A new catalogue of the National Institute of Archaeology with Museum – BAS has been recently released – Antique electron and golden coins (6^th c. BC – 4^th c. AD) from the numismatic collection of NIAM-BAS. The event comes in the year the National Museum of Archaeology celebrates the 120^th anniversary of its foundation. In the course of its long history, the Museum has become the major center for promotion of the past of the today’s Bulgarian territories. 

 

In the foreword of the catalogue, the late Member – Correspondent Prof. Yordanka Yurukova reminds us of the history of establishment and growth of the numismatic collection of NIAM-BAS. The first artifacts entered the National Museum of Archaeology as early as the late 19^th century all together with a vast number of single coins and coin hoards, till then dispersed in schools and library collections all over Bulgaria. Thus, the numismatic depot of the Museum accumulated collections of rich and various exhibits – coin hoards, single pieces, coins coming from archaeological excavations, coin – like pieces and matrixes connected with the coin technology. Unlike many other public numismatic collections in Europe and USA enriching via purchases, the numismatic depot of NIAM-BAS has been hoarded mainly through pieces discovered in Bulgarian territories during archaeological research. 
 

The catalogue gives the beginnings of a series of thematic catalogues the NIAM-BAS will issue, presenting various categories of coins in chronological order. The first of them introduces some of the most valuable and representative numismatic pieces from the richest numismatic collection in Bulgaria – the electron and golden antique coins dating from the 6^th c. BC – 4^th c. AD. They are divided into two parts – Electron and golden coins from the Archaic, Classic and Hellenistic Ages written by Miroslava Dotkova and Boryana Russeva, and Golden Roman coins (1^st – 4^th c. AD) written by Bistra Bozhkova.