1,200-Year-Old Silver Coin Hoard Unearthed on the Baltic Coast
Archaeologists have uncovered a hoard of 59 silver dirhams dating to the 8th and early 9th centuries during excavations on the southern shore of the Kaliningrad (Vistula) Lagoon, providing new evidence for long-distance trade between the Abbasid Caliphate and northern Europe.
The discovery was made by an expedition from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which identified the coins as Islamic dirhams minted between AD 746 and 815.
The hoard includes one coin struck during the reign of Marwan II, the last Umayyad caliph, while the remaining coins were issued under the Abbasid Caliphate, which came to power in AD 750. According to the researchers, the assemblage represents one of the earliest phases of Muslim silver entering Eastern Europe.
The majority of the coins were minted during the reign of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid (AD 786ā809), whose rule is widely regarded as the political and cultural high point of the Abbasid Caliphate. Most originated from Madinat al-Salaamāmodern-day Baghdadāwith 25 coins produced in the imperial capital. Other examples were minted in al-Kufa, Nishapur and al-Muhammadiyya, reflecting the extensive geographical reach of the Abbasid monetary system.
Archaeologists note that silver dirhams circulated widely across Eastern and Northern Europe during the 9th and 10th centuries, where they served not only as currency but also as a valuable source of silver for jewellery production. The flow of Islamic coinage along trade routes connected the Middle East with the Baltic region through networks used by merchants, including the Vikings and other early medieval trading communities.
Several of the coins were recovered intact, while others survive only as fragments. A number bear suspension holes, suggesting they may have been worn as ornaments, while others display small edge cuts used to test the purity and authenticity of the silver.
Based on the latest coin in the assemblage, researchers believe the hoard was buried during the mid-810s, placing it among the earliest known deposits associated with the circulation of Abbasid silver in Eastern Europe.
The discovery is expected to contribute to a better understanding of the economic and commercial links that connected the Islamic world with the Baltic during the early medieval period, when silver coinage played a central role in long-distance exchange across Eurasia.
By Mark Milligan.
