EURASIAN COINS OF THE 13TH CENTURY FROM THE NORTHERN CAUCASUS

Abstract

Single coins found in various years in different parts of the Northern Caucasus are described. They include specimens minted during the rule of King Béla III of Hungary, of the Khwarezm Shah Jalal ad-Din, and of Queen Rusudan of Georgia, as well as Chinese medieval bronze coins. Each group is described in the broad historical context of the late 13th cent. Coins of Béla III apparently are tied with the activities of trade agents from Latin Romania, who brought to the Kuban area goods from the former military-monastic states. Coins of Jalal ad-Din and of Queen Rusudan were principal monetary units in intense trade, which recommenced after 1222. Chinese specimens probably testify to the trade relationships between the Golden Horde and China. As a result of this trade, not only Chinese coins appeared in the Northern Caucasus, but also artistic items made of silver, porcelain, and silk, which are frequent at settlements and in late nomadic assemblages dating to the 13th and 14th cent.