Abstract
This paper explores the archaeological and written evidence for the development of standardised commodity money and fiat money in the Viking Age early medieval marketplaces of Eastern Europe. The flat axe-like iron bars known as grzywna ‘of iron’ from Poland and Czechia and similar axe-like iron bars known as vevjern from southern Norway are discussed as examples of standardised commodity money. The animal pelts with lead seals known as plomby from Eastern Slavonic regions and the territory of the Volga Bulgars are discussed as examples of fiat money. The implications of both standardised commodity money and fiat money are described within the context of trade and exchange in the Viking Age of Eastern Europe, as are the implications of their use in early medieval marketplaces for regional economic activity and organisation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Ruralia XV Farmers’ trade and markets. Social and Economic Interaction in the Medieval and Early Modern European Countryside |
| Place of Publication | Leiden |
| Publisher | Sidestone Press, Leiden |
| Pages | 305 |
| Number of pages | 315 |
| Volume | 15 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | ISBN 978-94-6427-134-8, MARIE ØDEGAARD, KJETIL LOFTSGARDEN, CLAUDIA THEUNE |
| ISBN (Print) | ISBN 978-94-6427-132-4 (, ISBN 978-94-6427-133-1 ( |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Sept 2025 |
Keywords
- Viking Age
- Eastern Europe
- trade and exchange
- marketplace
- commodity money
- fiat money
- standardisation
- measurement
- flat axe-like iron bar
- animal pelts with lead seals.