Publication: Rus mercenaries in the Byzantine-Arab wars of the 950s-960s: the numismatic evidence
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Date
2018
Authors
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Publisher
EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste
Abstract
Using specific coin types (tenth-century dirhams and pre-970 Byzantine miliaresia) imported from the eastern Mediterranean and upper Mesopotamia in a very restricted chronological period (950s-960s) through (the Dnepr River) and into a confined region of the Northern lands (mainly Sweden) – combined with the evidence of Arab, Byzantine, and Rus’ written sources – this study argues that it is possible to trace numismatically the participation of Rus’ mercenaries in the Byzantine-Arab wars of the late 950s-960s. While dirhams discovered in the Northern lands are most commonly associated with trade relations between the Islamic world and Viking-age Northern Europe, the coins considered in this study offer a unique opportunity to identify and examine some of the non-commercial origins of silver imported into the region: they were products of loot and payments, generated by the Rus’ from their military operations in the eastern Mediterranean basin in the 950s-960s.
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Keywords
Ru's, 10th century, dirhams, Byzantine armies, Varagians
Citation
Roman K. Kovalev, “Rus mercenaries in the Byzantine-Arab wars of the 950s-960s: the numismatic evidence” in: Bruno Callegher and Arianna D’Ottone Rambach (Edited by), “5th Simone Assemani Symposium on Islamic coins. Rome, 29-30 September 2017”, EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste,Trieste, 2018, pp. 145-195