GERMAN SILVER FIND IS EVIDENCE OF 1,200-YEAR-OLD GLOBAL TRADE ROUTE
Anklam, Germany - German archeologists have discovered 1,200-year-old silver coins of Arabic origin buried in a northern German field, bearing evidence that the Slavs who inhabited the land were part of an ancient global trade route, academics said on Sunday.
Amateur archaeologist Peter Dachner, who found the first engraved coin near the town of Anklam, described it as a "masterpiece of design." He is one of a team of volunteers, working with regional authorities and the University of Greifswald.
By scouring the area with metal detectors, they discovered 82 coins and coin fragments, a silver armband and three bars of silver, in a plot of land measuring 20 by 25 metres.
"Coin treasures from this period are exceedingly rare, and in this volume it is one of the most significant (finds)," said archaeologist Michael Schirren.
The oldest coin is from around the year 610. The most recent coin has been dated back to roughly 820 AD.
"The discovery of Arabic coins at the coast of the Baltic sea proves that there was global trade more than 1,200 years ago," said Greifswald historian Fred Ruchhoeft.
The coins were minted in regions belonging to modern-day Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan or northern Africa. They are thought to have reached Northern Europe via trading routes along the Black Sea, the Dnieper river and the Volga, before reaching the Baltic sea.
The find is near a former Slavic settlement, and gives new information about the importance of the region, in Pomerania, during the early Middle Ages.
Ruchhoeft said the area of the find, close to a Viking settlement, was strategically important due to its coastal access enabling trade to the east and the west.
Ruchhoeft believes that the Slavs and Vikings traded with each other. "This would explain how Arabic coins ended up in Slavic possession," he said. Alternatively, they could have been brought by Arabic traders or Slavic voyagers.
In Pomerania, the coins would have lost their monetary value, but retained the worth of the silver they were made of. The beautifully designed coins, as well as the bracelet, would have been broken up into smaller chunks of silver and exchanged for goods.
The total find weighs around 200 grams - which would have bought its owner four oxen or possibly even a slave.
ΠΗΓΗ: EARTH TIMES
Amateur archaeologist Peter Dachner, who found the first engraved coin near the town of Anklam, described it as a "masterpiece of design." He is one of a team of volunteers, working with regional authorities and the University of Greifswald.
By scouring the area with metal detectors, they discovered 82 coins and coin fragments, a silver armband and three bars of silver, in a plot of land measuring 20 by 25 metres.
"Coin treasures from this period are exceedingly rare, and in this volume it is one of the most significant (finds)," said archaeologist Michael Schirren.
The oldest coin is from around the year 610. The most recent coin has been dated back to roughly 820 AD.
"The discovery of Arabic coins at the coast of the Baltic sea proves that there was global trade more than 1,200 years ago," said Greifswald historian Fred Ruchhoeft.
The coins were minted in regions belonging to modern-day Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan or northern Africa. They are thought to have reached Northern Europe via trading routes along the Black Sea, the Dnieper river and the Volga, before reaching the Baltic sea.
The find is near a former Slavic settlement, and gives new information about the importance of the region, in Pomerania, during the early Middle Ages.
Ruchhoeft said the area of the find, close to a Viking settlement, was strategically important due to its coastal access enabling trade to the east and the west.
Ruchhoeft believes that the Slavs and Vikings traded with each other. "This would explain how Arabic coins ended up in Slavic possession," he said. Alternatively, they could have been brought by Arabic traders or Slavic voyagers.
In Pomerania, the coins would have lost their monetary value, but retained the worth of the silver they were made of. The beautifully designed coins, as well as the bracelet, would have been broken up into smaller chunks of silver and exchanged for goods.
The total find weighs around 200 grams - which would have bought its owner four oxen or possibly even a slave.
ΠΗΓΗ: EARTH TIMES
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