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Abstract

The article deals with the issue on the purpose of coins in the graves during the Antiquity. If a coin in the burial can usually be interpreted as the «Charon’s obol», then the presence of bigger quantity requires some other interpretation. In general, the funerary coin deposits can be divided into three groups: one or two coins; three to fi ve/seven coins; more than seven. The reasons for the emergence of such “treasures” have been given with varying degrees of credibility to each of these groups.

Keywords

Ancient coins, burials, hoards, coin assemblages

Andrey E. Tereshchenko

The State Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia

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