DOI article:
Dymowski, Arkadiusz: The use of Celtic and Roman coins in the territory of Poland at the turn of the era - in tandem or separately?: new finds, new evidence
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.31074#0090
ARKADIUSZ DYMOWSKI
focus on the numismatic and, to a certain extent, also the archaeological context of
these coins. Where some data, morę or less detailed, is available on the archaeo-
logical context, then usually it is this: the coins, also those detected in the top-
soil with a metal detector, were recovered from a settlement of the archaeological
Przeworsk culture (or the Tyniec group) datable to the early Pre-Roman Period or,
the Roman Period.'" Thus we can safely assume that the majority of coins discov-
ered in the same manner but with no record on their archaeological context, also
come from settlements.
The data published so far indicates that at least three, possibly even four, set-
tlement Celtic coins and Roman Republican denarii were discovered in the same
context, with a complement of younger Roman Imperial coins. From a settlement
of the Tyniec group at Pełczyska in western Lesser Poland there are two specimens
dated to the late 2"" or, possibly, early L' century BC: 1/8 AY stater of the Pełczyska
type," and a Roman Republican denarius (imitative issue)Y Two, possibly even
three morę settlements, this time Przeworsk culture ones in Kalisz and its environs:
Kalisz-Piwonice, Jastrzębniki and Janków Drugi, yielded f nds of Celtic gold coins
(i.a., late 1/8 AV staters of the Janków type) and Republican denarii.'3 While the
attribution of the late Celtic coins from Janków Drugi is undisputed, that of the
Republican denarius is problematic. Drawing on the catalogue of finds presented
below two morę sites can be added to the above list: Księże Młyny in south-eastem
Greater Poland, some 50 km to the east of Kalisz, and Malina, on the border
between the Kuyavia region and Greater Poland. Both yielded a single Republican
denarius and a 1/8 AY stater of the Janków type.
The sites at Księże Młyny and Malina are different from Pełczyska and the
sites in Kalisz and its environs in that so far no coins younger than late Celtic coins
and the Republican denarii have been fbund in them. Consequently both Księże
Młyny and Malina may be examined within a broader horizon of sites, relatively
smali in number, in which older coins were not discovered with Roman Imperial
coins, most notably, L-2^ century denarii (issued after AD 64), defnitely the
most common ancient coin known from Polish finds. Two sites known from Lesser
Poland can be invoked as an example in this context: the settlement of the Tyniec
See e.g. BURSCHE, KACZANOWSKI and RODZIŃSKA-NOWAK 2000: 101-120; RUDNICKI 2005:
391-401; BARYLSKA-FUDALI, PRZYBYŁA and RUDNICKI 2009: 273-295; 273-284; BODZEK 2012:
259-262; RUDNICKI and ZIĄBKA 2010: 13-20; ANDRAŁOJĆ and ANDRAŁOJĆ 2012: 33; RUDNICKI
2012b:470.
" IDEM 2005: 391^102. Marcin Rudnicki inciudes the 1/8 AV stater of the Pełczyska type to Celtic coins
of the Lesser Poland group, simiiarty as staters of the Cracovian type; IDEM 2012d: 47.
" IDEM 2012b: 470.
" RUDNICKI and ZIĄBKA 2010: 14-22; ROMANOWSKI 2010: 30-33.
focus on the numismatic and, to a certain extent, also the archaeological context of
these coins. Where some data, morę or less detailed, is available on the archaeo-
logical context, then usually it is this: the coins, also those detected in the top-
soil with a metal detector, were recovered from a settlement of the archaeological
Przeworsk culture (or the Tyniec group) datable to the early Pre-Roman Period or,
the Roman Period.'" Thus we can safely assume that the majority of coins discov-
ered in the same manner but with no record on their archaeological context, also
come from settlements.
The data published so far indicates that at least three, possibly even four, set-
tlement Celtic coins and Roman Republican denarii were discovered in the same
context, with a complement of younger Roman Imperial coins. From a settlement
of the Tyniec group at Pełczyska in western Lesser Poland there are two specimens
dated to the late 2"" or, possibly, early L' century BC: 1/8 AY stater of the Pełczyska
type," and a Roman Republican denarius (imitative issue)Y Two, possibly even
three morę settlements, this time Przeworsk culture ones in Kalisz and its environs:
Kalisz-Piwonice, Jastrzębniki and Janków Drugi, yielded f nds of Celtic gold coins
(i.a., late 1/8 AV staters of the Janków type) and Republican denarii.'3 While the
attribution of the late Celtic coins from Janków Drugi is undisputed, that of the
Republican denarius is problematic. Drawing on the catalogue of finds presented
below two morę sites can be added to the above list: Księże Młyny in south-eastem
Greater Poland, some 50 km to the east of Kalisz, and Malina, on the border
between the Kuyavia region and Greater Poland. Both yielded a single Republican
denarius and a 1/8 AY stater of the Janków type.
The sites at Księże Młyny and Malina are different from Pełczyska and the
sites in Kalisz and its environs in that so far no coins younger than late Celtic coins
and the Republican denarii have been fbund in them. Consequently both Księże
Młyny and Malina may be examined within a broader horizon of sites, relatively
smali in number, in which older coins were not discovered with Roman Imperial
coins, most notably, L-2^ century denarii (issued after AD 64), defnitely the
most common ancient coin known from Polish finds. Two sites known from Lesser
Poland can be invoked as an example in this context: the settlement of the Tyniec
See e.g. BURSCHE, KACZANOWSKI and RODZIŃSKA-NOWAK 2000: 101-120; RUDNICKI 2005:
391-401; BARYLSKA-FUDALI, PRZYBYŁA and RUDNICKI 2009: 273-295; 273-284; BODZEK 2012:
259-262; RUDNICKI and ZIĄBKA 2010: 13-20; ANDRAŁOJĆ and ANDRAŁOJĆ 2012: 33; RUDNICKI
2012b:470.
" IDEM 2005: 391^102. Marcin Rudnicki inciudes the 1/8 AV stater of the Pełczyska type to Celtic coins
of the Lesser Poland group, simiiarty as staters of the Cracovian type; IDEM 2012d: 47.
" IDEM 2012b: 470.
" RUDNICKI and ZIĄBKA 2010: 14-22; ROMANOWSKI 2010: 30-33.