Dumbarton Oaks houses one of the largest and most comprehensive Byzantine coin collections in the world, with more than 12,000 coins, a number of which may be viewed online. Although most of the coins came to Dumbarton Oaks between 1947 and 1960, we have continued to grow our collection through purchases and generous donations. Dumbarton Oaks is delighted to announce that the museum’s Byzantine Collection has received a promised gift of approximately 2,000 coins from British numismatist Steve Mansfield. The Mansfield Collection contains many excellent examples of rare and interesting copper coins from the early Byzantine period that fill gaps in the Dumbarton Oaks collection. Once housed at our museum, the Mansfield Collection will be accessible to scholars and feature in upcoming exhibitions in our galleries, as well as finding a place in our programs for students.
The Byzantine Studies program at Dumbarton Oaks, since its establishment in 1940, has supported a continuous program of residential fellowships and academic events to enable historical, philological, art historical, archaeological, and theological research into the civilization of the Byzantine Empire from the fourth to the fifteenth century, together with its interactions with neighboring cultures. This gift is a rich resource for present and future generations of researchers.
Image: Copper follis of Justinian I (obverse), Kyzikos, 541/2, BZC.2015.004.