THE REMANENT MAGNETIZATION OF ANCIENT STRUCK COINS

Magnetic and other measurements are reported for the Guehenno II Gallo-Roman hoard (56-France) which, amongst several thousand Tetricus antoniniani, contains 275 coins struck with the same dies. The orientation of the remanent magnetization is systematically directed outwards from the obverse confirming the identity of the anvil die with the obverse. The magnetization vector is statistically distributed around the vertical axis giving no indication of the geomagnetic inclination at the time of striking. Consequently ancient struck coins cannot be used for dating. The origin of the remanent magnetization was also investigated.     

Plated Iron Age Coins: Official Issues or Contemporary Forgeries

This paper discusses different explanations that have been proposed to account for the existence of plated Iron Age coins, some of which appear to have been struck from the dies used to produce solid metal coins. Evidence occasionally preserved on plated coins proves that at least some of them were struck from dies which had been hubbed from solid metal coins, and it is these solid metal coins that were struck from the dies which the plated coins appear to have been produced from. It is argued that this evidence demonstrates that plated Iron Age coins are merely contemporary forgeries.     

THE CHRONOLOGY OF GROUPS OF DIES FOR LARGE ISSUES OF ANCIENT COINS USING MAHALANOBIS DISTANCES*

Discriminant analyses of distances and angles obtained from 25 coins struck by P. Crepusius in 82 BC permitted the correct chronology for five groups of closely-related dies to be obtained by the method of Carter and Frurip. Twenty distances and 15 angles were measured on 10 x projections of the coins which represented five groups of dies separated in time from each other. The use of all or many variables gave poorer results than the use of five to ten variables having a high ‘figure of merit’, defined as the maximum range of mean values for a given variable in the five groups of dies divided by the mean standard deviation of the variable in the five groups. It is recommended that chronologies of ancient coins be determined from Mahalanobis distances by using only variables of relatively high figure of merit.     

NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS OF ANCIENT BURMESE SILVER COINS WITH A LOW FLUX AMERICIUM/BERYLLIUM NEUTRON SOURCE

Nondestructive neutron activation analysis is by now a well-established technique for the analysis of ancient silver coins. The high activation cross-section of silver for thermal neutrons makes it possible to also use this method with the low neutron fluxes available from an isotopic neutron source. In this case due consideration must be given to minimize the self-shielding effect which is encountered with coins above a few tenths of a millimetre thickness. A simple method for the determination of the silver, copper and gold content in silver coins based on the self-shielding properties of silver alloys of different fineness is described. The method has been found to be useful for the quick routine assay of silver coins for the purpose of their classification. Seventeen ancient Burmese silver coins from three different cultural periods of Burma, and two British coins for comparison have been analyzed by this method.     

THE COMPOSITION OF IRON AGE STRUCK 'BRONZE'COINAGE IN EASTERN ENGLAND

EDXRF was used to analyse the composition of 88 Iron Age copper and copper alloy coins excavated from the site of a pre-Roman shrine and Roman temple at Harlow, Essex. Most of the coins are local to the Essex-Hertfordshire region, with a few of Kentish origin. The earliest struck base metal issues were struck from almost pure copper, but from the late first century BC, their composition shows more variety. Particularly interesting are a group of types belonging to the Romanizing phase of Tasciovanus'coinage, which were struck in brass and possibly represent a distinct denomination. Roman coinage and other metalwork imports from the Roman world presumably provided the initial impetus, and the ultimate source of the brass. However, this experiment was relatively short lived. Cunobelinus, who ruled eastern England during the earlier first century AD, mainly employed bronze to strike his abundant base metal coinage. The products of his Colchester mint reveal a consistently different composition from those struck at his unlocated second mint in the Hertfordshire area, although the precise alloy does vary, sometimes within the same type. This suggests that unlike gold and silver issues, the source and purity of the metal used for minting base metal coinage was not always critical.     

The 'folded flan' coinage of eastern Arabia: Some preliminary comments

In recent years a small number of peculiar coins has emerged from the southern shores of the Persian/Arabian Gulf imitating Athenian tetradrachms of the old style and sharing the oddity of being struck on a flan that had been folded before striking. This paper contains an overview of the pieces known so far and attempts to present some preliminary conclusions, while still awaiting a comprehensive study of this and related ancient coinages of the Arabian peninsula.     

Some medieval Yemenite numismatic problems – observations on some recently sold coins

The article addresses some of the problems arising from the publication of a recent numismatic catalogue including coins from all parts of the Islamic world. The problems concern in particular the coins of the medieval Yemen and the article comprises a critique of those coins listed under the Arabian peninsula and the Yemen.
Catalogue nos. 101 and 104 are dealt with in some detail since they are erroneously ascribed to mints in Mecca and Minā, respectively. The former is struck in the name of a Zaydī imam, the latter is Rasulid and labelled as having been struck "for a special occasion". The intriguing question of the mysterious Ayyubid prince, al-'Ādil Abū Bakr, arises too (nos. 125 etc.), although no definitive answer can yet be suggested. Much more information is now available on the striking of coins in Tha'bāt during Rasulid times. A number of other points bearing on the numismatics, the history, and the geography of the medieval Yemen are discussed in the article.     

WB1复合气相缓蚀剂对清代带锈铁质钱币文物的保护研究

气相缓蚀剂应用于带锈铁质文物保护是一种简单有效的方法。本研究通过对WB-1气相缓蚀剂处理前后带锈钱币的形貌检测,并结合XRD、XPS、SEM等手段对该缓蚀剂在带锈钱币表面的成膜方式进行了分析研究。结果表明,WB-1气相缓蚀剂能通过化学吸附作用在带锈铁质钱币表面形成一层保护膜,阻挡有害离子向铸铁文物内部的渗透,并促进带锈铁质钱币表面锈层组分向更为稳定的组成转变。WB-1气相缓蚀剂对带锈铁质钱币具有良好的保护效果,且不改变文物外观,符合文物保护要求。     

Ancient coins,find spots,and import restrictions: A critique of arguments made in the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild’s “test case”

Abstract

The Ancient Coin Collectors Guild (ACCG) has launched multiple legal challenges aimed at undermining import restrictions on ancient coins into the United States in bilateral agreements with foreign countries. One key component of the ACCG’s argument is that the State Department has inappropriately restricted certain types of coins according to where they were made rather than where they are found, as mandated by the 1983 Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. Although the ACCG has thus far been unsuccessful, it has not been pointed out that existing import restrictions on coins, in fact, have been written to include coins that tended to circulate locally and that are found primarily within the borders of the country with which the bilateral agreement is made. The ACCG’s argument is thus on shaky ground. As the ACCG continues to press ahead with new litigation, it is worth drawing attention to realities and probabilities of ancient coin circulation as they pertain to protected coins.     

The coinage of ancient Hadramawt The Pre-Islamic coins in the al-Mukallâ Museum

The pre-Islamic coins in the al-Mukallâ Museum come principally from Shabwa, the capital of the kingdom of Hadramawt. The collection consists of 76 coins, three of which could not be identified because of their poor condition. Sixty-seven silver and bronze Hadrami coins; five silver and bronze Himyarite and Sabaean coins; and one gold Roman coin comprise the collection. This material provides a general overview of the coinage of the ancient Hadramawt, permitting us to distinguish the issues of certain individual Hadrami rulers.     

ROME AND THE EAST. PRODUCTION OF ROMAN PROVINCIAL SILVER COINAGE FOR CAESAREA IN CAPPADOCIA UNDER VESPASIAN, AD 69–79

During the first three centuries AD several eastern provinces of the Roman empire produced silver coinages of specifically local denominations and types. It has been claimed that at certain periods the mint of Rome was employed to strike some of these coinages, rather than the provincial mints to which the coins are traditionally attributed. This claim is based mainly on stylistic observations, but because style is regarded as subjective, some other form of evidence to support these observations is desirable. In this paper three types of coin are submitted to metallurgical analysis: silver denarii struck at Rome; Roman-style provincial silver coinage; and 'local'style provincial silver coinage. The aim is to discover whether the Rome-style and 'local'style coins have different trace element profiles, and whether these might indicate different ore sources or refining techniques. The results are then compared with Roman denarii to see whether there are any similarities between the denarii and the Rome-style provincial silver coins.     

汉代铸造铸钱金属范之陶范的分析研究

汉代的铸钱遗址中出土了大量铸造铸钱金属范的阳文陶范,阳文陶范既反映出了铸造金属范时的铸型,又可看出所铸造的铸钱金属范的铸型.为揭示铸钱金属范的铸造工艺及变迁,本工作从铸造工艺角度对阳文陶范进行分析,通过对汉代阳文陶范出土概况的统计,了解了阳文陶范铸型的变迁.以西安相家巷和窝头寨铸钱遗址采集的阳文陶范为基础,对陶范的面层与背层进行了X射线荧光成分分析,在电子探针下对型腔面进行了形貌和成分分析.分析结果表明,阳文陶范分层制作的原因是为了将模上的钱币铭文和形状清晰地复印到陶范上,型腔面的检测不能表明是否使用了表面涂料.     

河南济源市蓼坞汉墓

一、概况 1994年7月,河南省公安厅接黄河小浪底水利枢纽建设管理局公安处汇报,该局在驻地施工中发现古代墓葬一座,出土数十……     

Yoram Tsafrir,B.A., M.A., PhD (30 January 1938–23 November 2015)

Abstract

The coins attributed to Alexander Jannaeus include a very common type that was apparently struck during the last four years of his 27-year reign, or possibly after his death. The presence or absence of these common coins, at sites where there is a relevant gap in the sequence of the numismatic archaeological finds, can sometimes indicate whether the site was destroyed and abandoned for a period at the end of the second century and/or during the first half of the first century B.C.E. Analysis of this presence or absence can also, in some instances, help to resolve a long-standing question about the attribution of certain other Hasmonean coins to Jannaeus. These contentions are demonstrated through case studies of the numismatic finds at Samaria, Pella, Bethsaida, Khirbet esh-Shuhara, and Gibeon.     

Using mineral magnetism to characterise ironworking and to detect its evidence in peat bogs

An experimental approach has been used to establish whether medieval ironworking activity could be identified in peat bogs using mineral magnetic measurements. The research project comprised three elements. First, magnetic susceptibility and remanence properties were obtained for materials from an experimental iron smelt, in a furnace of medieval design, and from material collected during the excavation of the medieval bloomery at Llwyn Du in Coed y Brenin, Snowdonia. Materials sampled and measured included charcoal, aerial dust, roasted bog ore and furnace dust. A second experiment determined whether small amounts of aerial dust released from the furnace could be detected in accumulating peat samples. This was achieved by sprinkling small quantities of dust on to a constructed ’peat core’ that had no detectable magnetic signature prior to the addition of the dust. The application rates used were within the range expected to fall on a peat bog located close to a medieval furnace. Thirdly, mineral magnetic measurements were made on a peat core collected close to the Llwyn Du bloomery. The results confirm that roasted bog ore, aerial dust released from and dust accumulating in the furnace after a smelt, are magnetically detectable. The aerial dust and roasted bog ore produced enhanced susceptibility and remanence signatures in the constructed ’peat core’ experiments. Peaks in IRM_(0.88T) and HIRM were measured in the Llwyn Du peat monolith and appear to correlate with a time when the medieval bloomery was operational. The results presented here suggest that it is possible to identify evidence of past ironworking in peat bogs using mineral magnetic measurements and that the signatures remain well preserved in the peat record even after burial for several hundred years.     

北宋“夹锡钱”名实考

夹锡钱作为北宋末年一种重要的流通货币,对它的考证工作则显得尤为必要。章通过献分析认为史书所载的夹锡钱应为宋徽宗时期铸行的大铁钱。同时通过扫描电镜和电感耦合等离子体发射光谱两种科技手段,对夹锡钱的微观结构进行分析,进一步地论证了夹锡钱是铁钱的这一论断。     

重庆丰都县迎宾大道古墓发掘简报

2004年,重庆市文物考古所为配合丰都县基建,联合丰都县文物管理所对基建范围内的转转田梁子、半边桥以及石宝寨三地的古代墓葬进行发掘.清理出墓葬4座,出土了陶器、铜器和铁器共计60余件,还有五铢、半两钱.这批墓葬的年代为汉至六朝.     

A Trial PIXE/PIGME analysis of Pre-Islamic Arabian Coinage

Eight previously published (1) pre-Islamic coins minted in Arabia were subjected to non-destructive ion beam analysis by Proton Induced X-Ray (PIXE) and Gamma-Ray Emission (PIGME) at Lucas Heights. The results (2) were interpreted using Principal Components Analysis (PCA). The relative X-ray intensities of fifteen elements, supplemented with additional L alpha lines for two of the elements, were extracted for this analysis. PCA (results appended) was first carried out on the whole dataset where the distinctive high iron and nickel composition of two coins (331 and 335) resulted in their position as outliers. A second analysis of the subset of silver coins showed the compositional similarity between four coins (44, 222, 226, 359) and distinguished two separate outliers. One of these (369) has a high lead and tin content while the other (354) has a greater proportion of elements present as impurities (?) including iron and nickel. The two outliers and the relatively homogenous compositions of the group of four coins suggest that three compositional types of silver coinage are represented in the dataset: 1. a relatively silver-rich group of four coins; 2. silver coins debased with lead; and 3. silver coins debased with iron and nickel.     

Cargoes of Iron Semi‐Products Recovered from Shipwrecks off the Carmel Coast,Israel

Underwater surveys along the Israeli Carmel coast have revealed six cargoes of iron semi‐products associated with shipwrecks. They are described and dated according to the associated artefacts. Metallographic and chemical analyses on samples from the biggest cargo have determined the stages of the chaîne opératoire, identified the properties of the iron and characterized the iron trade along the Israeli coast. The new discoveries contribute to our understanding of the circulation of iron in the South Levant, which was characterized by an almost complete absence of local iron production. During the Byzantine and Crusader periods, this absence was compensated by long‐distance sea trade, depending on political circumstances and restrictions. Three main types of iron semi‐products were identified: (a) partly consolidated blooms, (b) short pointed bars and (c) elongated pointed bars. The cargoes discovered represent a time period of nearly a millennium. Altogether, 148 iron semi‐products were studied. Of these, 166 were from cargo a, which was dated by coins to around 1130–1200 ce . Those coins could have been imported from Europe for Crusader military and civil uses in the Levant. The iron from cargoes b, d and f, dated perhaps to the Byzantine period, could have been imported from Anatolia or Venice for military and civil purposes.     

我国古代黄铜铸钱考略

本文从既有的实物分析资料出发,广泛地结合历史文献,对我国古代用黄铜铸钱的历史作了详细的考证,指出:我国古代自明嘉靖三十二年始用黄铜铸钱;早期用黄铜铸钱在铸造上是无意识的,黄铜由红铜与含锌矿(炉甘石)合炼而来;自明天启年起,金属锌以单质形态用于铸钱。 从现有的材料看,汉代已有含锌百分之七的铜钱,据称,宋绍圣钱中个别的含锌量达百分之十三。然而,尽管如此,从汉唐至宋元,含锌量超过百分之一的钱仍属极少数(据笔者统计,已分析的1000余枚铜钱中,含锌量达百分之一的只有40余枚,达百分之十以上的仅有一枚),有关文献记载中也不见有用黄铜铸钱的迹象;另一方面,从组成成分来看,这些含锌量较高的铜钱中,锌的含量大都还低于铅锡之含量。因此,都还不能说是用黄铜铸钱。其中的锌,或者随原料铅夹杂而来,或者是偶然引入输石器之故。文献和实物分析的结果表明,我国真正用黄铜铸钱始于明朝。