A moeda metálica em perspectiva histórica: notas em torno de uma exposição. 2a. parte: de cerca do Séc.XV ao ano 2000

The objective of this study, divided in two parts, is to present the broad lines of the history of coinage, using it as a guideline to briefly retrace the evolution of the History of the World between 600 B.C. and 2000 A.D. The texts and chronologies presented in this paper were initially prepared for a permanent exhibition at the Museu Histórico Nacional (M.H.N.), in Rio de Janeiro, with the title : "Coins Tell the (hi)story", opened to the public in December 2002. The approximately 2,600 coins exhibited at the M.H.N. constitute a very representative sample of the main coins of the world in the last twenty-six centuries and the discussion of the historical and economic context in which they were issued can contribute to a better understanding of the economic and monetary history of the civilizations focused by the exhibition of the M.H.N.