In a research project funded by the DFG (German Research Foundation), the Münzkabinett (led by Prof B. Kluge and Dr K. Dahmen) is working on an inventory of its coins from the Merovingian period (6th–8th century) together with the University of Paderborn’s Chair of Medieval History (Prof J. Jarnut) and the University of Regensburg’s Chair of Romance Linguistics (Prof M. Selig) and Chair of German Philology (Prof A. Greule).
Encompassing 500 coins, the Merovingian coin collection held by the Münzkabinett is one of the largest European collection of its kind, second only to the one in Paris. In addition to numismatic documentation in catalogue form, the numerous names (of rulers, makers and places) inscribed on these coins will be indexed and evaluated from the perspective of each academic field involved in the study.
The project aims to produce a joint publication that will present a thorough analysis of the political and administrative structure of the Frankish Empire and its elites, based on numismatic evidence, insights gleaned from name research, and historical studies.
Contact: Dr Karsten Dahmen, Research Associate, Münzkabinett