Numismatic Fund of the Museum of History of Azerbaijan

The numismatic department in the museum was created as part of the State Museum of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1920 and initially consisted of 103 coins. From this period, accounting and study of coins found in the territory of Azerbaijan begins ^[1] .

So, in 1919, collector-numismatist Yevgeny Pakhomov arrived in Baku and went to work and created a numismatic cabinet in Musekskurs (now the Museum of the History of Azerbaijan). Later, the cabinet was transformed into a fund run by Pakhomov for 35 years, constantly paying attention to coin finds in the territory of Azerbaijan and the regions adjacent to it. As a result of Pakhomov’s research, he published a series of publications from nine issues entitled “Coin treasures of Azerbaijan and other republics, territories, regions of the Caucasus” ^[2] .

The first collection of the cabinet consisted of 103 Greek, Roman, Oriental and other coins purchased from N. M. Egorov. This collection was later replenished with another 23 coins bought from other collectors. A significant part of the collection was numismatic material from the former Istiglal museum, which included 283 copies of various coins ^[3] . In 1938, the museum’s numismatic collection grew to 2,407 coins, mainly replenished with Sasanian coins discovered and transferred to the museum by collective farmers from the village of Alty-Agach ^[4] .

In 1968, the director of the numismatics and epigraphy department of the museum was appointed a student of Pakhomov, Ali Rajabli , who is the author of the monograph "Numismatics of Azerbaijan", written on the basis of numismatic material from the Numismatic Fund of the Museum of History of Azerbaijan ^[5] , and more than 70 articles ^[1] .

By 1975, the collection of old museum coins was already about 85 thousand copies ^[6] . The Numismatic Fund of the Museum of the History of Azerbaijan was one of the richest collections of oriental coins in the country ^[7] .

The numismatic fund of the Museum of History of Azerbaijan continued to replenish with new coins, among which were valuable and rare ^[8] .

Antique Coins

In 1958 ^{[9] [10]} on the site of the ancient settlement of Khynysl , 2 km from the city of Shemakha , a treasure of coins was discovered, at the location of which it was possible to collect more than 200 coins, which were soon delivered to the Museum of History of Azerbaijan. The treasure was studied by Pakhomov and, according to his description, contained tetradrachms of Tsar Thrace Lysimachus, the city of Athens, Kings Bithynia Nycomed II and Nycomed III, Seleucid kings Antiochus IV, Demetrius I, Alexander I, Antiochus VII, Alexander II, Antiochus VIII, Seleucus VI, Antiev X, Philip I, King Pontus Mithridates VI, drachma of the Arshakids of Parthia Fraat I, Mithridates II, Artaban II, Sanatruk, Fraat III, denarius of the Roman Republic 82 BC. e. and local imitations of the coins of Alexander the Great, Seleucids and Arshakids ^[11] .

In 1966, near the ancient city of Kabala , the capital of Caucasian Albania, members of the Gabala archaeological expedition of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan also found, identified and published a treasure of ancient coins, consisting of 593 samples ^[11] . In addition to the coins of Macedonia, Thrace, Seleucia and Parthia already encountered in the territory of Azerbaijan, this treasure contained tetradrachms of the kings of Bactria Diadot and Eucratides, as well as local imitations of the drachmas of Alexander the Great and tetradrachms of the Seleucid coin.

In 1972 ^[10] a treasure of silver coins of the ancient period was discovered near the village of Nyudi, Akhsu district . The treasure, consisting of 36 coins, was discovered in a women's grave in the Nyuda monument . The coins depict: a schematic human head on one side, on the other hand - a man holding a staff or spear in one hand, and a bird (sometimes a goat) in the other. There are no inscriptions on the coins. Being local Albanian , the coins were minted in imitation of the coins of Alexander the Great . Similar anonymous coins were found in other regions of Azerbaijan, such as the Khynysl, Gabale and Yaloylutepe ) ^[12]

Also among the exhibits of the museum is the silver drachma of King Atropatena Darius I ^[13] .

Coins of Alexander the Great and Seleucids

The first coins on the territory of modern Azerbaijan, according to finds, came after the region became part of the empire of Alexander the Great ^[14] . His coins are the earliest coins found in Azerbaijan ^[15] .

The very first registered find of coins of Alexander the Great in the territory of present-day Azerbaijan took place in 1897 , when Alexander’s silver tetradrachm was discovered in a treasure near the village of Gulistan in Nagorno-Karabakh. Although the treasure itself was lost, the coin itself was acquired by the Azerbaijan History Museum. Another Alexander coin was bought for the museum, which was discovered in a treasure ^{[16] [14]} found in 1925 in Barda (east of the Imam-Zade mosque). Also, in 1929, a treasure of Macedonian and Seleucid tetradrachms was discovered near Barda, of which in the same year one tetradrachm of Alexander the Great, as well as tetradrachms of the Seleucid kings Antiochus IV , Antiochus V , Demetrius I ^{[14] [16]} and Antiochus VII were brought into the museum. ^[16] . Seleucid coins began to fall into this territory from the II century BC. e., but near the beginning of our era they cease to come across, and mainly Arshakid drachmas mixed with Roman denarius, especially Augustus, remain in circulation ^[15] .

Coins of Alexander the Great were also found later: in 1933 - as part of a treasure discovered in the Ordubad region , in 1964 - in Zangelansky , in 1966 - in Kutkashensky ^[11] . Of the treasures in which the coins of Alexander were discovered, there is also one belonging to the end of the II - beginning of the 1st centuries. BC e. ^[15] This is the latest discovered treasure trove with Alexander’s coins, dating from the youngest coin ^[14] .

Pakhomov notes that it is unlikely that the discovered coins of Alexander came to this territory even during the life of the latter. This is because the coins of Alexander were so popular that they were in circulation and were minted for a fairly long time after the death of the conqueror ^{[15] [14]} .

Roman coins

In the second half of the 1st century BC. e. Roman coins penetrate the territory of Caucasian Albania ^[15] , the earliest of which are also dated to the 1st century BC. e. ^[17] . Mostly these are silver denarii , with the exception of the golden aureuses of Rome ^[17] found by archaeologist Mammadali Huseynov in Gazakh .

The main place among Roman coins is occupied by silver coins of the imperial period. In the western regions of modern Azerbaijan, which were then part of Greater Armenia , numerous treasures of silver denarius of Augustus with the image of his adoptive grandchildren Guy and Lucius were discovered ^[18] . One of these coins was found during excavation work in Barda and was acquired by the museum ^[19] . A small treasure of twelve ^[20] similar coins, including the denarius of Augustus ^[20] , was discovered in the village of Tazakend, Zhdanovsky district ^[18] . The denarius of Plautilla, the wife of Caracalla (3rd century CE), is the latest recorded Roman coin in Azerbaijan ^[18] . It was discovered on April 2, 1947 by the director of the museum S. M. Kaziev during the examination of a burial in the settlement of Kalaget, north of Mingachevir , together with the silver Roman denarius Antoninus Pius ^[21] .

Albanian Imitation Coins

The largest number of imitation coins of Caucasian Albania , in comparison with other discovered treasures, was found in the Khynyslinsky and Kabalinsky treasures. Even before the discovery of the aforementioned treasures, similar coins were found in the excavation zone of the Yaloylutepa culture. The treasure of the burial near the village of Nyudi consists entirely of 36 imitation coins ^[11] .

On some of these coins, Alexander the Great is depicted, on others, Zeus ^[22] . So, for example, a treasure from Kabbalah, buried in the 20s of the II century BC. e., contained more than 500 coins of Albanian coinage - imitation of the coins of Alexander ^[10] . The treasure also included three imitations of the Seleucid tetradrachms with an attempt to convey the Greek inscription ( Apollo is depicted on one) ^[23] . Having studied the front and back sides of these coins, S. Dadasheva came to the conclusion that the tetradrachmas of Antioch IV served as a model for them ^[23] .

The appearance of Parthian coins on the territory of Albania led to the crowding out of local imitations of Parthian drachma. This phenomenon was also due to the fact that Parthian coins, dating back to 140 BC. e., contained less and less silver ^[23] .

Parthian coins

Parthian coins are represented almost exclusively by silver drachmas ^[24] . They appear on the territory of modern Azerbaijan from the II century BC. e. ^{[15] [25]} in connection with the entry of Atropatena into Parthia and the strengthening of the sphere of influence of the Arshakids on Albania. Parthian coins are found both in the form of treasures, and in separate instances ^[25] .

So, one of the large treasures of Parthian coins received at the Museum of the History of Azerbaijan was discovered in 1960 in the village of Khersonovka Ali Bayramlinsky district . Drachmas of Artaban III , Gotarza II , Vologes I , Artaban IV , Mithridates IV and Vologes III were discovered in it. Also in 1970, a treasure was discovered in the Mugan steppe , from which two drachmas of Artaban III were saved ^[25] . The museum also received the drachma Fraata IV ^[26] found in 1948 from the pitcher burial in Mingachevir in Mingachevir , and found in 1944 in the ruins of the fortress of Kabala by the expedition of S. M. Kaziev drachma Gotarza ^[27] . Found in 1974 near the village of Chukhuryurd of the Shamakhy district, two silver Parthian drachmas of the 1st century BC. e. subsequently also entered the museum ^[28] . In 1924, the museum received found in 1910 in the ruins of the city of Berdaa (south of Yevlakh ) drachma Fraat IV ^[29] .

Very often met on the territory of Azerbaijan drachma Mithridates II . So, for example, 10% of the coins of the Khynyslinsky treasure are precisely its coins (about 30 copies) ^[30] . The coins of Artaban III are widely distributed, due to its special popularity in Atropatene and in neighboring Albania, as well as the relatively long term of his reign. Among the coins of Artaban III, there are even coins dating back to the beginning of the III century. Parthian coins gradually replaced local imitation coins, which ceased to be minted by the beginning of our era. The drachmas of Parthia dominated Albania, despite the spread of Roman silver from the West ^[17] .

Medieval Coins

Sassanid Coins

A large number of Sassanid coins were found in Azerbaijan. So, only in the XX century, more than 100 treasures of various sizes were discovered here, except for single specimens. For example, in 1924, the Khosrov II coin arrived in the museum, found in 1910 on the ruins of the Oren-Kala fortress (now the Beylagan region ) ^[31] , and in 1948 a small Sasanian coin was discovered by an employee of the Osipova museum during a survey of the remains of ancient buildings near Mingachevir ^[32] . In 1934, two treasures (with 83 and 86 copies) of the Sassanid silver coins, including Khosrov I coins (the earliest of the first treasure, dated 542), Ormizda VI, Khosrov II, Ardashir III , Hormizda IV, Kavada I (the earliest of the second treasure, 490 years) ^[33] .

The time range of almost all of the Sassanid coins found here is the V — VII centuries. An exception is the treasure of the end of the III century , found in 1963 in the village of Chukhur-Gabala (mainly it consists of coins of Bahram II ) ^[34] .

The high prevalence of Sasanian coins in this territory is explained by the strengthening towards the end of the 5th - beginning of the 6th centuries. the influence of the Sassanids in the Caucasus, including military-administrative measures of Nars and Shapur II to strengthen the northern borders of the country and domestic reforms (tax, administrative, financial) of Khosrov I Anushirvan , which contributed to the successful development of urban life, crafts and commodity production. In this regard, the number of mints increased in the territory of Caucasian Albania ^[34] .

The first local mint on the territory of modern Azerbaijan was the mint of the city of Nakhichevan , which began to work during Khosrov I , from 533, and was located within Persian Armenia . Coins of Ormizd IV , Khosrov II , Ardashir III , Borandokht , Azarmedokht , Ormizd V , Khosrov V , Yazdegerd III were minted here . In 639 , in the seventh year of the reign of the last Sassanid Yazdegerd III, the minting of coins here ceases ^[35] . Another mint was the city of Barda ^[36] . Sassanid coins circulated in the region and 100-150 years after the fall of the empire and were found in treasures along with coins of the Arab caliphate ^[37] .

Byzantine coins

The first Byzantine coins that penetrated the territory of modern Azerbaijan were the gold solids of Constantine I the Great ^[37] . They are found here in single instances and are found mainly in the western and southwestern regions of the country. However, as the rivalry between Persia and Byzantium for control over the border areas increased, the influx of Byzantine coins into the region either gained strength or stopped altogether. The last time Byzantine coins entered here on a large scale in the first half of the VII century , under the emperor Heraclius I. This was due to the feud between Byzantium and the Sassanid empire. Coins of Heraclius were minted in Constantinople since 615 in a larger size (about 6.5 g) compared to the Sassanids. In addition to economic goals, the distribution of Byzantine coins with the image on the back of the cross pursued religious goals in the East, competing with the Sasanian drachma, which depicted atashdan - a symbol of Zoroastrianism ^[38] .

Several treasures with Sassanid drachmas and Byzantine hexagrams were found on the territory of Azerbaijan ^{[ specify ]} , which indicates a clash of interests between Iran and Byzantium in the region. So, in 1965, one of such treasures was found in the Kedabay region , 32 of which 40 coins belonged to the Sassanids, and the rest were hexagrams ^{[ clarify ] of the} Byzantine emperors Heraclius I and Heraclius Constantine (4 copies) and Constantine II (3 copies) ^{[38 ]} .

In connection with the strengthening of the power of the Arabs in the Middle East, the circulation of Byzantine coins in the territory of Azerbaijan was stopped for some time ^[38] . Nevertheless, due to the economic development of the Byzantine Empire from the 10th century and the silver crisis in the East during this period, the penetration of Byzantine coins here intensifies over time. These were minted on the territory of modern Azerbaijan during the 11th-12th centuries. concave gold coins of the Byzantine emperors fell through Asia Minor and the Seljukids , which did not impede the trading of Byzantine coins ^[39] . В 1925 году в Музей истории Азербайджана поступило пять подобных золотых византийских вогнутых монет Константина XIII Дуке , найденных в старинной христианской могиле в Лачине ^[40] . В 1927 году близ села Вери Зувандского района был найден и доставлен в музей клад золотых монет XI века, принадлежавших Михаилу VII Дуке и Никифору III Вотаниату ^[41] .

Монеты Арабского халифата

После вхождения территории современного Азербайджана в состав Арабского халифата и его укрепления в регионе здесь начинает распространяться чекан монет новой империи. Изначально монетные дворы учреждались в городах, где ещё при Сасанидах имелись дворы (например, в Барде). Впоследствии монетные дворы появились в таких городах, как ал-Йазидиййе , Байлакан , Гянджа , ал-Мутаваккилиййе . Однако, в отличие от предыдущих эпох, на монетах, которые чеканились в начальный период правления халифата, отмечались не названия городов, а названия областей, где эти дворы были расположены (к примеру, Арран , Азербайджан , Арминийа ). При Омейядах , когда почти весь Южный Кавказ входил в состав области Арминийа, главной резиденцией арабских наместников в этой области был город Барда, где и был расположен главный монетный двор. При Аббасидах , во второй половине VIII века , на монетах, отчеканенных в Барде, уже появляется название города. До этого же на монетах обозначалось как название города, так и области ^[42] . Здесь монеты чеканились ещё при халифах X века: ал-Муктадире , ар-Ради и ал-Муттаки ^[43] . Монеты же с названием Аррана чеканились в основном в Байлакане ^[42] (самая ранняя монета из музея монетного двора этой области датирована 707 годом ) ^[44] . В ал-Йазидиййе же чеканились только медные фелсы ^[43] .

Если при Омейядах монеты чеканились в основном без упоминания имён халифов и их наместников, то на аббасидских монетах уже имелись имена халифов, наследников, наместников областей и прочие надписи ^[43] . Так, например, в одном из обнаруженных в Барде кладов была найдена 51 монета, представляющие собой фелсы, отчеканенные в ал-Бабе , ал-Йазидиййе и Арране от имени арабских наместников — сыновей Йазида ибн Усайда — Асада, Мухаммада, Халида и его брата Ахмеда ^[45] . Так, к примеру, в нумизматическом фонде музея хранится медный фелс Барды 759 года , отчеканенный от имени Йазида ибн Усайда, а последний фелс Барды, битый от имени этого наместника, отчеканен в 779 году ^[46] . Сохранившаяся же в музее последняя монета Халида ибн Йазида датирована 832 годом ^[47] .

В Музее истории Азербайджана хранится найденный в 1910 году клад аббасидских монет II века хиджры ^[48] . В 1929 году в музей поступил найденный в окрестностях Гянджи клад серебряных дирхемов, отчеканенных при Омейядах и Аббасидах, среди которых были и монеты, отчеканенные в Арране, Арминийе, а также в таких городах, как Басра, Мерв, Хамадан, Герат и др. ^[49] . В 1934 году в музей из города Карягино поступил клад, состоявший из 93 серебряных монет, среди которых были омейядские дирхемы, отчеканенные в Истахре, Африкии, Джее и аббасидские дирхемы, отчеканенные в Арминийи, Басре, ар-Рее, Мединет ас-саламе и ал-Куфе ^[50] .

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