Selected archaeological motifs from prehistory and the early middle ages on European coins from 1992-2022

Abstract

Coins are not only a means of payment, but also a means of cultural communication. Both their obverses and reverses contain epigraphic and iconographic elements that together create an image. Among the iconographic elements, there are motifs understood as a repeating decorative element, but also as an expression of a certain type of idea. Archaeological motifs reflect their form of archaeological monuments or their elements, while their subject matter commemorates not only the monument itself, but also various related aspects researched by archaeologists. The aim of the considerations was to examine the numismatic form of commemorating archaeological heritage. The presented prehistoric and early medieval motifs appearing on European coins in the years 1992–2022 were first analyzed in terms of the form of their depiction on coins, then the archaeological themes with which these motifs are connected
were taken into account, and on this basis axiological considerations were possible, aimed at answering the question – why a given motif was placed on the coin.