On the Issue of Finds of Medieval Chinese Coins in the Volga Region and the North Caucasus
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2026.3.318.328Keywords:
archaeology, numismatics, Jochid State (Golden Horde), Chinese coins of the 7th–13th centuries, Bolgar, Krasnoyarsk, Madzhar, Selitrennoye, Uvek, Tsarev settlements, Song Empire, attribution of numismatic monumentsAbstract
The aim of this study is to summarize, analyze, and systematize previously published data, as well as to introduce new data into scientific discourse regarding medieval Chinese coins found between the 19th and early 21st centuries in the Golden Horde settlements of the Volga region and the North Caucasus. The attribution of newly discovered and published numismatic monuments was carried out and clarified. Information on the finds of more than 39 coins was recorded, of which 28 have currently been attributed (1 – Tang Empire, 24 – Northern Song, 3 – Southern Song). The geography and composition of the findings refute the opinion that they were «chance» and «solitary» finds . These numismatic monuments are valuable evidence of the interaction of the Jochid State (Golden Horde) with China and the vast steppe «borderland». The main routes of their penetration here ran through the states of the Chagataids and Hulaguids (Southern Song coins). Due to their specificity, Chinese coins could not be full participants in local monetary circulation and were presumably used as amulets, charms, game tokens or «gifts to the dead». The authors of the article point out the need to take into account, in the process of searching for data on numismatic monuments of Chinese origin, in addition to contextually documented, also de-certified finds that are recorded in catalogues, stored in museums and private collections.
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