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History => Ancient and Medieval History => Topic started by: davidb on December 07, 2023, 11:40:44 PM

Title: 1000 year Byzantine coin found in Norway
Post by: davidb on December 07, 2023, 11:40:44 PM
Perhaps a member of the Varangian Guard brought it back?

https://greekreporter.com/2023/12/06/1000-year-old-byzantine-gold-coin-found-norway/
Title: Re: 1000 year Byzantine coin found in Norway
Post by: Imperial Dave on December 08, 2023, 06:03:57 AM
Wouldn't surprise me
Title: Re: 1000 year Byzantine coin found in Norway
Post by: Erpingham on December 08, 2023, 09:23:05 AM
This short article might be useful for context

https://nordictalesbyzantinepaths.ku.edu.tr/en/article/coins-t26


Title: Re: 1000 year Byzantine coin found in Norway
Post by: Nick Harbud on December 08, 2023, 09:38:38 AM
Payment for slaves sourced from Dublin and York, two of the largest slave markets in Europe during the Viking era.

Is it too late to ask for a formal apology and reparations from the Scandanavian states?

 >:(
Title: Re: 1000 year Byzantine coin found in Norway
Post by: Jim Webster on December 08, 2023, 10:12:39 AM
Quote from: Nick Harbud on December 08, 2023, 09:38:38 AMPayment for slaves sourced from Dublin and York, two of the largest slave markets in Europe during the Viking era.

Is it too late to ask for a formal apology and reparations from the Scandanavian states?

 >:(


One of the villages round here, Biggar, on the Island of Walney, was designed not to be seen from the sea. When I went round it in the 1960s there were still no houses with windows looking seaward. The village didn't show a light
Basically because of Barbary Pirates and slavers who operated off the coast.
Title: Re: 1000 year Byzantine coin found in Norway
Post by: Erpingham on December 08, 2023, 10:22:01 AM
I'm not sure it is from the slave trade.  The Vikings seem to have favoured silver coinage for transactions like that.  Gold pieces were rarer, perhaps more prestige stuff, not meant for spending as much as gifting and display.  Maybe.
Title: Re: 1000 year Byzantine coin found in Norway
Post by: Nick Harbud on December 08, 2023, 02:20:05 PM
Gosh!  You mean those specimens of ancestral prime Britannic flesh were not worth gold, but only such bits of silver small change that happened to be in the money purse?

And this is meant to make me feel better disposed towards the owner of this high-value coin?

Title: Re: 1000 year Byzantine coin found in Norway
Post by: Erpingham on December 08, 2023, 02:34:14 PM
Quote from: Nick Harbud on December 08, 2023, 02:20:05 PMYou mean those specimens of ancestral prime Britannic flesh were not worth gold, but only such bits of silver small change that happened to be in the money purse?
Yes and no.  Yes to the small change but apparently in staggeringly large quantities. I'm sure it will make you feel better to know some of this Byzantine and Arab silver did make its way back to the Britannic shores but I suspect most of the profits were being made in slave markets in Scandinavia.   :(