DOI issue:
Artykuły/Articles
DOI article:Tunia, Krzysztof; Woźniak, Mateusz: Coins from an Early-Medieval Burial Ground in Stręgoborzyce, Krakow District
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.57341#0228
KRZYSZTOF TUNIA, MATEUSZ WOŹNIAK
226
on the obverse, which is only preserved fragmentarily, informs us that what we are
dealing with here is the type that presents the duke on the throne with a sword in
his hand (type 6). The reverse, which should have a griffon, cannot be seen at all.
The last Polish coin, and at the same time the most recent one from the burial
ground, belongs to one of the regional issues that resulted from the weakening of
the central authority and the strengthening of the local dukes - in this case, that
of Vladislaus II the Exile’s son Mieszko I Tanglefoot (11787-1202),11 the duke of
Racibórz (Fig. 23). Among the coins of this type, examples exist, though not many
(e.g. 33 of the 367 pennies of this type in the hoard from Głogów), of coins with
an inscription in Hebrew on the reverse, one that reads melech (king).12 The coin
that we have here, however, is a decidedly more common version with the pseudo-
legend. Coins of this type were struck in the 1170s in Wrocław and then in Racibórz
or else from the beginning in Racibórz.13
The second largest group of coins in Stręgoborzyce is made up of German
coins. This group consists of ten coins that can definitely be identified, including
the coins from the Stręgoborzyce burial ground that have the earliest date. These are
a type 1 cross penny from between 985 and 1000 (Fig. 3) that was almost certainly
struck in Magdeburg and a Saxon penny of the “Otto and Adelaide” type (Fig. 28).
The state of preservation of the latter coin makes it difficult for us to give it an exact
identification, and we are forced to date it very roughly to between 983 and 1015. This
coin was found in the topsoil, and though we cannot tie it to any of the graves that
were discovered, there is no doubt that we can count it as belonging to the group of
burial finds. The remaining German coins are cross pennies belonging to later issues,
ones that are predominant in anonymous burial finds, these being type V (1025-1050),
type VI, and type VII issues (dated from the 1060s to about 1105). However, they are
not often found among coins that can be attributed to Polish mints.14
The remaining two foreign coins found in the burial ground in Stręgoborzyce
come from beyond Poland’s southern border. These are a penny of Bretislav I
(1019/20-1034(1055)) struck in one of the mints located in Moravia (Olomouc?) and
inscribed with the name of the mint master Wszebor (Fig. 2) and a coin belonging
to an issue of this ruler but struck in Bohemia after 1050 (Fig. 1). Both coins have
only been preserved in fragmentary form. Whereas the first was intentionally cut,
the second has only about A of the original been preserved. Additionally, the owner
put two holes in it, which indicates that it was used as a decoration. We are unable
11 PASZKIEWICZ 2000: 106, no. 1; see also SUCHODOLSKI 2017b: 101-104.
12 GORLIŃSKA2015: 162-164.
13 PASZKIEWICZ 2000: 108-111; SUCHODOLSKI 2017b: 101 and 111, Tab. 1.
14 KĘDZIERSKI 1998: 2148; IDEM 2005: 23-38; NAKIELSKI2013: 53-54, 68-71.
226
on the obverse, which is only preserved fragmentarily, informs us that what we are
dealing with here is the type that presents the duke on the throne with a sword in
his hand (type 6). The reverse, which should have a griffon, cannot be seen at all.
The last Polish coin, and at the same time the most recent one from the burial
ground, belongs to one of the regional issues that resulted from the weakening of
the central authority and the strengthening of the local dukes - in this case, that
of Vladislaus II the Exile’s son Mieszko I Tanglefoot (11787-1202),11 the duke of
Racibórz (Fig. 23). Among the coins of this type, examples exist, though not many
(e.g. 33 of the 367 pennies of this type in the hoard from Głogów), of coins with
an inscription in Hebrew on the reverse, one that reads melech (king).12 The coin
that we have here, however, is a decidedly more common version with the pseudo-
legend. Coins of this type were struck in the 1170s in Wrocław and then in Racibórz
or else from the beginning in Racibórz.13
The second largest group of coins in Stręgoborzyce is made up of German
coins. This group consists of ten coins that can definitely be identified, including
the coins from the Stręgoborzyce burial ground that have the earliest date. These are
a type 1 cross penny from between 985 and 1000 (Fig. 3) that was almost certainly
struck in Magdeburg and a Saxon penny of the “Otto and Adelaide” type (Fig. 28).
The state of preservation of the latter coin makes it difficult for us to give it an exact
identification, and we are forced to date it very roughly to between 983 and 1015. This
coin was found in the topsoil, and though we cannot tie it to any of the graves that
were discovered, there is no doubt that we can count it as belonging to the group of
burial finds. The remaining German coins are cross pennies belonging to later issues,
ones that are predominant in anonymous burial finds, these being type V (1025-1050),
type VI, and type VII issues (dated from the 1060s to about 1105). However, they are
not often found among coins that can be attributed to Polish mints.14
The remaining two foreign coins found in the burial ground in Stręgoborzyce
come from beyond Poland’s southern border. These are a penny of Bretislav I
(1019/20-1034(1055)) struck in one of the mints located in Moravia (Olomouc?) and
inscribed with the name of the mint master Wszebor (Fig. 2) and a coin belonging
to an issue of this ruler but struck in Bohemia after 1050 (Fig. 1). Both coins have
only been preserved in fragmentary form. Whereas the first was intentionally cut,
the second has only about A of the original been preserved. Additionally, the owner
put two holes in it, which indicates that it was used as a decoration. We are unable
11 PASZKIEWICZ 2000: 106, no. 1; see also SUCHODOLSKI 2017b: 101-104.
12 GORLIŃSKA2015: 162-164.
13 PASZKIEWICZ 2000: 108-111; SUCHODOLSKI 2017b: 101 and 111, Tab. 1.
14 KĘDZIERSKI 1998: 2148; IDEM 2005: 23-38; NAKIELSKI2013: 53-54, 68-71.