CLASSIFICATION AND TYPOLOGY OF COIN FINDS IN NUMISMATIC TREASURY STUDIES

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to highlight the theoretical problems of numismatic treasury studies regarding the classification and typology of coin finds. The theoretical and methodological foundations of the study are outlined by general scientific methods of formal logic, analysis, synthesis, typologization, and classification, which the author uses to group various categories of real, coin-real, and coin finds. To justify the choice of classification features for grouping numismatic monuments, the author uses the structural-functional method of historical science and the historical-comparative method, as well as special numismatic methods. Scientific Novelty. The author proposes and theoretically substantiates a typology and classification of real, coin-real, and coin finds. Conclusions. The current state of treasury research in numismatics actualizes theoretical problems related to the development of a typology of coin finds and classification schemes for numismatic sources-found single coins and their local groups, coin complexes, and treasures. Despite their typological and species diversity, finds of single coins and treasures have a universal character determined by the nature of their origin. With such a variety of numismatic monuments, the success of their study directly depends on the level of differentiation and systematization of this source material. Despite various approaches proposed by archaeologists, historians, and numismatists for grouping coin finds and treasures and various attempts at their classification, this task remains one of the most relevant in the theory of numismatics. In our opinion, it is quite justified to divide the entire collection of treasures and coin finds into three typological groups: real, coin-real, and coin. Moreover, the subject of numismatic treasury studies is not only coin-real and coin treasures but also some part of the material treasures of so-called commodity money – objects that, in different historical periods and in different circumstances, performed the function of the equivalent of the value of goods on the market. We consider the nature of the emergence of treasures to be the basic classification feature for grouping coin finds. We are now talking about the essential content of the processes that led to the very fact of thesaurization of money and their falling into treasures. In this regard, we divide all known coin finds into three types: 1) finds of economic origin; 2) cult finds; 3) finds of extraordinary circumstances. Based on the criterion of the number of coins and objects present in the finds, we divide real finds into three types: single finds, real complexes, and real treasures. Among coinreal finds, we distinguish coin-real complexes and coin-real treasures. We classify coin finds into four types: finds of single coins, coin complexes ("wallets"), local groups of coins, and treasures.