Razmatranja o karolinškom novcu iz Donjih Lepura

Autor: Tomislav Šeparović
Jazyk: chorvatština
Rok vydání: 2012
Předmět:
Zdroj: Starohrvatska prosvjeta
Volume III
Issue 39
ISSN: 0351-4536
Popis: U radu se raspravlja o srebrnom karolinškom novcu pronađenom na položaju kod crkve sv. Martina u Donjim Lepurima. Novac je denar tipa Christiana religio, kakav je u brojnim inačicama emitiran u 9. st. i na početku 10. stoljeća. Uz pokušaj točnog određivanja mjesta i vremena kovanja, primjerak se nastoji uklopiti u povijesni i gospodarski kontekst.
The subject of this work is a silver Carolingian coin discovered next to St. Martin’s Church in Donji Lepuri. It is a denarius of type Christiana religio, which was issued in many versions during the 9th and early 10th century. While determining its age, the first problem was to answer the question during whose reign the coin was issued. The key to this should be within the legend of the obverse. However, the obverse causes confusion since it displays the name of one of the three Louis who ruled from 814 to the beginning of the 10th century. All three monarchs issued denarii of type Christiana religio that are stylistically very similar, so that the precise age determination of the Lepuri exemplar is even more difficult. When comparing it with versions of these coins of the mentioned emperors in relevant literature, one notices the similarity to the exemplars of Louis the Pious and those of the early series of Louis II. However, early exemplars of Louis II and rare coins of Louis III have a much larger module and wider outside edge; they also have a slightly dishshaped form that is not the case with the coin from Donji Lepuri. It is therefore very likely that the Lepuri exemplar was after all minted on behalf of Louis the Pious between 822 and 840. It is the ruling period of Louis the Pious that, in monetary terms, is characterized by uniformity and strict control over the emission of coins. These coins are of high quality with a large percentage of silver and distributed throughout the Frankish state. The question of coinage of the Carolingian denarius of type Christiana religio, to which the Lepuri coin also belongs, was subject to discussion for a long time as there were problems with the lack of a mint mark. The comparison between the denarius of type Christiana religio with stylistic features of early and late Carolingian coins and the mint mark aimed to at least nearly determine the place of its minting. This comparison of stylistic coin features allowed the conclusion that the Lepuri coin could have been emitted in Venice, despite the fact that these kinds of coins are not mentioned in the most significant literature on Venetian coins. We can’t be absolutely sure about it, but factis that Venice, although under Byzantine rule, minted large amounts of denarii on behalf of Carolingian monarchs. They were used for trade with the hinterland, from where they travelled further west and circulated along with other Frankish coins. Another important question to be answered is why there were only few discoveries of Carolingian coins within the territory of early mediaeval Croatia when one considers that it was under Frankish control since 812. The reason for this lies to some extent in the commercial crisis that came from the Frankish region and spread to the Mediterranean, and was caused by Arab conquests and piracy. The Adriatic region however was dominated by the influential power of Byzantium and its gold currency against which the Carolingian silver denarii could not compete, particularly in conditions of a poorly developed goods-money economy as the case was in Croatia. During this relatively long period of time, the economy in the Croatian territory was, apart from the mentioned political circumstances, largely influenced by its natural characteristics. Although the geological karst landscape imposed cattle-breeding as the main economic branch, people there tried to exploit the meagre land as much as possible. It is therefore not surprising that the most densely populated areas were located along fertile fields such as the field of Kosovo, Cetina or Ravni Kotari. Money was not the primary means of payment, but the exchange of goods. The Croatian ruling class used coins- which were rare and difficult to get- as treasures or as raw material for jewellery, but also within the scope of the old pagan custom of placing coins in graves until the mid-9th century. Finds of Carolingian coins in the early mediaeval Croatian Principality, although modest, certainly represent a valuable testimony of contacts between Croats and Franks in the 9th century. These are rare examples that occurred in Croatia completely by accident and should certainly not be considered as a result of monetary policy or regular circulation. They could have arrived in this area through Frankish missionaries whose presence is confirmed also by other archaeological finds. The military could have also acted as a mediator, but also Venice, which became, using the favourable political circumstances after the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, more and more present along the eastern Adriatic coast. The inflow of Carolingian denarii of Louis the Pious to the area of the early mediaeval sacred complex in Lepuri could have happened already before the mid- 9th century, since it was the time of strong Frankish influence and intensive relations between Croats and the Frankish court. However, as proven by discoveries of hoards, the Carolingian denarii could have been circulating even for several decades. The settlement in Lepuri started to develop rapidly in the second half of the 9th century, which is reflected in the intensive construction activities. This prosperous period is testified by many fragments of church furnishing among which are also several that mention state and church dignitaries. With regard to the fact that the Lepuri denarius is damaged possibly due to its long circulation, we might also consider the possibility that the coin arrived in the area during the mentioned constructions, respectively during the reign of Prince Branimir of Croatia.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz: