The Earliest States of Eastern Europe

The paper presents the reconstruction of the coin circulation based on the investigation of the representative coin hoards of copper coins – folles and halffolles – from main regions of early Byzantine Empire (Balkans, Danube, Aegaeis and western Asia Minor, as well as Syria and Palestine), minted in the mints of Propontis and Antiochia from AD 498 till 610. At the beginning of this work the hoards were formally classifi cated according to their structure with the help of the histograms coins-per-year (mon./an). Then the periods of the presence/absence of the chronological groups of the coins in the fi nds were invented, e.g. four periods of Maurice: m1, m2, m3, m4. The histogram of each hoard is based on these periods and calculated using the index coins-per-year-of-the-period (mon./an.per.). The typology of the hoards is based on the seriation of the histograms of the hoards, the types are named according to the more representative fi nds. In those cases, when we do possess the data about the weight of the coins, it is also taken into the consideration. The model of the development of the circulation is proposed. The role of each hoard type in the circulation is discussed: whether the hoard refl ects the circulation or consists of the coins being taken out from it. As a result there is proposed the relative chronology of the types. In some cases the correction of the absolute date of some hoard types is proposed, e.g. type PRA (hoards like Prakhovo, Rafaḥ, Ryakhovets) should be dated to the late years of Justin II, reign of Tiberius and fi rst years of Maurice. Finally a reconstruction of the duration of circulation of main chronological groups of the coins of the mints of Propontis was proposed.

Keywords:

Byzantine, numismatics, hoard, follis, monetary circulation

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