Antike Fundmünzen in Europa (AFE): the Network

AFE is a web-based database for recording and publishing coin finds developed by the Römisch-Germanische Kommission (RGK) des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts (DAI) together with the Frankfurt Big Data Lab at the Department for Databases and Information Systems (DBIS), Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main.

AFE-WEB employs the concepts of stable numismatic identifiers and Linked Open Data methodologies established by the Nomisma.org project. By mapping the database to the Nomisma.org ontology, the data is made available via a D2R server and can be queried at a SPARQL endpoint. This approach also facilitates the logical integration of different databases.

Currently five instances of AFE-WEB are in operation:

AFE-RGK: As part of the project “Corpus der römischen Funde im europäischen Barbaricum”, the primary aim of AFE-RGK is to record finds of ancient coins from Germany outside the Roman Empire. The database also hosts data on recent coin finds from Hessen and Baden-Württemberg.

AFE-PL: Serves as the data repository for the project “Finds of Roman coins from Poland (FRC PL)” at the Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw. The project, funded by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science of Poland, is dedicated to the registration finds of Roman coins in Poland and territories associated historically with Poland over the past 100 years.

AFE4HD is the coin find database of the Zentrum für Antike Numismatik (ZAN) of Heidelberg University. Coin finds from various research projects are recorded in the database, as well as coin finds that are identified in cooperation with the GDKE Rheinland-Pfalz and the Numismatischer Verbund in Baden-Württemberg, and studied in the course of BA and MA theses.

AFE-HU: Serves as the data repository for the project "Ancient Coins East of the Danube (ACED)” at the Institute of Archaeological Sciences at the UNI ELTE, Budapest.

AFE-UKR: Is hosted by the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut as part of the KulturGutRetter programme funded by the Federal Foreign Office. The aim is to record endangered collections of coin finds.