Szeroki brakteat śląski ze smokiem znaleziony we Wrocławiu

• Authors: Borys Paszkiewicz

Title variants

EN

The Silesian large module bracteate with a dragon found in Wrocław

Abstracts

EN

In 2005 during the refurbishing of Szewska Street in the historical centre of Wroclaw [Breslau] a coin was found which belongs to the numerous group of Silesian large module bracteates. It presents a dragon heading for the left, its tail loomed. A pair of ears and three legs to be seen upon it alongside a pearl rim on the coin's outer collar. Weight 0.48 g (after cleaning), 25.3 mm, remarkable damage. Actually a similar coin was known to Ferdinand Friedensburg (No. 153/697)2, yet it was a unique specimen, much worse legible than the one in question. Thus it is not absolutely certain whether it was analogous whatsoever. There is also a simplified, smaller coin with a very similar tripodal presentation (Friedensburg 156/701) which might be a later reference to the type under discussion (less than 22 mm in diameter, although it weighed 0.62 g). Besides, Friedensburg points out the occurrence of an obolus, i.e. the halfpenny, analogous to the smaller specimens. Perhaps that was the specimen later referred to by the said researcher without any comment, number 154.A/700. Large module bracteates were struck in Lower Silesian mints from around 1250 up till the turn of the 13th century; since almost all of them are uninscribed ones, accurate dating and territorial attribution remain still unsolved", The type discussed herein has not been recorded in any hoard, therefore it is particularly difficult to date. Its original weight might be reconstructed as approx. 0.7 g, thus remarkably high against the background of large module Silesian bracteates. As it is, the theoretical weight of large module bracteates introduced around 1250 presumably amounted to 0.821 g, however, coins struck already in 1268 were to weigh mere 0.58 g. The change of the weight, however, was not of a uniform or linear character, since the bracteate attributed to Henry IV the Probus in the years 1288-1290 weighed as much as 0.71 g. A characteristic ring-shaped punch was used to make the die to strike the coin from Szewska Street. The design is relatively coherent, no traits of pseudoheraldic hybrids upon it, which are to be seen on slightly later Silesian bracteates. However, instead of the dragon's other wing, the engraver, probably having misunderstood a pattern, presented a third (front) leg. Thus there are grounds to infer that our dragon, albeit originally coherent, foreshadows a series of new awkward hybrids which seem not to have been thought over beforehand, to appear upon the late bracteates of the same group. Judging by general features: weight, diameter, ornamentation, and the complex character of the type, the specimen found in Szewska Street does not seem to be particularly early, or for sure does not belong to late ones, therefore it might be roughly dated to approx. 1260- approx. 1280. Unfortunately it is not possible to point out the Lower Silesian duchy that issued the coin, as the mere fact of finding it in Wroclaw is not enough to regard it as a local one. Thus apart from the Wroclaw Duchy, those of Głogów [Glogau] and Legnica [Liegnitz] might be also taken into consideration. The symbols applied upon broad bracteates are remarkably richer than on the seals of Lower Silesian rulers known to us, that is the reason why, as it is, in many a case, just like the one in question, they have not lead to the issuer to be identified and localised.

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk
• Journal: Wiadomości Numizmatyczne
• Year: 2006
• Volume: 50
• Issue: 1 (181)
• Pages: 71-75

Dates

published

2006

Contributors

author

Borys Paszkiewicz

• Instytut Archeologii Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego

Identifiers

Biblioteka Nauki

16491526