Item number: A45

Year: 11th-13th century

Material: Silver

Weight: 154.82 g

Provenance: Jean Elsen & ses Fils 2023

This hexagonal silver ingot dates from the 11th to 13th centuries and was used as a form of currency known as “Grivna” (гривна) in the Kievan Rus, which later became part of various countries including Russia. During the 9th to 11th centuries, the first coins in Kievan Rus (which later evolved into various Eastern European states, including Russia) emerged, with gold coins referred to as “zlatnik” and silver coins as “srebrenik.” However, entering the 12th to 14th centuries, Kievan Rus experienced the Kievan Rus entered a prolonged period of several hundred years without any coinage, known as the “Coinless period.”

According to The Bank of Russia Museum, during this time, all coins from both the East and Europe ceased to circulate into Kievan Rus. The role of coins in everyday economic transactions was replaced by barter systems involving items such as beads, squirrel skins, bagged grains, and barrelled honey. The Grivna remained a significant precious metal currency used in large-scale trade during this period.

Scholars trace the etymology of “Grivna” back to necklaces worn by nobility, often made of silver or gold. The weight of these Grivna typically ranged between 140-150 grams. The hexagonal shape of the Grivna unearthed in the vicinity of present-day Kyiv, Ukraine, distinguishes it notably from the cylindrical shapes found in other principalities.

Historical records indicate that ten Grivna could be exchanged for a slave, while the price of a warhorse fell between 4-5 Grivna.

The ancient name “гривна” (Grivna), originating from Kievan Rus, was reinstated as the monetary unit following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In AD 1996, Ukraine, with Kyiv as its capital, enacted legislation to establish the Hryvnia as the currency unit, continuing the tradition after the Grivna.

物件編號: A45

年代: 公元 11-13 世紀

材料: 銀

重量: 154.82 g

來源: 比利時 Jean Elsen & ses Fils拍賣 2023

此六邊形銀錠為公元11至13世紀，流通於基輔羅斯的銀錠「赫里夫尼亞」(гривна)。在公元9-11世紀時，於基輔羅斯Kievan Rus(之後成為俄羅斯等國)這片大地上誕生了基輔羅斯的第一種硬幣。被稱之為“zlatnik” 的金幣，和名為“srebrenik” 的銀幣。然而邁入公元12-14世紀，基輔羅斯陷入長達數百年的無硬幣時期(Coinless period)。據俄羅斯銀行博物館所述，此時期所有自東方和歐洲的錢幣都停止流入基輔羅斯，硬幣在日常經濟活動扮演的角色，被珠子、松鼠皮、袋裝穀物和桶裝蜂蜜等，以物易物的方式所取代。唯有赫里夫尼亞成為大型貿易時，仍持續在使用的貴金屬貨幣。

學者指出「赫里夫尼亞」的詞源，能夠上溯至貴族穿戴的頸飾，其多為銀或金材質。赫里夫尼亞的重量大多落在140-150克，今烏克蘭首都基輔一帶出土的赫里夫尼亞為獨特的六邊形，和其他公國的棍棒狀有顯著差異。據古文獻記載，10赫里夫尼亞能買一個奴隸，一匹戰馬的價格則落在4到5赫里夫尼亞之間。

而赫里夫尼亞這個源自基輔羅斯的古老名稱，在蘇聯解體之後，於公元1996年以基輔為首都的烏克蘭發布法律，確立以赫里夫尼亞作為貨幣單位，並延續至今。