Denar Ludwika Pobożnego znaleziony w Janowie Pomorskim - Truso

• Authors: Mateusz Bogucki

Title variants

EN

The Carolingian coin of Louis the Pious found in Truso

Abstracts

EN

The settlement in Janów Pomorski near Elbląg, identified with the historical Truso has produced one of the largest assemblages of early medieval coins (515 specimens) found on a single site in Poland until today. These are almost exclusively oriental coins and their small fragments. From among those that have already been described, only 4 early medieval coins were struck in western Europe. In January 2005 a denarius of emperor Louis the Pious, type XPISTIANA RELIGIO from the years 822-840, was found on the site. The coin had been provided with a silver loop riveted on it. Weight 1.5 g., diameter 23-29 mm. Coins found in hoards from western Slav lands, for years regarded as Carolingian, have actually turned out to be their 10th century imitations. The finds of original Carolingian coins in the Baltic zone are considerably rare and concentrated in Denmark and southern Sweden. Among the hoards containing Carolingian coins the following should be mentioned: the find from Peoschendorf/Krinkberg (Schleswig-Holstein), Grisebjerggard (Zealand), Haljarp (Scania) and Lejre (Zealand). In the same areas several dozen single Carolingian denarii have been found. The more interesting are: loose coins from the royal settlement in Tisso (Zealand), Gudme (Fyn), Maletofta Ravlunda (Scania) and Uppakra (Scania). Perhaps a denarius of Louis the Pious of the XPISTIANA RELIGIO type was found in the burial ground in Motevolevo, raion Zelenogradsk (formerly Mogahnen, Kreis Fischhausen) in Samland. Against such a background the denarius of Truso is the easternmost documented find of a Carolingian coin. Quite unique in this respect, on the other hand it perfectly fits the existing pattern of the discoveries of European coins in Truso, whence other coins are known: a Frisian sceatt of the Wodan/Monster type, a penny of /Ethelwulf from Wessex struck in Rochester and two Danish denari of Hedeby (types KG3 and KG5). Just like the aforementioned coins, the Carolingian denarius in question was also turned into an ornament. In the light of the existing data the occurrence of the foregoing coins in Truso seems to be associated with Danes, who were the main founders and inhabitants of the Truso emporium. Those were the mobile Danes, reaching England on the one hand, Truso on the other, that brought to Truso the denarius by Louis the Pious and provided the English court with information on the large trading centre on the Estmere. However, the said data must have been so vague that Alfred, while collecting information on Europe, decided to send Wulfstan on his voyage.

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk
• Journal: Wiadomości Numizmatyczne
• Year: 2006
• Volume: 50
• Issue: 2(182)
• Pages: 173-180

Dates

published

2006

Contributors

author

Mateusz Bogucki

• Instytut Archeologii i Etnologii PAN, Warszawa

Identifiers

Biblioteka Nauki

16492168