COINS IN THE WRONG PLACE? CURIOUS DEPOSITIONS, HIDDEN HOARDS, AND ACCIDENTAL AFTERLIVES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14795/jaha.13.1.2026.1410Abstract
This article examines an unusual instance of a Roman coin found inside a modern reproduction of an ancient bust. To contextualize this anomaly, the paper surveys comparative cases of coins and coin-like objects in incongruous contexts: coins concealed in religious sculpture, purposeful “prank” burials, anachronistic intrusions in stratified contexts, and mixed assemblages formed through collecting practices. These examples serve to illustrate the diverse mechanisms that generate “misplaced” finds—safeguarding, deception, memorabilia transfer, arbitrary deposition, and refuse disposal—and to underscore the value of object biographies attentive to context, documentation, and reception.
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