Pouches of Minimi from Byzantine Egypt. How Should We Deal with Them? / Sakiewki minimi z Egiptu bizantyńskiego. Jak sobie z nimi radzić? (PDF, 3,3 MB)
Michał Mozyrski, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Archaeology
ORCID: 0009-0007-7184-9684
Pouches of Minimi from Byzantine Egypt. How Should We Deal with Them?
Abstract: The archaeological works of the Polish mission studying the pilgrimage site of Marea/Philoxenite (Egypt) from Late Antiquity have yielded over 9,000 coins thus far. Within the numismatic material, dated mostly to the 5th–8th century, several group finds regarded as the remains of pouches of small change have been distinguished. The wide-spread phenomenon of the usage of coins in Late Antiquity within sealed bags of petty change is known from various sources but its archaeological remains are largely understudied. Pouches of minimi discovered in Marea/Philoxenite and the published group find from sanctuary of St. Menas in Abu Mina are considered in the article as examples of well documented material from similar sites which illustrate the popularity of using pouches in Byzantine Egypt. Various methodological problems of studying small coinage from Late Antiquity are well attested when considering pouches of minimi. In consequence, comparative studies of coins from Marea/Philoxenite and Abu Mina demonstrate broader monetary circulation patterns of Late Antique economy in Egypt.
Key words: Egypt, Late Antiquity, Abu Mina, Marea/Philoxenite, minimi
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52800/AJST.1.19.a10
Mozyrski, M. 2024. “Pouches of Minimi from Byzantine Egypt. How Should We Deal with Them?”, Notae Numismaticae – Zapiski Numizmatyczne 19: 193–213. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52800/AJST.1.19.a10