Numismatic and Archaeological Evidence of Supra-Regional Trade in the Southern Parts of the Late Avar State

Abstract

This article will bring together the archaeological finds from Syrmia and southern Bačka, mostly numismatic, which apparently testify to the supraregional trade that was taking place in the southern parts of the Late Avar state: Abbasid coins from Sirmium, Zemun, Čelarevo, Futog, and Šišatovci, as well as a well-known hoard from Donji Petrovci (also containing nine dinars), and an eighth-century solidus from Maglić. In doing so, it will build upon the studies of, first of all, Michael McCormick, Falko Daim, and Péter Somogyi. These finds have been mistakenly connected with migrations, or left without interpretation; only occasionally some of them were described as pointing to inter-ethnic trade relations. On the other hand, the belt-set from Zemun, bearing human representations in a Late Roman style, may be seen as indicative of connections between the northern Mediterranean region and the southern parts of the Khaganate.