Coin finds represent an invaluable source for understanding the complex economic and social reality of the Byzantine Empire’s long history.
Hoards, excavation coins, foundation deposits, and museum collections from different territories provide a detailed picture of monetary demand and supply, circulation patterns and various mints role.
However, until now, there has been no digital tool capable of systematically collecting and analyzing Byzantine coin finds in their entirety. This gap has clearly limited research opportunities and a deeper understanding of the Byzantine economy.
To fill this gap, Nomismata was developed — a database that geo- and chrono-references Byzantine coin finds. Nomismata fits into the broader context of the digitization of ancient monetary data and aims to enhance the understanding of monetary circulation and the economic dynamics of the Byzantine Empire.
Nomismata database originated as a development of Giorgio Donato’s master’s thesis in History, titled “The Authoritativeness of a Database Lies in Its Sources: Nomismata, the Geo- and Chrono-Referenced Database of Byzantine Coin Finds.” The thesis was supervised by Cécile Morrisson (Paris–Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres) and Bruno Callegher (UniTS -Department of Humanities) and was defended at the University of Trieste during the academic year 2022.
From this thesis, a research project was born, funded by the University of Trieste, which now hosts the database within its IT infrastructure, ensuring system support, corrective maintenance, and further development. The project has been integrated into the University of Trieste’s Museum System and has also received funding from PRIN 2022 – Unique Project Code (CUP): J53D23000060006.
Università degli Studi di Trieste, Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici (DiSU), Via del Lazzaretto Vecchio, n. 8 – 34123 Trieste (Italy).
Tel. +39 040 5582856 | nomismatadatabase@gmail.com
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