Notae Numismaticae - Zapiski Numizmatyczne (11.2016)

RECENZJE / REYIEWS

DOI: 11.12797/ZP. 11.2016.11.17
ADAM DEGLER
Catalogue of Ancient Coins in the Ossoliński National Institute. Part 6: Coins
of the Roman Empire: Pertinax-Severus Alexander. Ossoliński National
Institute Publishing House, Wrocław 2016, 163 pages, 30 plates, appendix;
ISBN 978-83-61056-85-0
The long-awaited sixth volume of the coins from the Ossoliński National
Institute in Wrocław, authored by Adam Degler, has been published by
the institute’s publishing house. The catalogue is a continuation of the long-
standing activity of the curator Gabriela Sukiennik, the author of the previous
five parts. The first catalogue (The Coins of the Roman Republic) was issued in
1985, and the successive volumes were published in chronological order (August-
-Domitian, Nerva-Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius-Commodus). Part
VI is concemed with the coins issued from the year AD 193, i.e., from Pertinax’s
accession to power, to 235, when Severus Alexander, the last representative of
the Severan dynasty, was assassinated. However, later coins associated with this
period are also included in the catalogue, notably Renaissance-era medallions
modelled on Roman coinage and some “ąuestionable” coins that may be modem
counterfeits. Also included are barbarian imitation coins. There is no doubt that
this collection is among the most important in Poland, and the author should
be acknowledged for the publication of the present catalogue.
The coins in the collection of the Ossoliński National Institute were found
in lands belonging to present-day Poland as well as lands historically affiliated
with Poland. The locations of some of the coin finds (unfortunately, not all of them)
are known, and there is evidence to verify them. The collection was originally
housed in Lvov and transferred to Wrocław after World War II. Established
in the 19th century, it is being expanded to this day. The most recent coins featured
in the catalogue were purchased during the 58th auction held at the Warsaw
Numismatic Centre on 8 November 2014. Despite the fact that the collection is
mostly comprised of numerous individual donations, it is easy to notice the efforts
on the part of the curator, which were intended to make it larger. While the absence
of coins from the reigns of Pescennius Niger and Macrinus is not very conspicuous,
it is discemible.
Volume VI is 163 pages long and contains 30 plates. It is divided into several
sections. The catalogue is preceded by a bilingual introduction, bibliography,
references to archive materiał, and a list of abbreviations. The key section is
the catalogue, which consists of 302 items. The coins are divided into five
subsections: the wars of succession, the reign of Septimius Severus and his sons,