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A 600-year-old gold coin linked to medieval trade routes has been discovered. Find out how this discovery could offer new insights into medieval European trade networks!
An extremely rare medieval gold coin has been discovered near Kamień Pomorski in Western Pomerania, Poland. The find was made by history enthusiast and member of the Saint Cordula Exploration Association Daniel Kwaśniak during a gold-detection survey. metals authorized by the Provincial Conservator of Monuments in Szczecin.
The gold coin, known as a florin, has attracted attention for its remarkable preservation, even after six centuries buried in Poland. The Museum of the History of the Land of Kamień (MHZK) highlighted the historical value of the piece, especially for the quality of the details on its surface.
"The gold coin is evidence of intense commercial and political contacts between Pomerania and Central Europe in the 15th century. The coin could have arrived in the territory as an element of commercial exchange. It cannot be ruled out that it was part of a larger treasure that could have been hidden during armed conflicts.“, said a museum representative in Poland.
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Gold Coin Details
One side of the coin depicts a figure known as Ziegenhein, wearing liturgical vestments. He holds a crosier in one hand and makes the gesture of blessing with the other. The Latin inscription “OTTONIS ARCPI'TR” can be translated as “Otto, Archbishop of Trier“, indicating a possible clerical origin.
The other side of the coin features a heraldic shield associated with the Archbishopric of Trier, surrounded by the inscription “MOnETA-nOVA-AVREA-OVEN", what does it mean "New Offenbach gold coin“The coin is 28 millimeters in diameter and 0,7 millimeters thick.
Medieval trade and routes
Experts suggest that the presence of this coin in Pomerania reinforces the region's importance as a crossroads for trade and political routes in the 15th century. Rhenish guilders, such as the one found, were widely used in long-distance trade, especially between regions such as Bohemia, Hungary, Switzerland, Moravia, the Netherlands, Spain and France.
This discovery brings the number of gold coins found in the region to three. In addition to the florin, a 1777 gold ducat coin was discovered earlier this year, and a Frederick William II coin dated 1794 was unearthed in 2014.
The story
Over the centuries, gold coins have fascinated researchers and enthusiasts alike, as they offer valuable insights into ancient economies, trade routes and political structures. Gold, because of its durability and intrinsic value, has been widely used as currency in many cultures.
It is believed that the first gold coins were minted in the 7th century BC, in the kingdom of Lydia, located in what is now Turkey.
King Croesus, the famous ruler of Lydia, was responsible for issuing the first coins made of electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver, before introducing coins of pure gold and pure silver.
In ancient Rome, around 200 BC, the aureus, a gold coin used during the Roman Republic and widely circulated in the Roman Empire, emerged. Later, under Emperor Constantine in the XNUMXth century AD, the aureus was replaced by the solidus, another gold coin that became the standard until the fall of the empire.
However, gold coins fell into disuse over the centuries in some parts of Europe due to the scarcity of gold and the complexity of keeping them in circulation in an increasingly diversified economy.
The medieval Rhenish discovery in Poland not only sheds light on the region’s historical past, but also reinforces the central role that trade played in cultural and political exchange between different parts of medieval Europe. These discoveries tell us forgotten stories and continue to be a tangible link between the present and the past.
