Original scientific paper

A Hoard of Byzantine Gold Coins from Narona

Ivan Marović

Abstract

A hoard of Byzantine gold coins found in 1901 in the village of Vid, Roman Narona, is signifi cant forexplaining the turbulent period on the eastern coast of the Adriatic at the turn of the 7th century.According to the letters kept in the archives of the Archaeological Museum in Split, the hoard wasfound accidentally within the walls of Narona, in the remains of the Roman architecture near forum.The hoard, which also had among the Byzantine coins some golden jewellery from the Late Antiquity,was published in 1902 by don Frane Bulić.While revising the hoard, it was established that out of 65 examples of Byzantine gold coins(53 solidi and 12 tremisses) and two bronze coins (Probus and Maximianus Herculius) that werepublished by Bulić, there were one solidus of Justin II and two tremisses of Tiberius II missing. Asolidus of Mauricius Tiberius and two tremisses of Anthemius and Zeno were later added to the hoardas uncertain, and are noted at the end of the catalogue (no 65 – 67). Some incorrect attributionsby Bulić to certain Byzantine emperors that have been present in the literature ever since, werecorrected by the coin analysis. It has been established that the solidi of Justinian I (527 – 565) arethe earliest coins from the hoard, and not the tremisses of Justin I (518 – 527) that were incorrectlyattributed by Bulić as tremisses of Justin II (565 – 578). The latest coin is a tremissis of MauriciusTiberius (582 – 602) that was attributed to Tiberius II (578 – 582). The hoard has coins of the Byzantineemperors: 24 solidi of Justinian I, 23 solidi and 6 tremisses of Justin II, 5 solidi and 3 tremisses ofTiberius II and 1 tremissis of Mauricius Tiberius. Only two solidi (Justinian I and Justin II) were mintedin Rome and one in Ravenna (Tiberius II), while all the rest of the coins come from the Constantinoplemint. The hypothesis is that the coins were brought from Constantinople to some offi cial of theByzantine administration or the military commander of an army unit situated in or near Narona, afterthe fall of Sirmium under the Avar invasion in 582. The reign of Mauricius Tiberius is also the terminuspost quem non for the destruction of Narona.

Keywords

a hoard of Byzantine gold coins; tremissis of Mauricius Tiberius; the destruction of Narona

Hrčak ID:

8319

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/8319

Publication date:

1.12.2006.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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