The Chemical Composition of 10th-Century Silver Coins from the I Semyonovo Unfortified Site (Republic of Tatarstan)

Abstract

The article presents the results of the chemical composition analysis of the Kufic coins assemblage found on the I Semyonovo site in the lower reaches of the Kama River. 116 silver Kufic coins of the 10th century, 2 copper Oriental coins, and a Western European silver one have been studied. The oldest Oriental coin is a fragment of the Sassanian drachm dated to the 6th century. The most recent coin is a dirham of Nuh ibn Mansur of the Samanid dynasty, 366 АН (976-977 AD). The Western European coin has been identified as a denarius attributed to Svend Estridsen (Denmark). The chemical composition of 12 silver coins of the 10th century has been determined by emission spectral method. The data provided show that the silver content of the Samanid coins referring to 324-366 AH (935-977 AD) had varied between 85 and 94%, and in some cases had reduced to 60%. In one coin, silver content had been reduced practically to zero, with silver being apparently present within the surface layer of the coin only. The rest was copper, while lead, bismuth and gold have been identified as impurity elements.

Keywords

• the Middle Volga river region
• Volga Bulgaria
• 10th century
• Kufic coins
• chemical composition