Pages: 119-126

During the archaeological excavations in Staraya Ladoga in 1948 and 1949, debris of two burnt structures was discovered, one of utility and one of residential purpose. Among the artefacts associated with these structures, two gold coins minted in 1607 in the Netherlands can be distinguished. In the territory of the Russian Medieval state, finds of foreign gold coins are very rare. Written sources indicate that coin gold in Russia served a number of limited functions, such as pendants to icons, diplomatic gifts, customs duties and others. Russian “golds” in most cases were used as awards.
The appearance of gold coins in Staraya Ladoga, and especially their subsequent disappearance, cannot be related to a limited range of use of gold coins in Russia. Perhaps the reason for the loss of the ducats should be associated with the events that took place in Ladoga during the Time of Troubles, when the city was captured for five and a half months by a detachment of French mercenaries.

Keywords: Staraya Ladoga, Time of Troubles, ducats, Netherlands, coins, gold, mercenaries

Information about authors:

Konstantin Gorlov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
Pavel Milyaev (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]