by InTrieste
Discover five thousand coins unveiling the medieval era in Giuliano: on Friday, March 22, at 5 p.m., numismatist Giulio Carraro of the University of Trieste will unveil the newly published volume dedicated to the finding.
Set against the elegant backdrop of Palazzo Gopcevich’s Bazlen hall, located at via Rossini 4, Giulio Carraro’s latest work, “Dobrila Tat. The Treasure of Erpelle 1921,” published by EUT, promises a captivating journey into the Civic Museum of Antiquities “J. J. Winckelmann.” Joining the author for the presentation will be Marzia Vidulli Torlo, esteemed curator of the “J. J. Winckelmann” Museum, and Bruno Callegher, esteemed professor of Numismatics and Monetary History at the University of Trieste.
In 1921, the rustic village of Erpelle, nestled in Slovenia’s pastoral landscape, yielded a remarkable discovery: a trove comprising over five thousand gold and silver coins, each a relic from the late Middle Ages with its own unique story. This archaeological coup offers a glimpse into the bustling economic life of the era, a testament to the intricate interplay of social, political, and economic forces.
Yet, the Erpelle treasure vanished into obscurity shortly after its unearthing. Now, after a century-long hiatus, Giulio Carraro, a distinguished researcher in Numismatics and Monetary History at the University of Trieste’s Department of Humanistic Studies and a Visiting Scholar at Bern’s esteemed Inventar der Fundmünzen der Schweiz, brings it back to the forefront of scholarly discourse.
“This collection of coins isn’t the product of a single heist, but rather the culmination of a series of robberies orchestrated by a band of thieves over several years,” explains Carraro. “It likely served as a repository for stolen loot, offering us a rare window into life in our region during the 1300s. Moreover, the diverse array of currencies recovered provides unprecedented insights into mercantile relations and trade networks in fourteenth-century Central and Eastern Europe.”
The Erpelle treasure not only enriches our understanding of medieval commerce but also sheds light on the nuanced motivations behind banditry, driven not solely by avarice but also by the primal instinct for survival.
Admission is free, but seating is limited.
