Ivar Leimus
Estonian History Museum, Numismatics, Department Member
Research Interests:
So far, we did not have solid numismatic evidence for the international trade in Estonia before the 830s. The hoard of Vitsiku proves that at least the area of today’s Virumaa district has been involved in international networks that... more
So far, we did not have solid numismatic evidence for the international trade in Estonia before the 830s. The hoard of Vitsiku proves that at least the area of today’s Virumaa district has been involved in international networks that connected the East and the West in the early stage of the influx of Cufic dirhams to the North around ca. 800. Whereas the coins, most probably, reached Estonia via Russia and along the southern coast of the Finnish bay, other silver objects seemingly originate from Gotland.
Research Interests:
The recently discovered hoard of Kirimäe, W-Estonia (tpq. 1200) is unique in several respects. It contains a number of rare and even some unrecorded coins. It also provides us with the earliest evidence of minting by bishop Albert in... more
The recently discovered hoard of Kirimäe, W-Estonia (tpq. 1200) is unique in several respects. It contains a number of rare and even some unrecorded coins. It also provides us with the earliest evidence of minting by bishop Albert in Riga and dates it to the early years of his reign. In addition, the stamped silver bar in the deposit proves that silver ingots were cast on Gotland at the end of the 12th century. Since we are entitled to believe that it cannot have been just a single case, it also testifies that the bars on the island might have been treated as pieces of money rather than just pieces of silver. The location of the finding place of the hoard not far from what some decades later became the town Haapsalu supports the idea of a certain importance of the area in international trade already in the late 12th – early 13th century.
Research Interests:
This volume is the proceeding of a workshop held in cooperation with the Estonian History Museum and the Institute of History, Archaeology and Art History of Tallinn University, 5-7 September 2018 in Tallinn, Estonia. In order to make... more
This volume is the proceeding of a workshop held in cooperation with the Estonian History Museum and the Institute of History, Archaeology and Art History of Tallinn University, 5-7 September 2018 in Tallinn, Estonia. In order to make coins, metal was first needed. Besides gold and silver, copper has also been significantly used as coinage metal of lesser value. Many countries did not have their own metal resources for a long time and were completely dependent on exports. Thus, all coinage metals had to be transported from producers to end users. At this point, merchants took over. The bigger the economy, the bigger its need for money. The attitudes of nations towards their monetary policy have been extremely diverse. Whereas England tried to sustain silver coinage, Sweden and Spain minted mainly pure copper in the 17th century. The heavy, inconvenient coins and increasing expenditures caused the introduction of paper money in Europe. The 18th–19th century saw the triumph of copper coinage and paper money almost everywhere. On the other hand, monetary systems were based on gold and silver standards. Problems concerning bimetallism and the changing values of its components occurred. The aim of the conference was to trace the path of the minting of coins from mining to the issuance of fresh coins from mints. There are, indeed, estimations about the scope of mining, trading and minting, as well as a general understanding about the processes that took place. However, many details remain unclear and require a closer consideration.
This paper deals with the problems of coinage in medieval Courland. The aim of the study is to date the launch of minting, locate the mint(s) and reveal the monetary system and minting standard. Although the data available are extremely... more
This paper deals with the problems of coinage in medieval Courland. The aim of the study is to date the launch of minting, locate the mint(s) and reveal the monetary system and minting standard. Although the data available are extremely limited, a comparative study of written and numismatic sources has provided provisional results. Also, a new hypothesis about the origins of a local monetary unit known as the osering is presented. Finally, the role of Westphalia merchants in the colonisation of and their route to Courland are discussed in the light of the coin finds.
This chapter presents in full the small gold hoard from Essu, north-east Estonia, on the Vikings’ Austrvegr (eastern route). The hoard was found in a peat bog in the nineteenth century, and comprised six gold pendants dating to around the... more
This chapter presents in full the small gold hoard from Essu, north-east Estonia, on the Vikings’ Austrvegr (eastern route). The hoard was found in a peat bog in the nineteenth century, and comprised six gold pendants dating to around the last quarter of the ninth century. This chapter provides a detailed analysis of the six pendants—one Arabic dinar-pendant and five pendants decorated with filigree and granulation—discussing their decoration and cultural parallels. Results from recent Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis cast new light on the pendants’ production, alloy content, and use-wear. It is suggested that the filigree pendants were manufactured within Scandinavia and originally formed part of an elaborate female necklace, while the dinar-pendant reached Estonia via the Nordic countries. Overall, the hoard illustrates the prominence of gold within the Viking Age display economy. The chapter concludes by discussing the significa...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Some Russian monetary terms, adapted by Hanseatic merchants trading with Novgorod, are discussed in the paper. According to some data from the 14th-15th centuries a silver ingot (a rouble) was divided into 60 zolotniks, not 48, as was the... more
Some Russian monetary terms, adapted by Hanseatic merchants trading with Novgorod, are discussed in the paper. According to some data from the 14th-15th centuries a silver ingot (a rouble) was divided into 60 zolotniks, not 48, as was the case later. Also, zolotnik was not only a weight unit, but also a monetary one. Further, the meaning of the terms marthoubt (marten’s head, i. e. mordka) and mark schin is analysed. Mordka could mean a Livonian artig of the early 15th century. Mark schin, in turn, was a unit of account used by Germans for a grivna of coins. At the beginning of the 15th century a mark schin comprised 28 mordkasartigs but due to Novgorod implementing its own coinage in 1420 it then equated to 14 dengas. Finally, the stuck sulvers turned from an ingot into a unit of accounting of 216 dengas during the 15th century (no later than 1487). Thus, by the end of the 15th century the following monetary system of Novgorod, adapted by Hanseatic merchants, had arisen: 1 rouble (...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This volume is the proceeding of a workshop held in cooperation with the Estonian History Museum and the Institute of History, Archaeology and Art History of Tallinn University, 5-7 September 2018 in Tallinn, Estonia. In order to make... more
This volume is the proceeding of a workshop held in cooperation with the Estonian History Museum and the Institute of History, Archaeology and Art History of Tallinn University, 5-7 September 2018 in Tallinn, Estonia. In order to make coins, metal was first needed. Besides gold and silver, copper has also been significantly used as coinage metal of lesser value. Many countries did not have their own metal resources for a long time and were completely dependent on exports. Thus, all coinage metals had to be transported from producers to end users. At this point, merchants took over. The bigger the economy, the bigger its need for money. The attitudes of nations towards their monetary policy have been extremely diverse. Whereas England tried to sustain silver coinage, Sweden and Spain minted mainly pure copper in the 17th century. The heavy, inconvenient coins and increasing expenditures caused the introduction of paper money in Europe. The 18th–19th century saw the triumph of copper ...
In 2018-2019 at least 35 000 finds were revealed on the plot at Jahu 6 in the medieval and early modern Kalamaja suburb of Tallinn, which had been brought to the disposal area together with waste and garbage from the city surrounded by... more
In 2018-2019 at least 35 000 finds were revealed on the plot at Jahu 6 in the medieval and early modern Kalamaja suburb of Tallinn, which had been brought to the disposal area together with waste and garbage from the city surrounded by the city wall. In addition, 249 coins from the 14th-15th century were found. The latter are mostly Livonian coins, first and foremost from Tallinn, less from Tartu and Riga because foreign coins constituted only 2.4 per cent. The most common denomination is pfennig. The composition of the coin assemblage confirms, with regard to its origin and nominal distribution, the previous knowledge of coin circulation in the 15th-century Livonia based on the comparative analysis of coin hoards and written sources. The fact that the temporal distribution of coins in the upper and deeper layers is rather even suggests that most of the garbage had been deposed over a rather short period of time in 1470-1480. It seems that garbage disposal may have ended some time b...
Research Interests:
Die Anregung für den vorliegenden Aufsatz hat mir eine Entdeckung in einer Tallinner Antiquitätenhandlung gegeben. Dort erregten einige wikingerzeitliche Münzen meine Aufmerksamkeit, die aus einem Depotfund zu stammen schienen. Auf meine... more
Die Anregung für den vorliegenden Aufsatz hat mir eine Entdeckung in einer Tallinner Antiquitätenhandlung gegeben. Dort erregten einige wikingerzeitliche Münzen meine Aufmerksamkeit, die aus einem Depotfund zu stammen schienen. Auf meine Nachfrage ergab es sich tatsächlich, dass ...
Mint master Paul Gulden had a splendid career. Coming from Annaberg, Saxony, he arrived to Tallinn (Reval) and was mint master here from 1559 to 1570. After spending years abroad he entered the service of Prussian Administrator Georg... more
Mint master Paul Gulden had a splendid career. Coming from Annaberg, Saxony, he arrived to Tallinn (Reval) and was mint master here from 1559 to 1570. After spending years abroad he entered the service of Prussian Administrator Georg Friedrich I in Königsberg by 1580 and was lent to Frederick II of Denmark in 1581. Paul Gulden milled coins withthere in 1582-84 and was dismissed in 1585, after what he returned to Königsberg. His Danish coins are well known. However, the sources prove that he also milled medals for King Frederick in 1583.
Research Interests:
In November 2017, a new late Viking Age coin hoard was discovered in the village of Moldova (Ida-Virumaa County, NE Estonia). Subsequently, additional coins were unearthed on the find spot, making in total 569 items. In the paper, the... more
In November 2017, a new late Viking Age coin hoard was discovered in the village of Moldova (Ida-Virumaa County, NE
Estonia). Subsequently, additional coins were unearthed on the find spot, making in total 569 items. In the paper, the
composition of the hoard as well as the possible ways of arrival of coins are analysed. The location of Estonian hoards
with a high percentage of Frisian coins on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland probably follows a trade route
of Frisian merchants on their way to Russia. The degree of fragmentation of coins in the hoard of Moldova as well as
other deposits from N and NE Estonia is considerably higher comparing to the rest of the country, indicating certain
peculiarities in handling coins in different parts of Estonia.
Estonia). Subsequently, additional coins were unearthed on the find spot, making in total 569 items. In the paper, the
composition of the hoard as well as the possible ways of arrival of coins are analysed. The location of Estonian hoards
with a high percentage of Frisian coins on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland probably follows a trade route
of Frisian merchants on their way to Russia. The degree of fragmentation of coins in the hoard of Moldova as well as
other deposits from N and NE Estonia is considerably higher comparing to the rest of the country, indicating certain
peculiarities in handling coins in different parts of Estonia.
Research Interests:
The battle of St Matthew’s Day on 21 September 1217 was the largest field battle in the crusade against the Estonians. In 2018, search for the battlefield was set out by the archaeologists and metal-detectorists. The location of it was... more
The battle of St Matthew’s Day on 21 September 1217 was the largest
field battle in the crusade against the Estonians. In 2018, search for the battlefield was set out by the archaeologists and metal-detectorists. The location of it was not found, however instead a coin Viking-Age hoard (tpq 1018) was discovered.
field battle in the crusade against the Estonians. In 2018, search for the battlefield was set out by the archaeologists and metal-detectorists. The location of it was not found, however instead a coin Viking-Age hoard (tpq 1018) was discovered.
Research Interests:
The paper discusses the possible mint masters of Duke of Courland Gotthard Kettler in 1575-1579. Most probably, it was a Jew from Crakow Jakob Beer.
Research Interests:
Recently, 37 German coins from the Late Viking age appeared in eBay, sold by a person in Estonia. Most of the coins in the find derive from the 11th c. However, a denier of Archbishop Frederick of Cologne (1100–1131) is also included, as... more
Recently, 37 German coins from the Late Viking age appeared in eBay,
sold by a person in Estonia. Most of the coins in the find derive from the 11th c. However, a denier of Archbishop Frederick of Cologne (1100–1131) is also included, as well as one or two coins from Goslar minted in the name of King Henry V (1106–1111). Thus the hoard cannot have been deposited earlier than 1106.
sold by a person in Estonia. Most of the coins in the find derive from the 11th c. However, a denier of Archbishop Frederick of Cologne (1100–1131) is also included, as well as one or two coins from Goslar minted in the name of King Henry V (1106–1111). Thus the hoard cannot have been deposited earlier than 1106.
Research Interests:
In the spring of 2017 the National Heritage Board of Estonia acquired a fragment of the bronze seal stamp that was found by using a metal detector in the village Pühajõe near Toila, Virumaa county. A closer scrutiny revealed that the... more
In the spring of 2017 the National Heritage Board of Estonia acquired a fragment of the bronze seal stamp that was found by using a metal detector in the village Pühajõe near Toila, Virumaa county. A closer scrutiny revealed that the stamp had belonged to Bishop of Tallinn Thorkill (1238?-1260). Thorkill, indeed, possessed lands in Virumaa, Haljala parish, Selja village and income from a number of villages in Järvamaa county but all of them are situated far from Pühajõe. Thus it is difficult to say how the seal stamp ended up to the Pühajõe village.
Research Interests:
A small coin deposit was unearthed in W-Estonia in 2017 consisting of 36 oriental and Western coins, tpq. 1136 (Stephen, Watford-type)
Research Interests:
If looking at the course of Christianisation in lands around the Baltic from the 10th till 13th c. a certain pattern occurs. The beginning of the Christianisation in Poland, Denmark and Sweden that started in the 960s surprisingly well... more
If looking at the course of Christianisation in lands around the Baltic from the 10th till 13th c. a certain pattern occurs. The beginning of the Christianisation in Poland, Denmark and Sweden that started in the 960s surprisingly well coincide with discoveries of rich silver ores in Saxony, Harz mountains. They probably provided with silver also the Anglo-Saxon mission in Scandinavia that began in 990s.
In 1168 new silver deposits near what now is known as Freiberg were discovered in Saxony. Also, since the late 12th c. the English silver mining boomed again. All it provided the Saxon merchants with fresh cash and in 1180s they started to appear at the Livonian (Estonian and Latvian) coast again, accompanied soon by missionaries. Then they founded the first footholds and crusades for protection of the newly founded church were declared by the Pope.
In 1168 new silver deposits near what now is known as Freiberg were discovered in Saxony. Also, since the late 12th c. the English silver mining boomed again. All it provided the Saxon merchants with fresh cash and in 1180s they started to appear at the Livonian (Estonian and Latvian) coast again, accompanied soon by missionaries. Then they founded the first footholds and crusades for protection of the newly founded church were declared by the Pope.
Research Interests:
On the author`s page:... more
On the author`s page:
https://www.academia.edu/14364450/%D0%9E_%D0%9D%D0%95%D0%9A%D0%9E%D0%A2%D0%9E%D0%A0%D0%AB%D0%A5_%D0%A0%D0%A3%D0%A1%D0%A1%D0%9A%D0%98%D0%A5_%D0%94%D0%95%D0%9D%D0%95%D0%96%D0%9D%D0%AB%D0%A5_%D0%9F%D0%9E%D0%9D%D0%AF%D0%A2%D0%98%D0%AF%D0%A5_%D0%A3%D0%9F%D0%9E%D0%A2%D0%A0%D0%95%D0%91%D0%9B%D0%AF%D0%95%D0%9C%D0%A5_%D0%A1%D0%A0%D0%95%D0%94%D0%98_%D0%93%D0%90%D0%9D%D0%97%D0%95%D0%99%D0%A1%D0%9A%D0%9E%D0%93%D0%9E_%D0%9A%D0%A3%D0%9F%D0%95%D0%A7%D0%95%D0%A1%D0%A2%D0%92%D0%90_%D0%92_%D0%9B%D0%98%D0%92%D0%9E%D0%9D%D0%98%D0%98_%D0%98_%D0%9D%D0%9E%D0%92%D0%93%D0%9E%D0%A0%D0%9E%D0%94%D0%95_About_some_Russian_monetary_terms_used_among_Hanseatic_merchants_in_Livonia_and_Novgorod_
Some Russian monetary terms, adapted by Hanseatic merchants trading with Novgorod, are discussed in the paper. According to some data from the 14th–15th centuries a silver ingot (a rouble) was divided into 60 zolotniks, not 48, as was the case later. Also, zolotnik was not only a weight unit, but also a monetary one.Further, the meaning of the terms marthoubt (marten’s head, i. e. mordka) and mark schin is analysed. Mordka could mean a Livonian artig of the early 15th century. Mark schin, in turn, was a unit of account used by Germans for a grivna of coins. At the beginning of the 15th century a mark schin comprised 28 mordkasartigs but due to Novgorod implementing its own coinage in 1420 it then equated to 14 dengas. Finally, the stuck sulvers turned from an ingot into a unit of accounting of 216 dengas during the 15th century (no later than 1487). Thus, by the end of the 15th century the following monetary system of Novgorod, adapted by Hanseatic merchants, had arisen: 1 rouble (stuck sulvers) = 216 dengas (denninge), 1 grivna (mark schin) = 14 dengas. ******* В статье рассматриваются западные письменные источники, отражающие некоторые русские денежные понятия, заимствованные ганзейскими купцами, торгующими с Великим Новгородом. По некоторым данным XIV–XV вв., слиток серебра (рубль) делился не на 48, как это было позже, а на 60 золотников. При этом золотники являлись не только весовой, но и денежной единицей. Далее анализируются понятия marthoůbt (головка куницы, т. е. мордка) и mark schin (марка шин). Что касается мордки, то в начале XV в. она могла означать ливонский артиг. А марка шин являлась счетным понятием у ганзейцев, обозначая гривну монет. В начале XV в. в нее входило 28 мордокартигов, а с переходом новгородцев в 1420 г. на собственную монету — 14 денег. И наконец, кусок серебра (stuck sulvers) в течение XV в. (не позднее 1487 г.) превратился из слитка в счетное понятие: 216 денег. Таким образом, в конце XV в. уже четко вырисовывается следующая новгородская монетная система, заимствованная ганзейскими купцами: 1 рубль (stuck suluers) = 216 денег (denninge), 1 гривна (mark schin) = 14 денег.
https://www.academia.edu/14364450/%D0%9E_%D0%9D%D0%95%D0%9A%D0%9E%D0%A2%D0%9E%D0%A0%D0%AB%D0%A5_%D0%A0%D0%A3%D0%A1%D0%A1%D0%9A%D0%98%D0%A5_%D0%94%D0%95%D0%9D%D0%95%D0%96%D0%9D%D0%AB%D0%A5_%D0%9F%D0%9E%D0%9D%D0%AF%D0%A2%D0%98%D0%AF%D0%A5_%D0%A3%D0%9F%D0%9E%D0%A2%D0%A0%D0%95%D0%91%D0%9B%D0%AF%D0%95%D0%9C%D0%A5_%D0%A1%D0%A0%D0%95%D0%94%D0%98_%D0%93%D0%90%D0%9D%D0%97%D0%95%D0%99%D0%A1%D0%9A%D0%9E%D0%93%D0%9E_%D0%9A%D0%A3%D0%9F%D0%95%D0%A7%D0%95%D0%A1%D0%A2%D0%92%D0%90_%D0%92_%D0%9B%D0%98%D0%92%D0%9E%D0%9D%D0%98%D0%98_%D0%98_%D0%9D%D0%9E%D0%92%D0%93%D0%9E%D0%A0%D0%9E%D0%94%D0%95_About_some_Russian_monetary_terms_used_among_Hanseatic_merchants_in_Livonia_and_Novgorod_
Some Russian monetary terms, adapted by Hanseatic merchants trading with Novgorod, are discussed in the paper. According to some data from the 14th–15th centuries a silver ingot (a rouble) was divided into 60 zolotniks, not 48, as was the case later. Also, zolotnik was not only a weight unit, but also a monetary one.Further, the meaning of the terms marthoubt (marten’s head, i. e. mordka) and mark schin is analysed. Mordka could mean a Livonian artig of the early 15th century. Mark schin, in turn, was a unit of account used by Germans for a grivna of coins. At the beginning of the 15th century a mark schin comprised 28 mordkasartigs but due to Novgorod implementing its own coinage in 1420 it then equated to 14 dengas. Finally, the stuck sulvers turned from an ingot into a unit of accounting of 216 dengas during the 15th century (no later than 1487). Thus, by the end of the 15th century the following monetary system of Novgorod, adapted by Hanseatic merchants, had arisen: 1 rouble (stuck sulvers) = 216 dengas (denninge), 1 grivna (mark schin) = 14 dengas. ******* В статье рассматриваются западные письменные источники, отражающие некоторые русские денежные понятия, заимствованные ганзейскими купцами, торгующими с Великим Новгородом. По некоторым данным XIV–XV вв., слиток серебра (рубль) делился не на 48, как это было позже, а на 60 золотников. При этом золотники являлись не только весовой, но и денежной единицей. Далее анализируются понятия marthoůbt (головка куницы, т. е. мордка) и mark schin (марка шин). Что касается мордки, то в начале XV в. она могла означать ливонский артиг. А марка шин являлась счетным понятием у ганзейцев, обозначая гривну монет. В начале XV в. в нее входило 28 мордокартигов, а с переходом новгородцев в 1420 г. на собственную монету — 14 денег. И наконец, кусок серебра (stuck sulvers) в течение XV в. (не позднее 1487 г.) превратился из слитка в счетное понятие: 216 денег. Таким образом, в конце XV в. уже четко вырисовывается следующая новгородская монетная система, заимствованная ганзейскими купцами: 1 рубль (stuck suluers) = 216 денег (denninge), 1 гривна (mark schin) = 14 денег.
Research Interests:
The paper reports a new specimen of the ''Christian' dirhams with a cross that was recently sold by ebay with the eight other dirhams and purchased by Estonian history museum.
Research Interests:
The paper deals with the data on Russian rouble in Livonian sources until the 16th c.
Research Interests:
Based on written sources the terms of Livonian monetary system of the 13-14th c. are studied as well as the development of and changes in this system.
Research Interests:
A number of late Viking-Age hoards were recently found in North-East Estonia, Varja. The paper discusses the reasons of hiding as well as the most interesting pieces from the hoards.
Research Interests:
The hoard Kuusalu 1936 contained a hitherto unknown coin with Saint Paul on the obverse. It may be dated to the mid 11 th century. The stylistic similarity with type Dannenberg 1 259 allows to attribute this coin to ‘Villa Evithe’. Whilst... more
The hoard Kuusalu 1936 contained a hitherto unknown coin with Saint Paul on the obverse. It may be dated to the mid 11 th century. The stylistic similarity with type Dannenberg 1 259 allows to attribute this coin to ‘Villa Evithe’. Whilst the location of this villa remains unknown, the design and mass point to the Utrecht area.
Research Interests:
The paper deals with a question how could a land without silver resources manage to continue coinage in different circumstances throughout the history.
Research Interests:
The paper deals with the carrier and familiarly and social relations of Urban Dene, the Tallinn (Reval) mint master who seems to have been the richest man in the city.
Research Interests:
Gold coins were just occasionally struck in Livonia. In 1525 the Master of Livonian Order Wolter von Plettenberg issued first silver "thalers" and the same dies were used for striking gold coins, too. Later on, the following Masters of... more
Gold coins were just occasionally struck in Livonia. In 1525 the Master of Livonian Order Wolter von Plettenberg issued first silver "thalers" and the same dies were used for striking gold coins, too. Later on, the following Masters of Order continued issuing gold coins in Riga but it was only the last master Gotthard Kettler (1559-61) who did it in Tallinn also.
Research Interests:
The paper discusses a late Viking-Age silver hoard from Estonia, found in 2013, which contained 309 coins: 298 German, 2 Anglo-Saxon, 7 Danish and 1 Norwegian. The overwhelming part of the hoard was put together in 1060-70s. However, one... more
The paper discusses a late Viking-Age silver hoard from Estonia, found in 2013, which contained 309 coins: 298 German, 2 Anglo-Saxon, 7 Danish and 1 Norwegian. The overwhelming part of the hoard was put together in 1060-70s. However, one single coin, the penny of Archbishop of Mainz Ruthard, dates the whole find from 1089.
Research Interests:
The paper deals with biographies of Tallinn (Reval) mint-masters. They mostly came from Germany or neighbour lands like Poland. Depending on circumstances and skills their destinies could be very different, sometimes even adventurous but... more
The paper deals with biographies of Tallinn (Reval) mint-masters. They mostly came from Germany or neighbour lands like Poland. Depending on circumstances and skills their destinies could be very different, sometimes even adventurous but sometimes miserable.
Research Interests:
Some Russian monetary terms, adapted by Hanseatic merchants trading with Novgorod, are discussed in the paper. According to some data from the 14th–15th centuries a silver ingot (a rouble) was divided into 60 zolotniks, not 48, as was the... more
Some Russian monetary terms, adapted by Hanseatic merchants trading with Novgorod, are
discussed in the paper. According to some data from the 14th–15th centuries a silver ingot (a rouble) was
divided into 60 zolotniks, not 48, as was the case later. Also, zolotnik was not only a weight unit, but also a
monetary one.
2015. № 1. Январь—Июнь 191
Miscellanea / Смесь
И. Леймус. О некоторых русских денежных понятиях...
Further, the meaning of the terms marthoubt (marten’s head, i. e. mordka) and mark schin is analysed.
Mordka could mean a Livonian artig of the early 15th century. Mark schin, in turn, was a unit of account used
by Germans for a grivna of coins. At the beginning of the 15th century a mark schin comprised 28 mordkasartigs
but due to Novgorod implementing its own coinage in 1420 it then equated to 14 dengas. Finally, the
stuck sulvers turned from an ingot into a unit of accounting of 216 dengas during the 15th century (no later
than 1487). Thus, by the end of the 15th century the following monetary system of Novgorod, adapted by
Hanseatic merchants, had arisen: 1 rouble (stuck sulvers) = 216 dengas (denninge), 1 grivna (mark schin) =
14 dengas.
discussed in the paper. According to some data from the 14th–15th centuries a silver ingot (a rouble) was
divided into 60 zolotniks, not 48, as was the case later. Also, zolotnik was not only a weight unit, but also a
monetary one.
2015. № 1. Январь—Июнь 191
Miscellanea / Смесь
И. Леймус. О некоторых русских денежных понятиях...
Further, the meaning of the terms marthoubt (marten’s head, i. e. mordka) and mark schin is analysed.
Mordka could mean a Livonian artig of the early 15th century. Mark schin, in turn, was a unit of account used
by Germans for a grivna of coins. At the beginning of the 15th century a mark schin comprised 28 mordkasartigs
but due to Novgorod implementing its own coinage in 1420 it then equated to 14 dengas. Finally, the
stuck sulvers turned from an ingot into a unit of accounting of 216 dengas during the 15th century (no later
than 1487). Thus, by the end of the 15th century the following monetary system of Novgorod, adapted by
Hanseatic merchants, had arisen: 1 rouble (stuck sulvers) = 216 dengas (denninge), 1 grivna (mark schin) =
14 dengas.
Research Interests:
The paper deals with a small hoard from Estonia that contains a rare Norwegian coin. Relying on the tpq of the find (1068) the dating of the particular Olav Kyrre coin type is discussed.
Research Interests:
This article deals with the problem of weight units in medieval Livonia. The local weight system was based on the Riga silver mark of around 208 g and consisted of the pound (= 2 silver marks), the lispound, that is, the Livonian pound (=... more
This article deals with the problem of weight units in medieval Livonia. The local weight system was based on the Riga silver mark of around 208 g and consisted of the pound (= 2 silver marks), the lispound, that is, the Livonian pound (= 20 markpounds) and the shippound (=20 lispounds). In the early fifteenth century, a shippound weighed about 159 kg in Riga
and 159.5 kg in Tartu. Significant changes took place during the fifteenth century and since 1460 at the latest (in Narva since 1470), a shippound varied from about 163 kg (in Tallinn) to about 173 kg (in Pärnu). It is probable that no more fluctuations in its weight took place and the system was maintained until the end of the medieval period in Livonia (app. 1560).
and 159.5 kg in Tartu. Significant changes took place during the fifteenth century and since 1460 at the latest (in Narva since 1470), a shippound varied from about 163 kg (in Tallinn) to about 173 kg (in Pärnu). It is probable that no more fluctuations in its weight took place and the system was maintained until the end of the medieval period in Livonia (app. 1560).
Article deals with a new find of Samanid Nasr ibn Ahmad imitations bearing a bird with a cross on the head, which might have been struck by Russian duchess Olga around 950 AD.
Research Interests:
On 17 August 2010 a Late Viking period hoard (tpq. 1059), consisting of silver coins, pieces of silver jewellery and fragments of hand-moulded ceramic vessel, was brought to the Institute of History, University of Tallinn (Figs 1; 2:... more
On 17 August 2010 a Late Viking period hoard (tpq. 1059), consisting of silver coins, pieces of silver jewellery and fragments of hand-moulded ceramic vessel, was brought to the Institute of History, University of Tallinn (Figs 1; 2: 1–8). This remarkable discovery had been made a day earlier in a recently harvested field in the village of Linnakse (North-Estonia, county of Anija) using a metal detector. The finder of the hoard also handed over a number of bronze and iron artefacts from three different periods: the Roman, the Middle and the Late Iron Age. The artefacts, all of them with marks of intentional damage or fire deformation, had been found in the same field 20–50 m south of the find-spot of the hoard. The exact circumstances of the discovery remained unclear due to the urgent need to excavate the silver hoard. Therefore it was decided to proceed with archaeological investigation, including landscape survey and trial excavations, at the site.
Research Interests:
The book discusses human-animal interactions and the depiction of animals in medieval Livonia. The chapters are: 1. Animals and law, 2. Horses of the Teutonic Order, 3. Animals as gifts and inheritance, 4. Animals as food, 6. Animals in... more
The book discusses human-animal interactions and the depiction of animals in medieval Livonia. The chapters are: 1. Animals and law, 2. Horses of the Teutonic Order, 3. Animals as gifts and inheritance, 4. Animals as food, 6. Animals in art.
Research Interests:
Im verlassenen Lager des Herzogs Magnus bei Reval starb am 20. März 1570 Kaufmann Matheus Spielmann. Im Stadtarchiv Tallinn werden zwei Rechnungsbücher Spielmanns aus den Jahren 1568-1570 aufbewahrt. Diese Quellen erlauben einen Einblick... more
Im verlassenen Lager des Herzogs Magnus bei Reval starb am 20. März 1570 Kaufmann Matheus Spielmann. Im Stadtarchiv Tallinn werden zwei Rechnungsbücher Spielmanns aus den Jahren 1568-1570 aufbewahrt. Diese Quellen erlauben einen Einblick in den Handelsbeziehungen von Reval in der Zeit des Livländischen Kriegs. Im Gegensatz zur verbreiteten Auffassungen geht daraus hervor, dass Reval seine internationale Rolle als Vermittler im Handel zwischen Westeuropa und Russland nicht eingebüßt hatte und zwar ungeachtet der Konkurrenz mit Narva und trotz des Kriegs, der schon etwa zehn Jahre gedauert hatte. Über Spielmann selbst weiβ man nur, dass er ein begabter Kaufmann gewesen ist, dessen Handelskontakte von Antwerpen bis Wilna und von Köln bis Moskau reichten und ihm hohe Umsätze einbrachten.
Research Interests:
Numismatica Baltica 1
Between Klaipeda and Turku
Decennary volume of the Association of Baltic Numismatists
Association of Baltic Numismatists 2016
Between Klaipeda and Turku
Decennary volume of the Association of Baltic Numismatists
Association of Baltic Numismatists 2016
Research Interests:
In 2015 the Association of Baltic Numismatists celebrated its decennial jubilee. The present collection of papers has been written by the members of the association and is dedicated to the anniversary. As the title indicates this volume... more
In 2015 the Association of Baltic Numismatists celebrated its decennial jubilee. The present collection of papers has been written by the members of the association and is dedicated to the anniversary. As the title indicates this volume hopefully will be the first of a long series.