„Сборник за народни умотворения“: от концепцията към реализацията в периода между двете световни войни

Author(s): Tsveta Bachvarova–Dumkova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2005

The article is dedicated to probably the most influential edition in the history of folklore studies in Bulgaria, the “Collection of Folk Lore” (SbNU), published since 1889 up to the present time. The author discusses the emergence of this collection in the context of intense formation of the Bulgarian national idea in the second half of the 19lh century. The changing editorial conception of the Collection within the interwar period is discussed in the context of the shifting public ideas of the Bulgarian nationhood.

Алар, К. Между Черно море и Дунав. Добруджа 1855. Предговор и бележки Бернар Лори

Author(s): Nikolay Poppetrov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1-2/2015

A presentation of “Entre mer Noire et Danube. Dobroudja” by Camille Allard, edited by Bernard Lory

Hluczyńsko – etnograficzny region w perspektywie wydarzeń historycznych

Author(s): Jitka Hoňková / Language(s): Polish Issue: 3/2015

The author demonstrates the significance of folk culture and its evolution in the context of historical events in the region of Hlučin. She proves that economic, social and psychological conditions meant that the inhabitants of Hlučin created their own folk culture. The region of Hlučin attracted attention of many folklorists, ethnomusicologists and ethnologists in the nineteenth and twentieth century. Hlučin folklore was regarded by researchers as representative for the region of Silesia. However, in the mid-twentieth century, it was observed that the residents of Hlučin began to lose their interest in folk culture. Tradition started to give way to modernity in their lives. The 70s and 80s brought back the former splendor of folk culture, which reappeared in the family houses and cultural centres, and was promoted by the activity of Opava Matrix. Today it constitutes great spiritual material and symbolic wealth of its inhabitants.

The early prehistory of the Americas and the human peopling of the Western Hemisphere. An overview of archaeological data, hypotheses and models

Author(s): Ciprian Ardelean / Language(s): English Issue: 11/2014

This article is a general overview of early American archaeology, an updated synthesis of the most important archaeological data and radicoarbon dates concerning the oldest phases of human presence in the Americas, during the Terminal Pleistocene and the Early Holocene. It discusses – in a resumed manner - the most relevant hystoriographical and geographical contexts and academic debates, reviews the existing knowledge on archaeological cultures and sites, lithic technologies and cultural dynamics, and analyses the theories and models that pretend to describe and explain the complexity of phenomena laying at the base of the pristine peopling of the Western Hemisphere. This topic is not well represented in the European archaeological literature and, for that reason, this paper is meant for the Romania/European reader who wants to explore, at a general level, the most important “secrets” of such an exotic subject. The enigma of when people set foot on American lands, at some point during the terminal stages of the Ice Age, has not been solved yet. The chronologies of the earliest migrations, the origins of the first settlers, the demographic expansion models and the relationship between the earliest cultures still represent delicate issues that cause vivid controversies, clashes of paradigms and an immense input of energy and passions among scientists. Indepenedent of the absolute dates, the arrival of the first human groups to that part of the world occurred much later than in Europe, Asia or Australia, perhaps during or after the Late Glacial Maximum, most likely not long before 18,000 years ago, as far as one can tell today. The most common theories suggest terrestrial migration routes starting somewhere in Siberia and crossing the Bering Land Bridge into Alaska and Yukon. In spite of the wide opinios and the increasing genetic data in favour of this hypothesis, there is little archaeological data to support it. Alternative hypotheses were proposed during the last decades, which point at other possible places of origin, such as Western Europe, for the earliest peopling of North America, or the Pacific, for the case of South America. For more than half a century, the traditional archaeology promoted the paradigm known as the “Clovis-first” model, according to which the first American settlers were a sophisticated hunter-gatherer culture known as Clovis, well documented over most of the United States and dated back to at least 11,500 RCYBP. Today, this model is considered refuted and there is increasing evidence in support of “older-than-Clovis” populations, not necessarily related to the famous mammoth hunters, both in North and South America. Some intermediary regions, such as Mexico and Central America, still fail to produce a consistent archaeological record for the earliest periods. Many archaeologists claimed very old radiocarbon dates for the human presence in their respective sites; nevertheless, the widely accepted earliest discoveries do not go further than 15,000 years ago. The peopling of the Americas continues to be today, one century after its beginnings as an academic field of research, one of the most debated and controversial subjects in world archaeology.

BOSANSKA NARODNA POEZIJA — SVATOVSKE PJESME

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bosnian,Croatian,Serbian Issue: 1/2015

Próby wykształcenia tożsamości narodowej u ludności słowiańskiej na Polesiu w pierwszych latach II Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (1920–1928)

Author(s): Enguerran Massis / Language(s): Polish Issue: 05/2015

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the evolution of the national identity of the Slavic population inhabiting the Polesie voivodeship during the first decade of the Second Polish Republic. Research has been carried out by consulting the original archives of the Polish administration, press of the Polish Socialist Party and accounts of key witnesses. These sources clearly show that, when Polesie was integrated into Poland after the First World War, in 1920, many inhabitants of the region (the so-called “Poleszucy” and “tutejsi”) did not consider themselves Belarusian in the national sense. These “nationality unconscious” people progressively came to consider themselves as members of a Soviet Belarusian nation as a result of the struggle between Polish, Belarusian and Ukrainian political organizations. This research highlights the fact that national identity is neither determined by ethnic affiliations nor can be ascribed to an ethnic group against its will.

USPAVANKA

Author(s): Mak Dizdar / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2015

USPAVANKA

Author(s): Mak Dizdar / Language(s): Bosnian,Croatian,Serbian Issue: 3/2015

Polskie miejsca pamięci w północnej Bośni

Author(s): Paulina Wichniewicz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 04/2014

This article presents the transformation in Bosnia and Herzegovina which began after the war during the years 1991–1995. The most important objective was the liberation and emancipa¬tion of the forgotten memory of minorities. These processes are also expressed in relation to the Polish minority which came into existence in the territories of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century with the government takeover by Austria- Hungary and the announcement of the program of colonization. The changes described were significantly apparent in the reconstruction of Polish realms of memory: Polish shrines in Celinovac, Polish church in Cerovljani, Polish cemeteries: in Devetina and Novi Martinac and also in the Yugoslav-Polish partisan cemetery in Srbac. Of interest, the ‘time of memory’ which took place involved all social actors: the government of the Republic of Srpska and the municipalities of Srbac and Nowogrodziec, the Embassy of the Polish Republic in Sarajevo, representatives of local communities - Serbs and the Polish minority from Ćelinovac.

Tradicija u naraciji

Author(s): Vahida Djedović / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 10/2013

Między Bliskim Wschodem a Grecją – pieniądz w okresie archaicznym

Author(s): Aleksandra Jankowska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 61/2015

As early as the third millennium BC, silver began to play the role of a privileged commodity and as reserve of value in Egypt and in the kingdoms of the Near East. In the second millennium and increasingly in the first millennium, silver was used not only as a reserve and measure of value but, what is more significant as an instrument of payment. Whether archaeological or textual, the evidence from the Mesopotamian states and from the Levant shows that silver was increasingly used as a monetary instrument at that time. The so-called Hacksilber is found in more than thirty hoards in the Levant in the Iron Age Period. This can partly demonstrate that the fundamental concepts of money were established in the Near East long before the Greeks and the Lydians adapted them and, above all, transformed these into the form of coin, in the 6th century. This great transformation, as well as the vast historical question of the emergence of coinage was directly related to the evolution of institutions bound up with the emergence of the polis. Znaleziska srebrnych skarbów z terenu Lewantu, datowanych na okres między X a VI w. p.n.e. dostarczyły interesującej perspektywy w rozważaniach nad początkami monety greckiej. Przeprowadzone badania metalograficzne wykazały, że przynajmniej jeden ze wspomnianych skarbów został wytworzony ze srebra pochodzącego z Laurion, Sifnos i Chalkidiki. Przybicie stempla na fragmencie metalu o określonej masie, ustanowione około 600 r. p.n.e. w cywilizacyjnym tyglu reprezentowanym przez położone w zachodniej części Azji Mniejszej greckie państwa – miasta i królestwo Lidii, dopełnia ekonomicznego obrazu świata, w którym ważenie metalu było stałą i doskonale poznaną praktyką. Fundamentalna różnica tkwiła jednak w greckich poszukiwaniach nowych form rządzenia i administracji. Pieniądz w postaci monety wypełnił bowiem tak symboliczne jak i funkcjonalne potrzeby polis jako instytucji i jej mieszkańców.

Pomiędzy Wschodem i Zachodem. Mennictwo ośrodków Rodos w okresach archaicznym i klasycznym

Author(s): Mariusz Mielczarek / Language(s): Polish Issue: 61/2015

The island of Rhodes, situated near Asia Minor, was an area in which cultural and economic influences from Asia Minor and the Greek world met in Antiquity. Effects of this situation are visible in the coinages of the Rhodian poleis in the Archaic and Classical periods. Ialysos, Lindos and Kamiros issued coins from the last quarter of the 6th century BC to 408/407 BC, i.e. to the time of founding of the city of Rhodes. The history of the coinage of each city is discussed. Coin iconography and different weight systems used in coin production are related to the prevailing political and economic situation. The trade connections of the three Rhodian poleis with Asia Minor, the Levant and Egypt also had a strong influenced on Rhodian coinage. These trade relations well attested by the location of coin hoards consisting of coins of Ialysos, Lindos and Kamiros. Special attention is given to the electrum coins minted by the Rhodian poleis. A special topic of the discussion is the reasons why electrum coinage was produced. Położona u wybrzeży Azji Mniejszej wyspa Rodos jest terenem, na którym w starożytności ścierały się wpływy kulturowe i ekonomiczne płynące z Azji Mniejszej oraz ze świata greckiego. Sytuacja ta widoczna jest w mennictwie ośrodków rodyjskich w okresach archaicznym i klasycznym. Trzy rodyjskie poleis, Ialysos, Lindos i Kamiros emitowały własne monety od ostatniej ćwierci VI w. p.n.e. do 408/407 r. p.n.e., tj. do czasu założenia miasta Rodos. Ikonografia monetarna oraz systemy wagowe, w których wybijano monety odzwierciedlają zmiany polityczne i powiązania gospodarcze. Na produkcję monetarną istotny wpływ wywarły powiązania handlowe – przez Rodos prowadziły szlaki handlowe wiążące Grecję z Azja Mniejszą, Lewantem i Egiptem. Sytuacja ta znalazła swoje odbicie w rozlokowaniu skarbów zawierających monety ośrodków rodyjskich. Szczególny charakter ma dyskusja nad produkowanymi na Rodos monetami elektronowymi.

Nowe uwagi o znaczeniu i zwyczajowych opisach środków płatniczych (VI-V wiek p.n.e.)

Author(s): Gabriel Mircea Talmaţchi / Language(s): English Issue: 61/2015

One of the main questions to be put to the evidence is what is the connection between the shape of monetary signs in use and everyday reality in the sixth and fifth centuries BC. Also, if they were commercial items, what was their significance, because they don’t fully express the function of currency? Were they made in the shape of arrowheads without ultimately symbolizing anything of the purpose for which they were created? In fact, ‘arrowhead’ monetary signs represent measurable symbols, used in real trade transactions as a ‘standard’ in certain regions. They were established to act as a counterpart for quantities of goods, which were at the time in question grain and fish products. These two commodities seem to be the most sought after by the local population of Greek origin population. These monetary signs could represent, after a primary connection had been established by spindle-shaped arrowheads, through other stages too throughout the second half of the 6th century BC, evolve into other shapes, in the classic cases representations in the shape of cereal grain, or marine fish respectively. Our opinion is that the interpretation of these signs must have been unequivocal for the population of 6th and 5th centuries BC, or, more precisely the interpretation of their significance and destination. Here we are not referring to real arrowheads used in battle. In casting these monetary signs items the elements which were selected for local exchange were depicted in a selected shape. This means that the simplest one, an arrowhead, represents this symbolically, it is not a real weapon. They represent instead the exchange items for which they were created: cereals-wheat ears or wheat and barley grains, fishery products etc. These new considerations were suggested to us by the study of the monetary symbolism throughout the Greek world. Special attention has been given to the presence, on some of the “arrowhead” monetary signs of the first type (especially the cast monetary signs), of a series of symbols that could be linked, it is assumed, to some monetary workshops of the West-Pontic colonies. They appear chiefly, if not in their entirety, on the “arrowhead” signs in the shape of a laurel leaf, with elongated form with a prominence of central rib and edge. Celem prezentowanych studiów jest rozważenie związku kształtu monetopodobnych form pieniądza charakterystycznych dla zachodniego i północnego wybrzeża Morza Czarnego z wytworami codziennego użytku. Uwagi odnoszą się do świata greckiego VI i V w. p.n.e. Pieniądz ten był środkiem płatniczym używanym w handlu, chociaż wydaje się, że nie w pełni oddawał on funkcje pieniądza monetarnego. Pieniądze w kształcie grotów strzał nie muszą symbolizować celu militarnego, dla którego pierwotnie zostały stworzone. W rzeczywistości znaki pieniężne w formie grotów strzał to możliwy do policzenia środek pieniężny używany w gospodarce, przede wszystkim w handlu, przy zastosowaniu rozmaitych „standardów” regionalnych. Zostały one wykreowane jako równoważniki dóbr, w tym czasie w pierwszej kolejności zboża i ryb. Te grupy towarów były szczególnie pożądane przez Greków i znaki pieniężne wydają się być szczególnie powiązane z nimi, także poprzez ich formę („groty strzał” w formie liścia przypominające kształtem ziarno). Dlatego uznano za celowe zaproponowanie bardziej jednoznacznej oceny tych znaków pieniężnych, ich znaczenia i przeznaczenia na tle sytuacji właściwej dla VI I V w. p.n.e. Po prostu skorzystano z popularnych wzorów, aby stworzyć środek ułatwiający wymianę. Opinię tę wspierają studia z zakresu ikonografii greckiej.

Pieniądz na pograniczu trzech kultur. Monety z kościoła w Hippos, w Dekapolis (Izrael)

Author(s): Barbara Solarewicz / Language(s): English Issue: 61/2015

Hippos, also known as Sussita, was located on a hill on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, was one of the cities of Decapolis. Its origins date back to the Hellenistic period, although it is not certain whether its foundation took place during the reign of the Ptolemies or Seleucids in that region. As a Greek city with a small admixture of Jewish population, it was torn by internal ethnic conflicts starting from Hasmonean domination (83-80 BC) until the alliance of Greek population with Romans during the First Jewish War (66-73). Archaeological research in Hippos 2000-2010 uncovered a total of 885 coins. The Polish team working in the NWC complex discovered 43 coins dating from the 3rd century BC to the 8th century AD. These include 3 Ptolemaic coins, 3 coins of the Seleucids, 1 coin of Tyre from the late 2nd century BC, an anonymous coin minted in Phoenicia in the 1st century AD, a coin of Herod the Great (37-4), 2 Roman provincial coins of the 2nd century, 3 Roman Imperial coins and 2 Arabian from 3rd century. 3 coins were minted by the successors of Constantine I the Great (306-337). Coinage of the Late Roman Empire is represented by 5 pieces. Also found were 2 Byzantine coins, 1 Arab coin of 7th or 8th centuries, and 14 Umayyad coins. This numismatic material has been briefly described, arranged in chronological groups.Podczas prac archeologicznych w Hippos (aramejska Susita) Dekapolis, prowadzonych w latach 2000-2010 zarejestrowano łącznie 885 monet. Na terenie kompleksu „kościoła północno-zachodniego”, polska ekipa odkryła 43 monety datowane od III w. p.n.e. po wiek VIII n.e., tzn. do momentu zniszczenia budowli w 749 r., w efekcie trzęsienia ziemi. Są to monety greckie, rzymskie i bizantyńskie oraz pieniądze arabskie. Do wyjątkowych znalezisk należy solid Herakliusza (610-641) oraz skarb anonimowych felsów umajjadzkich z połowy VIII wieku. Materiał numizmatyczny stanowi podstawę dyskusji na temat sytuacji kulturowej w mieście.

Monety brązowe w rzymskich prowincjach nad dolnym Dunajem w połowie III wieku. Studium obiegu

Author(s): Jacek Rakoczy / Language(s): Polish Issue: 61/2015

Archaeological research into the Roman Danubian provinces forms an interesting basis for studies on general model of coin circulation in Roman provinces in the middle of the 3rd century. The article presents an analysis of bronze coin circulation in the Lower Danube region. From the end of the 1st century until the reign of Valerian I and Gallienus the central imperial mint was in Rome. After 196 the status of these Eastern mints changed from independent mints to that of branches of the Roman mint in Rome. It is generally agreed that from the joint rule of Valerian I and Gallienus onwards, Roman imperial monetary policy moved towards a process of decentralization. From this point of view, the provinces from the Lower Danube, Pannonia, Moesia and Dacia, provide an excellent example. Until the reign of Septimius Severus the coin finds show a similar pattern concerning the coin supply in this area. The mint of Rome has pride of place in coin supply. Other mints represented in the coin finds are the Greek cities, such coins are extremely infrequent low, and they are almost all bronze. The increase in the quantity of silver coinage was followed by a lack of bronze coinage. The low production of bronze denominations issued by the central mint at Rome could have been noted already in the reign of Commodus, especially as regards the lower denominations, the dupondius and as. The coin finds from this area show an even a stronger decrease as regards the frequency of the finds of central bronze denominations for the period of Septimius Severus and his successors. The phenomenon was not something specific only to the Middle and Lower Danube, but also to other parts of the Empire. In the case of Britannia, it has been established that, in fact, there was a shortage of bronze coinage from the central mint during the reign of Septimius Severus. As a consequence of this situation the denominations (the bronze coinage) in which change was given for day-to-day market transactions, is, therefore, is not surprising, and nor the fact that the so-called “emergency-money” is more frequently found in this period. The so-called limesfalsa coins, cast coins of bad quality of bronze alloy and lighter weight than the genuine coins, are more frequently found for the reign of Septimius Severus. If these coins were issued with or without the permission of either central imperial or local authority, or if they are regarded as faked coins is still difficult to stay. Concerning the topic of this study, an interesting aspect occurred during the reigns of Commodus and the first Severans, Septimius and Caracalla. The percentage of Greek civic coins issued in the period 180-218 circulating in the province of Moesia Inferior is extremely high compared to adjacent provinces. Although it has been suggested that this situation is a result of imperial visits in this region, in fact we might here have an example of the monetary and political abilities of the Imperial house. Wyniki prac archeologicznych na terenach dawnych rzymskich prowincji naddunajskich stworzyły możliwość badań nad ogólnym modelem cyrkulacji monet w prowincjach rzymskich w połowie III w. n.e. Prezentowane opracowanie dotyczy obiegu monet brązowych na terenie prowincji nad dolnym Dunajem. Analiza porównawcza została wykonana na podstawie materiałów z Dacji oraz sąsiednich prowincji. Punktem odniesienia dla danych numizmatycznych są charakterystyczne wydarzenia historyczne, takie jak ewakuacja prowincji Dacji przez rzymską administrację, wewnętrzne i zewnętrzne niepokoje na wskazanych terenach.

Skarb monet wczesnośredniowiecznych z Kartuz na Pomorzu

Author(s): Piotr Chabrzyk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 61/2015

Coin circulation within the territory of the present-day Polish state was characterized in the early middle ages by its transboundary nature. During the reign of the first rulers of the Piast dynasty the indigenous coin production only served as a supplement to the great amount of monetary silver that was reaching our lands from the north and west. German coins flowed in from both of these directions. In 1951 the numismatic collection of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography in Lodz received a hoard from Kartuzy or nearby, which possibly formed part of a larger find. All of the surviving coins from this hoard are of type V according to the classification of M. Gumowski. Their obverse bears a cross surrounded by pearls, and, in the rim, various letters. Archival research shows that these coins are probably a part of a hoard that did not survive intact down to our times. One cannot be absolutely certain, however, that the deposit came from the vicinity of Kartuzy. Obieg pieniężny na ziemiach Polski we wczesnym średniowieczu miał charakter transgraniczny. W okresie panowania pierwszych Piastów moneta rodzima była jedynie dopełnieniem dużej masy srebra monetarnego, które docierało na ziemie Polski z kierunków północnego i zachodniego. Z obu napływała moneta niemiecka. W roku 1951 do zbiorów numizmatycznych Muzeum Archeologicznego i Etnograficznego w Łodzi przekazano zespół monet wczesnośredniowiecznych, będący najprawdopodobniej częścią większego znaleziska, pochodzącego z Kartuz lub niedalekich okolic tej miejscowości. Wskazują na to materiały archiwalne oraz bliskość chronologiczna denarów. Należą one do typu V według klasyfikacji M. Gumowskiego. Na awersach mają krzyż otoczony wieńcem pereł oraz napisy otokowe.

Niespokojne lata. Pieniądz na pograniczu Królestwa Polskiego i Zakonu Krzyżackiego w latach 1410-1466

Author(s): Adam Musiałowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 61/2015

An analysis of 46 coin hoards discovered in the border area of the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Order inclines one to the belief that the series of military conflicts between these two states had no significant impact on their economic relations or on monetary circulation. The structure of the hoards reflects the material possessions of the local population, as well as their needs as consumers on both sides of the frontier. Przedmiotem artykułu jest analiza 46 skarbów monet odkrytych na terenach konfliktów zbrojnych Królestwa Polskiego oraz Zakonu Krzyżackiego. W jej efekcie stwierdzić można, że napięcia te nie miały znaczącego wpływu na wzajemne relacje gospodarcze obu krajów oraz na obieg pieniężny na tym terenie. Struktura skarbów monet wskazuje, iż odzwierciedlają one potrzeby ekonomiczne obu stron.

Талеры и ефимок с признаками в коллекции Национального историко-этнографического заповедника „Переяслав”, как источник денежного обращения в Украине в XVI-XVIII веках

Author(s): Viktor Kocur / Language(s): Russian Issue: 61/2015

Thalers struck by Central European rulers were in circulation in the Eastern part of Europe too. Among the numismatic holdings of the “Pereyaslav” National Museum in Ukraine are coins of this type, which were in circulation throughout Ukrainian territory. The present publication of the Museum holdings of coins of this type supplements our picture of coin circulation in Ukraine in the 17th and 18th centuries. Stałe zainteresowanie budzą srebrne talary wybite przez władców Europy Zachodniej, które szeroko obiegały również na rynkach Europy wschodniej. W zbiorach narodowego muzeum „Perejeslav” znajdują się dotychczas nieopublikowane talary, które trafiły na terytorium Ukrainy. Ich publikacja uzupełnia dane na temat obiegu pieniężnego na ziemiach Ukrainy w XVII i XVIII w.

Кустарные подделки монет Aвгуста III Cаксонца (1733-1763) и Cтанислава Aвгуста понятовского (1764-1795) в находках украины

Author(s): Andrej S. Bojko-Gagarin / Language(s): Russian Issue: 61/2015

This article deals with the private forgeries of the coins of Augustus III (1733-1763) and Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski (1764-1795) founded in Ukraine. A description of the counterfeits and the topography of their finds are given. The technology of the production of the forgeries is established by the aid of XRF analysis. The main trends and the features of Polish coin counterfeiting during this period are illustrated. W artykule zaprezentowano znalezione na Ukrainie falsyfikaty monet Augusta III (1733-1763) oraz Stanisława Augusta Poniatowskiego (1764-1795) wykonane w sposób chałupniczy. Każde znalezisko opisane zostało oddzielnie, z uwzględnieniem danych o miejscu odkrycia. Ocena techniki produkcji falsyfikatów wsparta została wynikami analiz XRF. Uzyskane efekty stały się podstawą dyskusji na temat cech typowych dla wykonanych metodą chałupniczą falsyfikatów monet polskich drugiej połowy XVIII wieku.

Numizmatyka na pograniczu różnych specjalności. Żetony czy tokeny? Uwagi o nazewnictwie nowożytnych numizmatów

Author(s): Tomasz Maćkowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 61/2015

The article discusses the usage of the word “żeton” in Polish numismatic terminology. Over the last two decades archaeological excavations in Gdańsk have uncovered a very large number of small pieces of sheet lead stamped with the coat of arms of the city of Gdańsk, personal marks, or various emblems. Some of the municipal tokens dating to the 16th and 17th centuries found in Gdańsk are inscribed with the German word “Zeichen” or “Teken”. Both terms can be translated as “token”, but in contemporary Polish numismatic terminology they are termed “żetony”. The author examines the very meaning of the latter term in Polish, pointing out that originally during the Middle Ages there was a significant difference between “żetony” and “Zeichen” or “Teken” (tokens). It was not until the end of World War II that the Polish research community adopted the practice of mixing both terms in a way that actually compromised their historical meaning. Thus the author suggests that it is highly desirable to reconsider the usage of both terms in order to develop a more precise definition of the artifacts in question and to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding. Celem niniejszego artykułu jest prześledzenie znaczenia pojęcia „żeton” na gruncie języka polskiego i zasygnalizowanie zbyt szerokiego zakresu stosowania tego terminu w numizmatyce polskiej. W europejskiej terminologii numizmatycznej „jeton/jetton” oznacza najczęściej to samo co w języku polskim „liczman/ podskarbiówka”. Natomiast polscy badacze nazywają współcześnie „żetonami” m.in. wykonane w XIV-XVIII w. ołowiane zabytki sygnowane różnorodnymi znakami, które najczęściej były wykorzystywane do rozliczania pracy, powinności, uprawnień bądź określonych dóbr materialnych. Jest to bardziej wynikiem stosowanej w środowisku badaczy po II wojnie światowej konwencji, niż wyrazem historycznego rozwoju pojęcia. Ponadto, w czasach coraz bardziej wdzierającego się do naszej rzeczywistości języka angielskiego fakt, iż „jeton” „żetonem” wcale nie jest – może prowadzić do szeregu nieporozumień w opisie dawnych artefaktów.