Animals on coins
Coins depicting animals are one of the most fascinating and informative collecting topics and one of the most popular among collectors around the world.
In ancient Greece, images of animals became the emblems of cities and states. In ancient Rome, they symbolized the enormous size of the empire. In medieval Europe, they became heraldic symbols. On medieval Russian coins, images of animals show the disunity of the Russian appanage principalities before the royal power was strengthened. For example, the centaur, Samson, tearing the mouth of a lion, side by side with the hunt for bear and black grouse.
The exhibition features almost 200 coins, ranging from the earliest proto-money of the 1st millennium BC., to the modern editions of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, will show visitors the whole variety of animal symbols in world culture.
Thanks to the interactive book, visitors can find out where Pegasus came from, what griffins are guarding, and where centaurs live.
The exhibition is complemented by video mapping with mysterious caves, dense forests and mythological creatures from the legends of Ancient Greece and Rome.
Excursions
The tour of ‘the Animal World of Numismatics’ will tell you many interesting stories. You will learn what the images of animals from different geographical zones symbolized in Ancient Rome, why images of animals became heraldic symbols in medieval Europe, and how images of fantastical animals appear on coins.
You will get to grips with medieval Russian coins, and trace the mixture of antique plots and everyday scenes that adorn them, illustrating the political disunity of the Russian princedoms of that time.
How did the animals get into the lunar calendar and become real constellations? You will discover the answer to this, and other unusual question, on the tour of ‘the Animal World of Numismatics.’
For those who prefer to wander in silence on their own, immersing themselves in the museum space, and studying the exhibits they like in more detail without being distracted by the chatter of the group or the guide’s stories.