UNIQUE TARAZ HOARD OF SILVER COINS OF THE 10TH CENTURY

Abstract

Abstract. An unusual hoard of fragments of silver dirhams of the 10th century was found in 2021 in the nearest district of the modern city of Taraz. The place of the find points to the territory of the medieval rabad of the city of Nizhny Barskhan. It is very difficult to calculate the total number of fragments due to the huge number of very small fragments. The hoard contains several circles of silver coins that were not stamped. All fragments attributed belong to the coins of the Samanid`s dynasty. The hoard, consisting exclusively of fragments of Samanid dirhams, is recorded for the first time and characterizes commodity-money relations and retail trade at the end of the 10th century.  The treasure should be classified as a treasure of long-term accumulation, and its formation is associated with the retail trade activities of its owner. Moreover, the goods were not luxury items, but, most likely, were «consumer goods». The approaching period of the «silver crisis» at the end of the 10th century in the East led to the appearance of treasures that did not contain whole silver dirhams.

For citation: Petrov P.N. Unique Taraz hoard of silver coins of the 10th century // MUSEUM.KZ. 2023. № 2(1), рр. 97-104. DOI 10.59103/muzkz.2023.02.09