Coins from the cemeteries investigated in the sectors of “La Turn” and “Dealul Bisericii”in the archaeological site of Sânnicolau, Beiuş (Co. Bihor).

Abstract

Following archeological excavations during the 70’s and 80’s at Sânnicolau de Beius (Bihor Co.) several coins were discovered in the burial grounds from the aforementioned archeological site and became part of Oradea’s Museum numismatics collection. Data regarding the cemeteries at “Boţocana” are extremely poor. The coins from the collection carry very brief information about the context of their finding. Splitting the graves with coins, in sectors, allowed us to create a chronological hierarchy of the coins, which in turn, led us to believe that we’re dealing with two diff erent cemeteries, instead of one spanning over a long period of time. Thus, coins discovered in the graves from the “La Turn” sector and issued by Louis the Ist, Maria and Sigismund of Luxembourg reveal a burial period between the second half of the 14th century and middle of the 15th century, which could be related to the third church that was built here between 1241 and 1260/1270. Th e second cemetery, located in the “Dealul Bisericii” sector, contains late medieval and pre-modern graves, roughly dated between the 16th and 18th centuries. Despite the long period of circulation of these coins, based on the percentage quantum for each year and based on the issuer, we decided to limit the chronology of the cemetery, to the middle of the 17th century and first half of the 18th century.