vamz / 3. serija / lii (2o19) luka štefan: moneta regis pro sclavonia from the mekiš-zgruti hoard 179 moneta regis pro sclavonia from the mekiš-zgruti hoard Luka Štefan Archaeological Museum in Zagreb Trg Nikole Šubića Zrinskog 19 HR – 10000 Zagreb [email protected] UDK/UDC: 904:737.1(497.5-35 Koprivnica)''12/13'' Izvorni znanstveni rad / Original scientific paper The term “banovac” (denarius banalis) has been known in litera- characterized by superficially executed obverses and reverses, ture since the late 19th century, when Ćiro Truhelka published his which especially applies to legends, in contrast to earlier issues. capital work Slavonski banovci: prinos hrvatskoj numismatici The overall aim of this paper is to draw attention to the impor- in 1897. This type of coin has been sporadically mentioned ever tance of this autonomous coinage from the region of Slavonia, since, usually in the form of short research papers or in larger which was used for financial transactions in that area during syntheses. The denars issued by Ban1 Miklós Amade (Lat. Nicola the 13th and 14th centuries. Also, by taking into consideration Omodei; Cro. Nikola Omodejev)2 were unknown as such at that the Mekiš-Zgruti hoard, this paper will offer some insights on a time. Rather, they were attributed to the reign of King Bela IV, al- small part of the hundred-year history of the minting of “bano- most a century before their actual time, until the discovery of the vac” coins. Mekiš-Zgruti hoard. The denars or “banovci” from the hoard are Key words: “banovac”, Mekiš-Zgruti, late medieval mints, Nikola Omodejev, Slavonia, de- narius banalis, coinage, medieval numismatics Introduction3 From the 13th century, under the rule of Bela IV, a new, highly Free Cities, received by individual settlements (e.g. Varaždin) as valued coin was introduced, known in the literature as the early as the 13th century, also contributed to the development of Slavonian “banovac” or, as the contemporary sources called it, the denarius banalis, as an autonomous means of payment in denarius banalis.4 Made of silver with a very small percentage of the area of modern northern and eastern Croatia.6 copper, and with its outstanding stylistic characteristics, it was very popular in the earliest stages of its distribution within and The denar, therefore, has never been minted out of pure silver, beyond the borders of modern Croatia. According to Metcalf, its but it also contained copper in a ratio that, depending on the po- production began due to the economic prosperity of Zagreb and litical and economic situation, was subject to change.7 trade with the German area.5 The privileges and status of Royal 1 “Ban” was a title given to the legal representative of the king in medieval 6 Metcalf 1978, 46. Croatia, Slavonia and Bosnia. 7 Truhelka 1897, 36. 2 Miklós Amade was his Hungarian name. Nikola or Nicola was the name he was known by in the Croatian area. 3 This paper is a modified version of my graduate thesis, defended on 23rd October 2018 in the Department of Archaeology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb, under the mentorship of Ana Azinović Bebek. 4 This is the most common variant of the name. Some of the others are: denarii zagrabienses, Grechenses, verocenses. Although they are known as “banovci” in Croatia, the term is not correct because this was a name used for a vice-Ban (Dolenec 1982, 4; Križan 2010, 7–8; Rengjeo 2011, 180). 5 Metcalf 1965, 165. 180 luka štefan: moneta regis pro sclavonia from the mekiš-zgruti hoard vamz / 3. serija / lii (2o19) Figure 1. Inventory of the Mekiš-Zgruti hoard (AMZ, G1039; photo by Igor Krajcar). From a charter of Bela IV of 1256, it is evident that Bans issued With time the quality, and thus the value, of the denarius banalis money as royal representatives in the mint vltra Dravam (camera fell, until its complete disappearance in the late 14th century.12 de vltra Drava).8 This probably refers to the Pakrac mint, which is In the first quarter of this century, King Charles Robert I tried to also called camera de Puchruch, and is known as the oldest mint bring back the lost value of this coinage by introducing a reform,13 of this Croatian autonomous coinage.9 As mentioned before, dur- during the regency of Ban Miklós Felsőlendvai Amade, whose ing the 13th and 14th centuries, Zagreb developed into a strong coins (denars and oboli) are found in the Mekiš-Zgruti hoard. By economic center of Slavonia, which conditioned the mint’s relo- the king’s command, he tried to imitate the coins of the same cation.10 quality as minted earlier under Bela IV, which is noticeable on the coins themselves. Apart from the loss of Gothic inscriptions, Particularly interesting is the denarii Gurches, which are thought the difference is evident in the simplicity and “negligence” in the to have been named according to the monetarius and comes production of some dies, as well as the process of minting itself. camerae from 1323 who minted them (Ladislavs Gurches).11 Given During the analysis, some inconsistencies and doubts about the that this is precisely the period when denars under Ban Miklós coins appeared, with respect to the authors who had previously Amade were minted, we can not exclude the possibility that the studied the hoard, which will also be presented and explained in coins which are the subject of this paper, and are discussed in more detail in the continuation of the text. the continuation of this study, were called by that name. 8 Truhelka 1897, 5; Herman Kaurić 2006, 10; Križan 2010, 5. 11 Truhelka 1897, 9, 16. 9 Truhelka 1897, 8; Herman Kaurić 2006, 10. 12 The exact date is unknown (Mirnik 1981, 16). 10 Kampuš 1981, 10. 13 Smičiklas 1911, 105–106. vamz / 3. serija / lii (2o19) luka štefan: moneta regis pro sclavonia from the mekiš-zgruti hoard 181 Map 1. Location of the sites Mekiš-Zgruti and Ruškova greda (Čimin 2017a, 280). The hoard was found in a place where archaeologists recently cavations of the eponymous medieval village, settled from the discovered a medieval village dated from the late 11th century to late 11th century to the mid-16th, which belonged to the Gorbonok the mid-16th.14 At the time of the purchase in 1967, the hoard con- estate.15 tained a large number of denarii banales alongside a pair of tem- ple rings and three signet rings. The coins, as an important part Several pit structures were found at Zgruti, some of which have of the inventory, have never been studied in detail. This paper, been confirmed as houses of various shapes.16 The archaeologi- therefore, seeks to give insight on one small part of the hundred- cal material found inside houses and waste pits, such as frag- year history of the minting of the “banovac”. ments of ceramic vessels, ceramic balls, animal bones etc., indi- cates the above-mentioned time period, which corresponds to About the Hoard the general dating of the hoard.17 The commonest type of vessel is kitchen pottery decorated with wheel ornaments, horizontal The hoard, consisting of silver coins and jewellery (Fig. 1), was notches and horizontal grooves, as well as tableware of Austro- found near Podravske Sesvete, in the settlement of Mekiš, at the Hungarian provenance, which points to the considerable pur- position called Zgruti (Map 1). The place is located in the eastern chasing power of this small community.18 part of the Koprivnica-Križevci County, where, in recent years, the Museum of the City of Koprivnica has conducted partial ex- 14 See below. 15 Čimin 2014, 149; 2017a, 279; 2017b, 7–8. 16 Čimin 2013, 173; 2017b, 8. 17 Čimin 2017b, 10–11. 18 Čimin 2017b, 11–12. 182 luka štefan: moneta regis pro sclavonia from the mekiš-zgruti hoard vamz / 3. serija / lii (2o19) As an extremely valuable, and almost unique, finding of this in the inscriptions, the poorly executed and superficial depic- type in Croatia, the hoard was purchased by the Archaeological tions, and with the jewellery that was found in this and other Museum in Zagreb from the famous Croatian artist Vanja Radauš hoards (e.g. Sokolovac, Rakitovica),30 it is possible to argue that in 1967 for the amount of 10 000 ND.19 The hoard contained a these denars were minted during the rule of Ban Miklós Amade large number of silver denars, two well-preserved temple rings (1322–1324).31 Initially, Rengjeo considered them to be the oldest and three signet rings. The jewellery has been thoroughly stud- “banovci” because of the rough minting,32 but later, after study- ied and published by Ivan Mirnik and Željko Demo.20 ing historical sources, he changed his mind and included them among the later types. Although the coins at first sight look iden- Hitherto the coins have been used only for dating purposes tical, there are some differences in the inscriptions and presenta- and not studied in any detail.21 With that in mind, the burial of tion, which suggests that different dies were used in the minting, the hoard was placed at the end of the 13th century and the be- made by different artisans. Rengjeo distinguished over 30 vari- ginning of the 14th – or, more precisely, in the period of Miklós ants of Miklós’s coins within this hoard by noting the differences Amade.22 The denarii banales were issued for the area of medi- in the size and thickness of the letters minted on the blank, and eval Slavonia (Regnum Sclavoniae), which included the counties the differences in their placement.33 But if we take into account of Križevci, Zagreb and Varaždin.23 In 1958, Ivan Rengjeo pub- the possibility of a weaker strike or a shift during minting, these lished a short review of the coins from the hoard.