Copper Coins of the Golden Horde Settlement Shehr al-Jadid

Abstract

The article describes the copper coins (puls) minted in the 1360s in the Golden Horde city of Shehr al-Jadida (New City), located in Old Orhei (Republic of Moldova). The article offers a comparative analysis of the results of studying these coins by other scientists. The catalog of the article contains data on 593 coins, including photographs of 164 of them. Coin images of identified varieties of original and imitative puls have been restored and their drawings are presented. The evolution of the use of the “islimi” ornamental substrate technique on the puls of Shehr al-Jadida is presented. Based on a study of stamping dies, a grid of correlations of dies was built and a classification of puls was created. The boundaries of the use of the former Juchid copper puls in re-minting Shehr al-Jadida coins at the early stages of their issue are determined. The criteria distinguishing original issues from imitative ones are revealed. These include the simplified, barbaric nature of the legend and images, as well as the absence of any connection between the stamping dies and the coins of the original issues. An analysis of the die characteristics of the coins of the New City, found in various regions of Moldova and Ukraine, allows us to conclude that the mint of Shehr al-Jadida could work only on the territory of the modern Old Orhei. The article is provided with a large number of illustrations, including previously unpublished varieties of copper puls.