Finds of counterfeit Roman denarii at selected Roman-period settlement sites in western Lesser Poland : the state of research and prospects

In recent decades, the number of archaeological excavations and surveys conducted at Roman-period sites in various regions of Poland, including western Lesser Poland, has increased significantly. These studies concern, inter alia, numerous settlement sites. Intensive, not always legal, exploration activities are also conducted by the so-called detectorists. Among the numerous finds of portable artefacts registered during regular research and illegal searches, monetary finds are distinguished by their number. Numerous finds of Roman coins have also been registered in settlement sites in western Lesser Poland, including especially first–third-century ad denarii, but also their counterfeits, such as denarii subaerati and denarii flati, as well as imitations. This article analyses finds of counterfeit Roman denarii made in several Roman-period settlements located in western Lesser Poland. First of all, the monetary finds from the Przeworsk culture settlement in Jakuszowice, Kazimierza Wielka county (site 2) were verified. All the finds from Jakuszowice were examined with a fluorescence X-ray spectrometer (Spectro-MIDEX type), which made it possible to distinguish a greater number of counterfeit denarii (thirty-four items) than in previous publications. The article also provides a short review of monetary finds from Roman-period settlements in Nieprowice, Boronice, Aleksandrowice, Modlniczka, and Mysławczyce.