ABSTRACT
Coins have always been regarded as reliable means to assess the absolute date range of a site, yet problems related to the interpretation of numismatic evidence are often underestimated. Copper-alloy coins form a regular part of the archaeological assemblages at Merv, especially from Parthian levels onwards. The total number of coins registered from this excavation between 1995 and 1998 is 138, 28 of which were too poorly preserved for identification. The specific problems inherent in the interpretation of coin evidence are given brief consideration from a numismatic and archaeological perspective, before evaluating the data for MEK1 and MGK5. The survival rate of coin issues is not only related to the quantity of coins originally in circulation, but also depends on their physical properties. Single coins might easily be dislocated through animal disturbance or other taphonomic processes and enter originally not associated contexts.
