Via The Explorator newsletter comes this article about a find of Islamic coins all the way in Sweden. -Editor
An interesting find from Uppland in Sweden where archaeologist working for Arkeologikonsult have uncovered a hoard of 163 Islamic coins.
Fashioned out of silver, the coins contain Arabic script and the majority were minted in Samarkand, an Islamic state which was located in modern day
Uzbekistan and Iran. They date from the mid-10th century AD and were discovered in a much older, prehistoric mound that was erected during the
Swedish Bronze Age. This is not overly surprising as such monuments were often reused during the Viking age for votive offerings.
Of the 163 coins uncovered, fifty were complete, while the remainder had been snipped and chopped for use as silver bullion. A number had also
been modified with holes or loops so that they could be worn as pendants.
The presence of Islamic coins in Sweden is not unusual and to-date nearly 70,000 have been uncovered. This reflects the extensive long distance
trade routes which once existed between the Viking world and the orient. These were mainly focused on the Volga River and saw items such as furs,
slaves and leather being exported southwards, while silver coins and exotic goods returned northwards.
To read the complete article, see:
Hoard of Islamic silver coins found in Sweden
(http://irisharchaeology.ie/2016/11/hoard-of-islamic-silver-coins-found-in-sweden/)
Wayne Homren, Editor
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization
promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.
To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor
at this address: whomren@gmail.com
To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum
Copyright © 1998 - 2024 The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS)
All Rights Reserved.
NBS Home Page
Contact the NBS webmaster
|