COINS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT. ARE THEY USEFUL TO THE ARCHAEOLOGIST? A case study from the former town of Napoca in Roman Dacia

The present paper is presenting a case study of a controlled archaeological investigation on an area from the former colonia of Napoca in Roman Dacia (today, Cluj-Napoca in Romania). The analysis of coin finds, issuers, types, denominations, within the archaeological contexts they were found in, reveal the fact that only the coin itself may lead the archaeologist into a pitfall, if other aspects are not taken into account: the historical background of the site and the monetary politics of the time.