Монетное дело Херсона в первой половине VIII в.

Author(s): Mikhail M. Choref / Language(s): Russian Issue: 2/2010

The article was written to highlight the "dark age" of Byzantine Taurica history - the era of iconoclasm. Given the fact that the written sources do not contain the necessary information, and archaeological sites are still being studied, we were involved in these numismatics. The object of the study was the small group of simultaneous cast bronze coins, and, more precisely, placed the monogram on them. We believe that these coins were issued on behalf of the emperor, who took iconoclasm. We draw conclusions about the rejection of the iconoclastic ideas of Byzantine Taurica residents, as well as their loyalty to the authorities of Constantinople.

Egy évszázados küzdelem története

Author(s): Márton Rózsa / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 4/2016

B. Szabó János: Háborúban Bizánccal: Magyarország és a Balkán a 11–12. században. Boldog Zoltán tanulmányával. Corvina Kiadó, Budapest, 2013.

Can Human Beings Know the Hour of Their Own Death or of the Death of Others? A Ninth-Century Controversy and its Historical Context

Author(s): Dirk Krausmüller / Language(s): English Issue: 53/2016

Between the seventh and the ninth century holy men acquired a new role. They no longer just exorcised demons and healed diseases but also foretold people when they would die. This development was caused by a shift in religious belief. Under the influence of relentless preaching, people had come to think that salvation or damnation was determined by the state in which one found oneself at the moment of death. What was feared was a sudden death, which would not leave time for the necessary preparation through repentance and almsgiving. Contemporary holy men responded to this fear by offering their services as prophets. These activities incurred the criticism of coenobitic monks who were opposed to them for moral and metaphysical reasons.

Avar Tarihinin En Önemli Savaşı: 626 İstanbul Muhasarası

Author(s): İsmail Mangaltepe / Language(s): Turkish Issue: 10/2006

Byzantine attacks onto the Avars at the beginning of the VII. Century caused serious troubles in the Avar Empire. Thus, the Avar kağan gathered a huge army composed of Avars, Slavs, Gepids and Bulgars, and marched on İstanbul. Their aim was basically to exterminate Byzantium and to conquer all of the Balkans. The siege in real sense started on July 31st. Persian forces, then allies of the Avars, came also to the opposite side of İstanbul. The attackers planned an operation from seaside with the Slavic "Monoxylas", but the Slavs were routed by Byzantine navy. A second test with monoxylas on August 3rd also failed. Then qagan focused on a general attack with infantry and made necessary preparations. On August 6th their general attack started. After two days of quarrels, the qaganal army proved to be unsuccessful before the Byzantine defense. Thus, the qagan retreated and, however, commented to be defeated.

A. Bosselmann-Ruickbie: Byzantinischer Schmuck des 9. bis 13. Jahrhunderts

Author(s): Péter Langó / Language(s): German Issue: 1/2013

A. Bosselmann-Ruickbie: Byzantinischer Schmuck des 9. bis 13. Jahrhunderts. Untersuchungen zum metallenen dekorativen Körperschmuck der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit anhand datierter Funde. Spätantike – Frühes Christentum – Byzanz. Reihe B: Studien und Perspektiven 28. Reichert Verlag, Wiesbaden 2011. 420 Seiten, 493 schwarz-weiße Abbildungen, 222 Farbtafeln.

The Organic Structure and Effectiveness of the Byzantine Fiscal System – A Critical Evaluation

Author(s): George C. Maniatis / Language(s): English Issue: 54/2017

This article investigates the organization and effectiveness of the Byzantine fiscal system and of the implementing government apparatus as constituent elements of the operative insti tutional framework of the economy. Emphasis is placed on: the conceptualization and architecture of the imperial budget; the established budgetary objectives and priorities; the method employed in the preparation and execution of the budget; the enacted tax structure, evolution over time, and associated incidence; the sources of revenue relied upon; dispassion in tax collection; the rationalization of tax concessions and relief; the extent of tax avoidance and remedial measures; the impact of an array of public expenditures on the economy; the socio-economic repercussions of tax enforcement policies and tactics; and the effectiveness of the fiscal system and of the implementing bureaucracy in achieving prescribed goals. It is hoped that the searching examination and ensuing evaluation of the instituted fiscal arrangements put into effect diachronically will provide valuable insights as to their genesis, adaptation over time to reflect changing circumstances, experiences and expediencies, and their ultimate effectiveness in light of the Byzantine economic, social, and political realities.

Az első normann híradások a grönlandi és északkelet-amerikai bennszülöttekről

Author(s): Miklós Vassányi / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 2/2013

Grænlendinga þáttr: Történet a grönlandiakról

Author(s): / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 2/2013

НЕВІДОМА ІМІТАЦІЯ ВІЗАНТІЙСЬКОГО ФОЛІСА МИХАЙЛА ІІ

Author(s): W. Schulze,Wolfgang Schulze / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2018

Dieser Artikel berichtet über Imitationen eines Byzantinischen Follis aus der Regierungszeit von Michael II. (820-29). Michael II. ließ Münzen in Konstantinopel und auf Sizilien schlagen, die ihn zusammen mit seinem Sohn Theophilus als Mitkaiser zeigen. Zwei Ausgaben von Folles aus Konstantinopel sind bekannt: eine kleinere von 20 mm Durchmesser und einem Durchschnittsgewicht von 5,5 g. mit der Offizin A unter dem M auf der Rückseite und eine größere – möglicherweise von 824/5 – mit ähnlichem Aussehen, aber mit einem Durchmesser von 28-32 mm. und einem Durchschnittsgewicht von 7,5 g. Der auf Abbildung 1 gezeigte Follis von Konstantinopel hat einen Durchmesser von 31 mm und ein Gewicht von 7,8g. Die Vorderseite zeigt die Büsten von Michael (links) mit Chlamys und Theophilus mit Loros, beide mit einem Kreuz auf der Krone. Es gibt ein zusätzliches Kreuz und einen Punkt zwischen ihren Köpfen. Die Umschrift lautet MIXAHL ЅΘ ЄOFILOS. Die Rückseite zeigt ein Kreuz über dem M, darunter die Offizin Θ. Die Buchstaben X/X/X und N/N/N an den Seiten werden als rein dekorative Elemente bezeichnet. Die Folles aus der größeren Serie – Klasse 3 in DOC – sind üblicherweise gut geschnitten und sorgfältig auf Flans in richtiger Größe geprägt. Die Abweichungen von dem Durchschnittsgewicht von c.7,5 g. und dem durchschnittlichen Durchmesser von 30 mm. ist marginal, und die Stempelstellung von 6 Uhr entspricht der Norm. Alle genannten Daten stehen im Gegensatz zu der neuen Münze, bei der es sich mit Sicherheit um eine Imitation handelt, die nun präsentiert werden soll (Abbildung 2): Dieser imitative Klasse 3 Follis hat einen Durchmesser von 30,5 mm. und wiegt 12,22 g. Der Durchmesser entspricht dem Original, allerdings ist das Gewicht viel zu hoch für das Durchschnittsgewicht von 7,5 g. Außerdem entspricht die Stempelstellung von 1 Uhr ebenso wenig der Norm wie das Design der Münze: Die Vorderseite ist dem Original ähnlich, allerdings zeigt sie nun Michael mit Loros auf der linken und Theophilos mit Chlamys auf der rechten Seite. Offenbar hat ein ungelenker Stempelschneider das kopiert, was er auf einem Original gesehen hat. Die Legenden sind ebenfalls vertauscht und zusätzlich verwildert. Anstelle von MIXAHL ЅΘ ЄOFILOS liest man …FILIS IMICSA... Wie Chlamys und Loros sind auch die Kronen auch ziemlich grob dargestellt; das Kreuz zwischen den Köpfen ist zu groß. Die Rückseite der Imitation zeigt ebenfalls ausgetauschte und verwilderte Legenden. Rechts vom M kann man nur ein X anstelle der üblichen X/X/X lesen. Links vom M, wo üblicherweise N/N/N steht, erscheint so etwas wie ЧІ. Verdächtig ist auch das Kreuz als Offizin unter dem M statt des üblichen Θ. Nach alledem bestehen kaum Zweifel, dass wir es hier mit einer ungeschickten Imitation eines Klasse 3 Follis von MichaelII. zu tun haben. Interessanterweise listet Grierson im DOC-Katalog einen „italienischen Solidus von grobem Stil, verwilderten Umschriften und niedrigem Goldgehalt im Namen von Nicephorus (802-11) und Theophilus (829-42), der vielleicht den Herzögen von Neapel zuzuschreiben ist“ sowie „Solidi von Theophilus, deren Stil und Fabrik es unmöglich machen, dass sie aus einer regulären Münzstätte stammen“. Im Hinblick auf die von Grierson beschriebenen Imitationen lag der Schluss nahe, dass es sich bei dem hier vorgestellten Follis ebenfalls um eine zeitgenössische Imitation (vielleicht aus Unteritalien) handelt. Diese Einschätzung musste allerdings stark in Zweifel gezogen werden, als Steve Mansfield das Foto eines zweiten Stückes einer solchen Imitation vorlegte (Abbildung 3). Die Abbildung dieser ebenfalls übergewichtigen Münze ist nicht sehr gut, aber ein detaillierter Vergleich lässt den Schluss zu, dass beide Münzen vom selben Stempelpaar stammen. Die zweite Imitation ist mit einer – vermutlich – künstlichen sandigen Patina belegt und hat das Aussehen, als ob sie gerade ausgegraben worden sei. Steve Mansfield hat außerdem mitgeteilt, dass er während einer Reise in Ägypten ähnliche Münzen gesehen habe, die an leichtgläubige Touristen verkauft wurden. Solche Fälschungen sind gut bekannt: Während geführter Touren finden Führer in archäologischen Stätten „zufällig“ gefälschte Münzen in der Erde, die sie zuvor versteckt haben, und verkaufen sie an begeisterte Touristen.haben, und verkaufen sie an begeisterte Touristen.

ХРОНОЛОГІЯ ЗНАХІДОК В УКРАЇНІ СРІБЛЯНИКІВ ТИПУ IVВОЛОДИМИРА СВЯТОСЛАВИЧА

Author(s): N. S. Moiseenko / Language(s): Russian Issue: 2/2018

In July 2018, a rather significant event happened in medieval numismatics at least, a hundredth IV type srebrenik of Vladimir Svyatoslavich (978–1015) was excavated on the territory of Ukraine. In the Corpus of the oldest Rus’ coins of the X–XI centuries, which was based on the results of the first century of the study of srebreniks, only 25 specimens of Vladimir Svyatoslavich’s type IV coins minted with17 and 18 stamp pairs were taken into account. In the middle of September 2018, it became known about 121coins, which can be classified as authentic, and about a dozen variants of counterfeits of this type, which among the whole quantity of Vladimir srebreniks are the least common.100 pieces from this quantity were found in Ukraine’s territory, 11 srebreniks in Russian Federation,3more coins in the Republic of Belarus, places of discovery for the rest were not yet ascertained, but reliably considerable part of them also can come from findings in Ukraine. Due to almost five fold increase of studying material, it becomes possible to specify metrology,considerably extend topography of coins’ findings, make testing of some specimens. Assays of all examined specimens (including that were earlier considered to be made from base metals), in spite of prevalent opinion,show the presence of silver (from 185 to 960 ‰).M.P. Sotnikova believed that all of the stamps of the Vladimir IV type srebreniks were engraved by one carver (except for the pair of K 174 having the features of “rough and unskillful work”), but nowadays thisstatement does not look so categorical. At the time of the publication of this work, 56 intact or nearly non-damaged srebreniks have been taken into account; data about the mass of the other 11pieces are absent. The average weight standard of the remaining 44 coins is 2.604 ± 0.011 grams. Concerning the time of discovery of describing group of coins it is possible to report that in the 19thcentury srebreniks of IV type of Vladimir Svyatoslavich were found 23 pieces (from them 21 coins come from Nizhynhoard), in the 20th 7specimens and at the beginning of the 21st century 91 coins. Data about the chronology of findings with more granularity were tabulated at the end of the paper.Since the middle of 2000 strong growth of the quantity of finding coins was observed, which topped in2013 (15 coins), whereupon situation became stabilized and recently about ten of srebreniks of the IV typewere found annually. Hence it might be supposed that utter exhaustion of findings will take considerable lapse of time and therefore only recording and systematization of srebreniks should be done now and questions about a probable revision of their classification should be left for following generation of numismatists.Since the publishing of Corpus topography of storage of the IV type of srebreniks of Vladimir also changed. If before 1995 AD 21 coins (from 25 known, i.e. 84%; the rest 4 coins or 16% were undiscovered,including specimen К 175-4, from which only galvanic copy has survived) were stored in state museums, thento the middle of 2018 only 24 coins numbers in state collections (from 121 known ones, i.e. 19,83% or about1/5 of the whole quantity, 4 srebreniks are as before undiscovered (≈ 3,3%), and in private collections are known no less than 93 coins (76,86%, i.e. ¾of the whole body of the IV type srebreniks). Accordingly, the centre of the study of early Rus coins gradually moved from museums to the surroundings of private collecting.From examined 121 early Rus coins only 13 specimens have traces of non-economic usage and on 2 of them, they are possible.The author compiled the table with the given expanded topography of the finds of the type IV srebreniks,also the metrological data of majority known coins were checked up which significantly widened our understanding of Vladimir Svyatoslavich’s monetary emissions.

ТРИ ФАЛЬШИВІ СЕРЕДНЬОВІЧНІ ЗАХІДНОЄВРОПЕЙСЬКІ ДЕНАРІЇ, ЗНАЙДЕНІ В РІВНЕНСЬКІЙ ОБЛАСТІ

Author(s): Sergii Kuleshov / Language(s): English,Russian,Ukrainian Issue: 2/2018

Each year the interest to the study of the private counterfeits of coins for a loss of the money circulation increases. The introduction to the scientific circulation of the finds of the coins of X-XIII centuries is, in our opinion, also relevant in the context of the existence in the Ukrainian science of the thought that this time in the history of the money circulation was characterized by the almost complete refusal of the population to use the coin, laid the paradigm of the “Coinless period”. During the last five years, the Internet-resource Violiti has been presented at the Ukrainian numismatic forum for the identification of three coins with identical images. These coins have the same appearance, diameter and weight, all of them are false Western European pennies of the XIth -XII centuries, possibly embossed with the same dies (unfortunately, the poor consistency of coins does not give grounds for such a statement). The condition of these coins is generally unsatisfactional, some of the inscriptions and images are lost. All of the fake Western European pennies were excavated in Rivne region in Ukraine. It is tempting to assume that they could be made here. But until the dies or stamps (matrixes) for minting are found, it will remain a hypothesis. Most likely, they were brought in a certain quantity to these countries by visiting it by merchants from the West (or their own) and distributing them to deceive the local population. Also interesting is the fact of various ways of making a silver layer of these identical images of artifacts. We have analyzed the iconography, palaeography and technology of making of these old coin counterfeits. It is proved that these pennies have the same inscriptions and images and may have been manufactured with the same dies. However, they are made in different ways, two of them - by applying amalgams, and one - either by peeling or chipped from silver of a low sample.Excavating threee coins in one area may indicate their possible local fabrication, but proof of this should be stamped here. Most likely they were brought to this territory by merchants to deceive the local population. The common feature of the published counterfeit pennies is the presence of an image on the field of these imitations of a mysterious figure surrounded by dots in the center of the English-style imitation coins and on the sides of the cross in the simulation of Saxon-style pennies. Although these imitations, as experts say, are a distorted look of the face, and on our coins, perhaps, is a schematic image of the person walking to the left. The presence in the finds of the Ukrainian land of private forgeries of medieval Western-European coins and imitation proves once again by the fact that the European small silver coins were spreadly known among the population and it is quite anticipated that there were exist and the finds of it’s fakes are nowadays known. We believe that the presence on the territory of Ukraine of the findings of the private forgeries of the Western European medieval coins further indicates the popularity and widespread distribution of original prototypes of these coins on the territory of our country, which also minimizes the characterization of this historic period as a “Coinless period”.

SHORT NOTES ON THE PROSOPOGRAPHY OF THE BYZANTINE THEME OF KOLONEIA (PART II)

Author(s): Pantelis Charalampakis / Language(s): English Issue: 8/2019

This paper presents the case study of Kallistos (reportedly a member of the Melissenos family), one of the Forty-two Byzantine officials captured by the Arabs in the aftermath of the siege of Amorion in 838. The person in question has been recorded in scholarly literature as a military officer active in Koloneia (or, according to other views, in the themes of the Anatolikoi or the Armeniakoi). A closer examination of extant evidence, however, may suggest that he never existed – or at least not as a military commander in Koloneia – and his mention in the sources was the result of a misunderstanding and/or fictional writing related to hagiography, politics, or family prestige.

Noua creştinătate şi martirii săi: sfinţii naţionali şi memoria identitară în succesiunea Marii Spaime (secolele X-XIII)

Author(s): Florian Dumitru Soporan / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 02/2020

The biographies of some people of the church and of those founding dynasties of the Eastern-Central-European states, honored by the communities of faithful as martyrs and invested by the ecclesiastical authorities with the attributes of holiness, are the components of an image that is rather difficult to reconstruct, but is much more close to the realities of the time in relation to the succession of facts, regarding the moment of the double edification, political and spiritual, which marked the entry of the Slavic and Hungarian nations into the official history. St. Adalbert, Saints Boris and Gleb, St. Emeric and St. Stanislaus of Krakow demonstrate by their acts the complex character of the process of spreading the Christian faith from centers with apostolic legitimacy to the populations outside of the old Orbis Romanus.

Ingvar the Far-Travelled: between the Byzantium and Caucasus. A Maritime Approach to Discussion

Author(s): Marcin Böhm / Language(s): English Issue: 9/2019

The Journey to the East of the Viking Ingvar the Far-Traveled is one of the events that fit into the history of medieval relations of the Scandinavians with the world of Byzantium. It was a fateful expedition taking place between 1036 and 1041, and to this day it is a source of many controversies and speculations of researchers. The findings of the present paper suggest that the journey did not necessarily proceed to the lands of the Saracens or Byzantium but may have been part of the game played by Constantinople with its ally Tmutarkan, which opposed Jaroslav the Wise, these events unfolding in the north-eastern waters of the Black Sea.

Nations and Minorities in Psellos’ Chronographia (976–1078)

Author(s): Frederick Lauritzen / Language(s): English Issue: 9/2019

The Chronographia of Michael Psellos (1018–1081) reveals a limited interest in nations and minorities within and without the Byzantine Empire. He had access to information about these peoples either indirectly (1018–1042) or more directly (1042–1078). He has a greater understanding of their complexity, especially between 1042–1059 when his friend Constantine Leichoudes was mesazon. Psellos refers to nations and minorities in his Chronographia through the prism of the imperial court at Constantinople.

KONCEPT PROSTORA I VREMENA U SREDNJOVJEKOVNIM VIZIJAMA NA PRIMJERU TUNDALOVE VIZIJE

Author(s): Gordana Galić Kakkonen / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 1/2008

There is a noticeable spatialisation of time present in the visionary texts dealing with the concept of the otherworld. Past, present and future are allocated and closely related. In medieval prose, space and time can be either strictly determined or completely ignored and unimportant. Only the happening itself is important, since it contains the eternal and the otherworldly. We can fi nd both aspects in Tundal’s Vision. Despite the fact that Tundal’s Vision is thought to be one of the most developed and elaborated visions, it is noticeable how the organisation of the otherworld regions has not progressed in the way found in earlier visions. The idea of the otherworld’s integrity does not exist. Only the time and the space of the narrative can be fi rmly established in the text.

ЈЕДНА ПРЕТПОСТАВКА О ПОРЕКЛУ И АДМИНИСТРАТИВНОМ ПОЛОЖАЈУ ВАРДАРИОТА У ВИЗАНТИЈИ

Author(s): Miloš Cvetković / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 56/2019

Рад садржи резултате проучавања појединих сегмената повести Вардариота. Полазећи од начелно прихваћене тезе у науци о њиховим мађарским коренима, аутор је покушао да пружи одговор на питања када и на који начин су Вардариоти доспели на тло Византије. У наставку текста изнета је и претпоставка у вези са еволуцијом административног статуса вардариотске заједнице у Царству од почетка X века, када се први пут помињу у изворима, до почетка XIII столећа, када је округ у којем су живели недвосмислено посведочен као једна од царских провинција/тема.

CONSTANTINE PORPHYROGENITUS, DE ADMINISTRANDO IMPERIO AND THE BYZANTINE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF THE MID-10TH CENTURY

Author(s): Predrag Komatina / Language(s): English Issue: 56/2019

The paper is dedicated to certain aspects of the treatise De administrando imperio, composed at the court of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in 948–952. It first examines the diplomatic basis of the information collected in the treatise, then the management of the information available from other sources and some common information found in it and in other contemporary works such as Theophanes Continuatus, Vita Basilii and De thematibus. It closes with a conclusion about the authorship of the treatise and its place in the context of the historiographical activity at the court of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in the mid-10th century.

Unele probleme privind evoluția culturii materiale din Moldova în secolele VI-X

Author(s): Dan Gheorghe Teodor / Language(s): Romanian Issue: II/1969

Articolul analizează evoluția culturii materiale din Moldova în secolele VI-X.

Descoperirile arheologice de la Oituz (Județul Bacău)

Author(s): Dan Gheorghe Teodor,Costache Buzdugan,Ioan Mitrea / Language(s): Romanian Issue: II/1969

Articolul prezintă descoperirile arheologice de la Oituz (Județul Bacău).