Speaker
Description
The historiographic tradition of ninth and tenth century Eastern European economic flows used to see the Dnieper and the Volga routes as the chief sources of Islamic silver. This is supported by the wealth of coin finds deriving from the extensive academic focus on this particular area while alternate routes were not accorded their due attention. However, unpublished archived archaeological records, new research and numismatic finds have now revealed a lively economic connection between the Black Sea and the Baltic passing through western Ukraine and Poland.
This paper presents an overdue compilation of ninth and tenth-century coin hoards from Western Ukraine, jointly with previously unavailable archaeological data. Archaeological research in Ukraine has identified sites with imported high status goods and evidence of vigorous production. The material reveals an economic entity which visibly left behind its immediate eastern neighbours, offered a viable trade route outside of the apparent Rus and Scandinavian control, and was an opportune area for conquests.
