International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Vangelis Maladakis
Thessaloniki, Greece; 
[e-mail]
Venetian and Frankish Coinages in Lower Macedonia: 
Tracing the Trade Routes Network
The foreign currencies, which predominantly circulated and almost overwhelmed markets 
in the Southern Balkans, namely present-day Greece, from the early 13
th
to the mid 14
th
century, 
were primarily the Venetian 
grossi
, and to a lesser extent the Frankish 
deniers tournois
. The main 
causes of the wide circulation of foreign money in the Byzantine empire were on the one hand the 
penetration of western economic factor, existing since the late 12
th
century, and on the other hand 
the political fragmentation that occurred in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, in the hitherto 
united Byzantine state, and caused the fragmentation of economic activity and therefore of monetary 
circulation.
More precisely, the commercial activity of the Venetians in Lower Macedonia, though at the 
intersection of trade networks, is not sufficiently documented in historical sources of the time, 
apart from some sporadic information. A stronger presence than it is implied must have been a 
reality, mainly due to the fact that Macedonia is located on two main trade routes, where Venetians 
maintained trading posts. The earlier was the overland route from Epirus, via Western Macedonia, 
Thessaloniki as a staging post to the way to Constantinople. The second was a maritime route, of 
long-distance scope, via the Aegean Sea (Negroponte, Almyros, Sporades, Lemnos), Thessaloniki 
and finally Constantinople. The maritime route was the one used also for trading with the Frankish 
principalities of Southern Greece, while the connection of the latter with Macedonia was possible 
also by the North-South ancient overland route through Thessaly.
Older findings, either hoards or stray and site coins, along with critical commentary on 
textual and archaeological evidence, will be evaluated in order to trace the trade routes network 
and illuminate the currencies markets in production and manufacturing sites of the said territory.

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