The hoard of Queen Rusudan’s copper coins from the town of Tskneti.
Abstract
The article is dedicated to the study of Queen Rusudan’s (1223–1245) copper coins and to the comprehensive analysis of a coin hoard discovered in 2019 in the town/daba of Tskneti, consisting of 97 coins. The hoard contained the so-called “well-struck” copper coins of Queen Rusudan, among which only eight were foreign issues.
The paper provides a detailed description of the copper and silver coins, including their typological features, weight and graphic characteristics, as well as an analysis of the Georgian and Arabic inscriptions found on them. It also systematizes the mintmarks, identifying five distinct variants.
The study concludes that the examined coins represent one of the most significant finds in the history of Georgian numismatic research, allowing for a more precise determination of the chronological and geographical extent of Queen Rusudan’s monetary policy.
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