Carolingian Coinage and the Vikings

Carolingian Coinage and the Vikings Synopsis

Historians and numismatists alike will welcome the appearance of this volume, which brings together for the first time Simon Coupland's series of highly significant articles on Carolingian coinage. The author draws out the economic and political implications of coin types and coin hoards from the reign of Charlemagne to the Edict of Pîtres in 864. This numismatic survey is complemented by a number of other studies which use the evidence of coinage and contemporary texts to consider aspects of trade and power in the ninth century, particularly the impact of the Viking raids. These include pieces on the important emporia of Dorestad and Quentovic, on the tributes paid to the Scandinavian raiders and the deals made with individual Viking leaders, and on the destination of the loot which was taken and its possible influence on the development of an indigenous Scandinavian coinage. Combining these articles from the specialist historical and numismatic publications in which they originally appeared will be of great value to students of Carolingian history, economics and politics, as well as numismatists.