Archaeologists in Russia have uncovered a Kolomna coin hoard containing 2,600 silver coins, including more than 350 varieties not recorded before. Researchers say the cache may have been buried by a wealthy owner who later died in a medieval plague.
The coins were packed inside an elegant ceramic jug, according to an Aug. 26 translated statement from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The vessel was set in a pit in the historic center of Kolomna, about 71 miles, or 114 kilometers, southeast of Moscow. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Kolomna ranked as the region’s second-most-important city.
Kolomna coin hoard dominated by dengi
Most of the silver coins are dengi, first minted in the late 14th century by the Grand Principality of Moscow. A single denga was valued at half a kopek, with 100 kopeks to a ruble. The collection is dominated by coins struck in Kolomna under Vasily I, who reigned from 1389 to 1425, and Vasily II, who ruled from 1425 to 1462, according to the institute. At that time Moscow and its surrounding lands formed an independent principality.
Among the most notable pieces is an exceptionally rare denga bearing a bird in flight, attributed to the final years of Vasily I’s reign, the institute said. Specialists are now analyzing more than 350 coins that appear to represent previously unknown Kolomna issues.
High-status owner and possible plague link
Based on the scale and quality of the Kolomna coin hoard, researchers believe the owner was likely of high status, such as a senior official or a prosperous merchant. While the reason for burial remains uncertain, the date range of the latest coins offers a clue. The most recent issues were minted in the latter half of the 1420s, suggesting the owner could have perished during a plague epidemic that affected Russian principalities from 1424 to 1427, according to the institute’s statement.
The coins were packed inside an elegant ceramic jug, according to an Aug. 26 translated statement from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Kolomna ranked as the region’s second-most-important city.
Medieval-era discoveries in the region also include a medieval chamber tomb with horse and dog found in Russia, highlighting the richness of the archaeological record.