A Hoard of 12th Century Byzantine Coins

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present a hoard, which is most likely a fragment of a more extensive treasure and which was recovered by the Romanian judicial authorities in 2014. The finding place of the hoard remains unknown, most of the recovered information indicating that it was found in Banat, somewhere in the area of Timiș and Caraș-Severin Counties. The first part of this paper is dedicated to the presentation of the hoard which consists of 17 billon coins struck by John II Komnenos and 15 billon coins struck by Manuel I Komnenos, the latest coin of the hoard being dated between the years 1160 and 1164. In the second part of the paper an analysis of the similar findings from the Banat area is proposed, alongside with the sketching of a historical context for the hiding of this batch of coins and an analysis of the impact had by the byzantine coin in the local monetary circulation.

Keywords

• hoarding
• coin circulation
• banat
• byzantine empire
• middle ages
• komnenos dynasty