International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

George Kakavas
Epigraphic and Numismatic Museum, Athens, Greece; 
[e-mail]
Trade Routes in the Balkan Peninsula: 
The Numismatic Evidence (10
th
-15
th
Century)
In the session “Trade routes in the Balkan Peninsula: The numismatic evidence (10
th
– 
15
th
centuries)” is attempted a pilot application of an overview of the numismatic evidence, and 
particularly that of the coin hoards, applied in the Balkan area during the middle and late Byzantine 
period. The assessment of the combined presentations of the speakers participating in this session 
will be viewed also within the perspective of the programme “The Routes of Coinage”, which has 
been launched in the context of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.

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358
Zhenya Zhekova
Regional Historical Museum, Shumen, Bulgaria; 
[e-mail]
Ivan Jordanov
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, National Archaeological Institute, Sofia, Bulgaria; 
[e-mail]
Trade Routes of the Lower Danube (10
th
– 11
th
Century) 
According to the Archaeological, Numismatical and Sigillographical Data
Svjatoslav is reported to say I …. Should prefer to live in Perejaslavec on the Danybe since that is 
the centre of my realm, where all riches are concentrated; gold, silk, wine and various fruits from 
Greece, silver and horses from Hungary and Bohemia and from Rus’ furs, wax honey and slaves.
(Russian primary chronicle. Year 969)
These words of Kievian King Svyatoslav outlined a specific trade zone even emporion in 
the modern version of the notion, in which commodities comes from all over the world. The last 
quarter of the 10
th
c. is a peculiar pick in Little Malak Preslav or Perejaslavets` history. The emporion 
probably was established much earlier and was a meeting place for the merchants from the Central 
Europe, Byzantium, Bulgaria and Kievian Russ. Little Preslav or Perejaslavets was another frontier 
trade point (an emporion) that the Byzantine empire established on its borderline. Through it passed 
over not only the Bulgarian-Byzantine trade but a part of the Europian as well.
Its advantage as an important trade point is a result of its location. The emporion was situated 
at the very end of the Danubian corridor which linked Central Europe with Black sea and thence 
with Constantinople.
All these records from the “Russian primary chronicle” are used and commented upon various 
researchers but the material evidences have lacked. Some progress in that direction was ascertained lately.
Three groups of evidences are used in this study: archaeological, numismatical and sigollographical.