubiaka , Warszawa, 2019

Professor Jerzy Kolendo pointed out the possibility that the infl ow of Roman imports into the te... more Professor Jerzy Kolendo pointed out the possibility that the infl ow of Roman imports into the territories of south-east Poland and western Ukraine could have been related to the people living there taking part in the Dacian Wars. It is worth verifying whether it would be possible to support this thesis by using the available data on the fi ndings of Roman coins, specifi cally denarii, from the territories of south and central Poland, occupied in the Roman period by the Przeworsk culture, identifi ed with the Lugii tribes. In the territories which are of interest here, one can clearly distinguish two hardly intersecting groups of denarii fi ndings: fi rstly, coins from the Republican period, secondly, imperial coins from the 1st–2nd century. These groups can be identifi ed with the two most important waves of the infl ux of denarii into the territories of the Przeworsk culture. Taking into account the coin fi ndings recorded so far, it is impossible to present any evidence that would prove that the infl ux of Roman denarii into the territories north of the Carpathians was related to Trajan’s Dacian
Wars. It would only be possible to present traces based on which one could try to very hypothetically outline this phenomenon, if it existed at all. During the period of the Dacian Wars denarii could have travelled north in two waves: fi rstly, Republican coins with a mix of imitations and coins from the emissions of the fi rst three emperors,
secondly, coins from Trajan’s emissions, perhaps with a small amount of earlier coins mixed in. The fi rst wave could have originated in the money circulating in the area of pre-Roman Dacia, the second one – in the imperial treasury. In the second case, these could have been payments made to the Lugii, related to military activities (e.g. wages for mercenaries) or diplomatic ones (e.g. tributes, subsidies) payed out by the Romans in newly issued coins.

M. KARWOWSKI – B. KOMORÓCZY – P. TREBSCHE (Hrsg.) AUF DEN SPUREN DER BARBAREN – ARCHÄOLOGISCH, HISTORISCH, NUMISMATISCH (ARCHÄOLOGIE DER BARBAREN 2015) SPISY ARCHEOLOGICKÉHO ÚSTAVU AV ČR BRNO 60, BRNO 2019, 51–64, 2019

The hoard recovered at Nowa Wieś Głubczycka in Upper Silesia in southern Poland before 2010 conta... more The hoard recovered at Nowa Wieś Głubczycka in Upper Silesia in southern Poland before 2010 contained approximately 1000 denarii from
the period of the Roman Republic and the reign of Emperor Augustus. At the time of preparation of this paper, more detailed information
is available on a group of 126 denarii from the deposit (including three denarii of Emperor Augustus struck after 27 BC and a Numidian
denarius of Juba I). The oldest coin in the recognised part of the hoard was minted in 155 BC and the latest, in the period 15–13 BC. There
is no evidence that the hoard contained imitations or the legionary denarii of Mark Antony. However, the most crucial discovery associated
with the deposit from Nowa Wieś Głubczycka is the presence of one of the coins (a denarius of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus from 61 BC) with
a countermark (I)MP∙VES. Countermarks with the name of Vespasian are dated to the 70s AD. This establishes the terminus post quem of
the deposition of this hoard and of the influx of coins it contained from the territory of the Roman Empire. Using the data on the newly found
hoard and other finds of denarii of the Roman Republic and of the first emperors now available from the territory of Poland, we can draw
a number of conclusions. First, the influx of the Republican silver to the north of the Carpathians was probably of more extended duration
and presumably spans from the second half of the 1st century to the 70s AD, possibly even later. Second, the most likely direction of this
influx is from Dacia, although the Republican denarii could have entered also from the Middle Danube region. The causes of this influx are
less clear and may have been related to economy or politics.

Denarius. Slovenské národné múzeum Historické múzeum. Numizmatický časopis 7, pp. 31-34, 2018

Biuletyn Numizmatyczny 2019 : 1 (392), pp. 29-37

Krótko przed 1903 rokiem w Rybicach (niem. Riebitz) 1 niedaleko Kamienia Pomorskiego (Kammin) zna... more Krótko przed 1903 rokiem w Rybicach (niem. Riebitz) 1 niedaleko Kamienia Pomorskiego (Kammin) znaleziono niewielki, wczesnośredniowieczny skarb monet, fragmentów monet i innych przedmiotów srebrnych o łącznej wadze około 800 g, ukrytych w naczyniu glinianym 2 . Pierwsza wzmianka o skarbie, bez opisu jego składu, pojawiła się w notatce Emila Waltera dotyczącej nowych nabytków muzeum w Szczecinie 3 . Skarb, którego inne fragmenty trafiły do zbiorów muzeów w Berlinie i Trzebiatowie (Treptow an der Rega) oraz do kolekcji prywatnych, był przed II wojną światową jeszcze kilkukrotnie wzmiankowany w publikacjach polsko-i niemieckojęzycznych 4 . Najdokładniejszy, ale niestety bardzo ogólny opis składu depozytu z Rybic podał Władysław Łęga, według którego były tam monety niemieckie, saskie, bizantyjskie i krzyżówki oraz siekańce 5 . Po ostatniej wojnie zachowała się tylko część skarbu przechowywana w Gabinecie Numizmatycznym Berlińskich Muzeów Państwowych Pruskiego Dziedzictwa Kulturalnego, a sam depozyt od lat 50. do końca XX wieku był wielokrotnie opisywany w literaturze tematu 6 . Według najnowszych ustaleń zamieszczonych w pomorskim tomie inwentarza Frühmittelalterliche Münzfunde aus Polen 7 w skład skarbu z Rybic, obok srebrnych sztabek, drutu i fragmentów ozdób, wchodziły następujące srebrne monety wczesnośredniowieczne z IX-X wieku: około 80 fragmentów monet islamskich, jedna moneta bizantyńska, ponad 30 całych i jeden fragment monet niemieckich, ponad 10 denarów krzyżowych, 3 monety włoskie, 2 całe i 3 fragmenty monet czeskich, 17 monet duńskich oraz nieokreślona liczba wczesnośredniowiecznych denarów naśladowczych. Terminus post quem depozycji określono na rok 983, lub ewentualnie na rok 985 8 . Ustalenia te bazują m.in. na materiałach archiwalnych przechowywanych w Muzeum Narodowym w Szczecinie (teczka nr 468) 1 Artykuł prezentuje rezultaty badań prowadzonych w Instytucie Archeologii Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego w ramach projektu pod tytułem Użytkowanie monet antycznych w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej w średniowieczu i w okresie nowożytnym, nr 2016/23/B/HS3/00173, finansowanego ze środków Narodowego Centrum Nauki. Serdecznie dziękuję Panu Krzysztofowi Kowalskiemu z Muzeum Narodowego w Szczecinie za pomoc w dotarciu do materiałów archiwalnych przechowywanych w tej placówce.

Wiadomości Nimizmatyczne, vol. LXII, pp. 269-279, 2018

­The ­paper ­presents ­three ­cases­ of­ alleged­ classical ­coins,­ that­ are­ in ­fact­ modern­... more ­The ­paper ­presents ­three ­cases­ of­ alleged­ classical ­coins,­ that­ are­ in ­fact­ modern­ items ­imitating­ classical coins,­ purportedly ­discovered­ at­prehistoric­ sites­ on ­the ­present-day­ territory­ of­ Poland.­This­ is­ used­ as­ a­ starting­ point­ for­ discussion­ on­ critical­ evaluation­ of­ numismatic­ and­archaeological­ sources­ related­ to ­coin­ finds.

Wiadomości Numizmatyczne, vol. LXII, pp. 101-113, 2018

­ The­ paper­ aims­ at­ determining­ the­ provenance­ of­ Roman­ coins­ in­ an­ Early­ Medieval­h... more ­ The­ paper­ aims­ at­ determining­ the­ provenance­ of­ Roman­ coins­ in­ an­ Early­ Medieval­hoard­found­at­Obrzycko­in­Wielkopolska­in­the­19th­century.­It­is­unlikely,­taking­ into­account­the­occurrence­of­late­Roman­silver­coins­in­the­territory­of­Poland­and­adjacent­ countries,­ that­ a­ fragment­ of­ a­ siliqua­ or­ miliarense­ with­ the­ name­ of­Theodosius­ (I­ or­ II)­ would ­come ­from ­local­finds ­made ­in ­the ­Early ­Medieval­ epoch.

Notae Numismaticae-Zapiski Numizmatyczne, vol. XIII, pp. 127-135, 2018

With regards to the city of Gdańsk, we have a very large source database that includes thousands ... more With regards to the city of Gdańsk, we have a very large source database that includes thousands of finds of coins and coin-like objects. This database includes coin-like objects modeled after Roman and Greek ancient coins. These are: an alleged as of Nero found, in 2006, together with forty-seven other coins and coin-like objects from the late medieval and early modern periods at Łagiewniki Street, similar object found without any context, also in 2006 in Kiełpino Górne, now a suburb of Gdańsk, a lead artifact of indeterminate use modeled from a Greek stater from Velia, and a so-called livery button which shows a helmeted Athena or Minerva looking left. The two latter artifacts have been found at two different, unspecified locations in Gdańsk before 2009. All of these examples show that great care needs to be exercised when it comes to describing objects resembling ancient coins found in early modern contexts or ones that are suspected of being associated with the early modern context. At least as of the Renaissance, following on a wave of interest in antiquity, there appeared a great number of coin-like objects modeled after Greek or Roman coins. We can only guess at the use to which some of these were put. Objects made of lead or some other material that was not made use of when ancient coins were struck as part of regular issues are easy to detect. It is much more difficult to identify a piece as made in the early modern era when it is reminiscent of an ancient coin in terms of the material used, the size of the coin, and the images depicted on it.

in: W. Garbaczewski, R. Macyra (eds.), Pieniądz i banki w Małopolsce, Studia nad Dziejami Pieniądza i Bankowości w Polsce vol. IV, Poznań, pp. 39-50., 2018

Numismatický Sborník, 2017

Starting from the younger pre-Roman period the middle Prosna drainage continues under intensive P... more Starting from the younger pre-Roman period the middle Prosna drainage continues under intensive
Przeworsk culture settlement. The middle Prosna drainage, covering the present-day city of Kalisz and
its environs lies in south-eastern Greater Poland and appears to be one of the largest concentrations of
Roman Republican coin finds in Poland. Next to the middle Prosna drainage similar concentrations are
recorded in Kuyavia in the region of Inowrocław, in the Głubczyce Upland in Upper Silesia, and in western
Lesser Poland in the region of Krakow. From Kalisz and its region we know of twelve finds of Roman
Republican denarii dated to 2nd and 1st centuries BC. Most of the Republican coins were discovered with
a much larger quantity of Roman Imperial coins, predominantly denarii from 1st and 2nd centuries AD. A few of the Republican denarii found in Kalisz and its environs definitely come from Przeworsk culture settlement context.

Prezentacja referatu na konferencji NUMISMATICA CENTROEUROPAEA - Středoevropské numismatické dny ... more Prezentacja referatu na konferencji NUMISMATICA CENTROEUROPAEA -
Středoevropské numismatické dny I, Kutná Hora 19.–22. 9. 2016.
Artykuł w druku/Article in print (Numismatický sborník).

Starting from the younger pre-Roman period the middle Prosna drainage continues under intensive Przeworsk culture settlement, sustained in this region for the duration of the Roman period, documenting presumably the existence of a tribal federation known from classical authors. The area was made attractive by various factors, e.g., its rich soils and location which made it possible to exert control over a hypothetical stage of the Amber Road, the major commercial route linking the South with the Baltic coast.
The middle Prosna drainage, covering the present-day city of Kalisz and its environs lies in south-eastern Greater Poland and appears to be have one of the largest concentrations of Roman Republican coins in Poland. Next to the middle Prosna drainage similar concentrations are recorded in Kuyavia in the region of Inowrocław, in the Głubczyce Upland in Upper Silesia, and in western Lesser Poland in the region of Krakow. From Kalisz and its region we know of twelve finds of Roman Republican denarii dated to 2nd and 1st centuries BC, from ten find-spots recorded by June 2015. So far no Republican bronzes, or silver Republican denominations other than the denarius have been recorded. Most of the Republican coins were discovered with a much larger quantity of Roman Imperial coins, predominantly denarii from AD 1st and 2nd century.
A few of the Republican denarii found in Kalisz and its environs definitely come from Przeworsk culture settlement context. This confirms a rule, observed for the whole area of central and southern Poland, where most of the denarii with a recorded archaeological context, even if very limited, come, certainly or probably, from the area of the Przeworsk culture settlements. For the entire area of southern and central Poland we can indicate Republican denarii presumably found in a context dated to the last phase (A3; ca. 60 BC – the turn of the era) of the younger pre-Roman period (among others Kalisz-Piwonice), and further similar denarii found in an early Roman period context (phases B1-B2; the turn of the era – ca. AD 160). It is notable that two, possibly even three settlements of the Przeworsk culture in Kalisz and its environs (Kalisz-Piwonice, Jastrzębniki and Janków Drugi), yielded finds of both Celtic gold coins and Republican denarii.
To confirm and supplement our data on Republican coins found in Kalisz and its environs, in 2014-2015 a follow-up archaeological surface survey with metal detectors was carried out in five sites in the region. Although no new Roman Republican coins were brought in by these studies, some other archaeological material and information was obtained, helping to verify and refine the earlier collected record on the Przeworsk culture settlement in the middle Prosna drainage.

Poster on International Conference "Numismatica Cemtroeuropaea V: Topical Issues of the Central E... more Poster on International Conference "Numismatica Cemtroeuropaea V: Topical Issues of the Central European Numismatics", 16.-19.05.2022, Telč (Czech Republic)

Poster presented in the National Museum in Cracow on 6th November 2020

Od 2017 r. w Instytucie Archeologii, a następnie na Wydziale Archeologii Uniwersytetu Warszawskie... more Od 2017 r. w Instytucie Archeologii, a następnie na Wydziale Archeologii Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, przy udziale 12 badaczy z Polski, Niemiec, Szwecji, Danii, Czech i Ukrainy realizowany jest projekt badawczy nr 2016/23/B/HS3/00173, pt. Użytkowanie monet antycznych w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej w średniowieczu i w okresie nowożytnym, finansowany ze środków Narodowego Centrum Nauki. Miał on na celu zbadanie problemu użytkowania monet antycznych (tj. greckich, celtyckich i rzymskich, wyemitowanych do początku VI w. po Chr.), w okresie od wczesnego średniowiecza po okres nowożytny (w przybliżeniu między VII w. a przełomem XVIII w.) w Europie Środkowej, Wschodniej i Północnej. Zakres terytorialny badań opartych na źródłach archeologicznych, numizmatycznych i pisanych, objął przede wszystkim obszar Polski w jej obecnych granicach. W tym przypadku przeprowadzono szczegółową kwerendę znalezisk monetarnych. Materiały z terenu krajów bałtyckich, zachodniej Rosji, Białorusi, Ukrainy, Słowacji, Czech, wschodnich Niemiec i ze Skandynawii stanowiły szeroko zakrojony materiał porównawczy. Ponadto jako tło dla głównego problemu badawczego zarysowane zostały następujące procesy i zjawiska: po pierwsze – napływ monet antycznych na teren europejskiego Barbaricum oraz ich użytkowanie na tym obszarze w okresach przedrzymskim, rzymskim i Wędrówek Ludów, po drugie – kolekcjonerstwo monet antycznych na ziemiach polskich w okresie przedrozbiorowym oraz po trzecie – zabytki pradziejowe i antyczne, inne niż monety, które zostały odkryte w kontekstach średniowiecznych i nowożytnych w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej.
Biorąc pod uwagę całokształt problematyki podjętej w ramach projektu, którego wyniki najpełniej prezentuje świeżo opublikowana monografia (Bogucki, Dymowski , Śnieżko 2020), nasuwają się dwie uwagi natury ogólnej. Po pierwsze, monety antyczne stanowią najliczniejszą kategorię przedmiotów antycznych użytkowanych w wieloraki sposób w średniowieczu i w okresie nowożytnym na terenach Europy Środkowej, Wschodniej i Północnej, rozpatrywanych całościowo. Po drugie, monety antyczne użytkowane na tych obszarach stanowią bardzo niewielką część monet, w przeważającej mierze pochodzących z aktualnych emisji i pozostających w użytkowaniu w danym wycinku czasowym średniowiecza lub nowożytności. Tak więc niezależnie od pełnionej funkcji zjawisko użytkowania monet antycznych w interesującym nas zakresie chronologicznym jest marginalne w stosunku do użytkowania monet w ogóle, choć jednocześnie bardzo ciekawe pod względem badawczym, choćby przez swoją wieloaspektowość i długotrwałość. W kolejnych rozdziałach czytelnik może znaleźć odpowiedź na wiele pytań odnoszących się do średniowiecznych i nowożytnych dziejów pieniądza w Europie Środkowej, Wschodniej i Północnej, w tym także w odniesieniu do wierzeń i zwyczajów w ramach sfery religijnej i magicznej. Przeprowadzone badania pozwoliły ponadto uzyskać szereg odpowiedzi na pytania związane z recepcją antyku i starożytności jako takich, także poza ścisłą elitą społeczno-kulturową.

International conference "Numismatica centroeuropaea IV", Kremnica, 23–26 September 2019

meet.google.com/ynk-kyqk-erv

11th-12th June 2021

Coin hoards in Southeastern Europe (1st-6th century AD), 2021

Materials from the International Numismatic Symposium “Coin hoards in Southeastern Europe (1st–6t... more Materials from the International Numismatic Symposium “Coin hoards in Southeastern Europe (1st–6th century AD), held in Rousse, Bulgaria, June 20-23, 2019. Procceedings of the Rousse Regional Museum of History, volume 24

Rome and the Barbarians. An Interplay between Two Worlds, 2022

This paper presents briefly the state of research regarding the production andthe use of counterf... more This paper presents briefly the state of research regarding the production andthe use of counterfeit Roman Imperial denarii within the Roman Empire and Barbaricum. Special attention is paid to the recent discoveries from contemporary Ukraine that undisputedly show that such types of coins were manufactured by the Barbarians outside the borders of the Empire. "e authors of the paper attempt to answer the
questions regarding counterfeit Roman Imperial denarii posed in its title: was there any transfer of ideas, technologies, and coins?