COLLECTION

Collection: Historical coin collection

UO

subject

Medieval and post-medieval archaeologies

description

The collection of 61 cons dating back from late medieval times was discovered in Byczyna (Opole region) during archeological examinations of a cemetery near a local evangelical church of St Nicholas. The excavations were conducted in 2009-2014 and revealed 1087 graves in a regular pattern. The coins were connected to a ritual that required leaving a coin with a deceased body to ensure the passage to the other world. The 54 coins were precisely dated (the oldest dating to the 1330s and the newest to 1750s), with the remailing specimens too damaged to identify. They are described in academic and popular publications by dr. Magdalena Przysiężna-Pizarska