Pages: 107-115 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp216107115

The paper offers the first complete picture of the changing in the alloy composition of silver coins of the ancient Tauric Chersonesos. Coins from two largest collections were examined: the State Hermitage and the State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve “Tauric Chersonesos”. In total, about 190 Chersonesean silver coins were studied by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The results obtained made it possible to determine the stages of functioning of fool metallic value silver coins and to reveal the time of their transformation into conventional or credit coins. This happened at the end of the autonomous period of Chersonesos, after which silver coins were no longer minted in Chersonesos, with the exception of an episodic and controversial issue during the period of the influence of Mithridates VI.

Keywords: Tauric Chersonesos, minting of silver coins, composition of the coin alloy, X-ray fluorescence analysis

Information about authors:

Tatiana Smekalova (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Doctor of Historical Sciences. V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University. Academician Vernadsky Ave., 4, Simferopol, 295007, Crimea; National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”. Academician Kurchatov Sq., 1, Moscow, 123098, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
Natalia Demidenko (Sevastopol, Crimea). The State Museum-Preserve “Tauric Chersonese”. Drevnyaya St., 1, Sevastopol, 299045, Crimea
E-mail: [email protected]