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Coinage

Coinage emerged during the Iron Age as symbolic tokens, and gradually took on a role as a formalised method of exchange – first on the basis of their intrinsic value and later for their agreed symbolic value, as in our own fiat coinage. Throughout their existence coins have been hoarded, usually surviving due to accident but sometimes also because of their deliberate votive burial. Continue reading →

Varna Penis Sheath

The cemetery of Varna, Bulgaria is situated on the Black Sea coast. It dates to the Copper Age or Chalcolithic (late 6th millennium-5th millennium BC). The site was excavated in the 1970s and was immediately recognised as being significant as probably the earliest evidence for gold working in prehistoric Europe (Renfrew 1986). Continue reading →