Folia archeologica 20.

Gedai István: Numizmatikai adatok a dukátus kérdéséhez

TO THE QUESTION OF THE DUCHY 105 has a pronounced Greek ring. It is most likely that a minter with a Greek erudition was engaged there, for there is a still existing chart of King Endre I. — the deed of endowment of Tihany - which shows the form PANNONIORVM, whereas on his coins the form PANONEIA occurs consistently. The reverse legends of King Salamon's coins (1063-1074) are rather neglected, they are, nevertheless, quite different from those of Duke Géza. Salamon's coins are inscripted PANNONENI, PANONIATERA, PANONAI, PANONIA, whereas those of Géza PANONAI. We should like to remark here that on the coins of King Endre I. the letters "N" of PANONEIA are single, those of the form PANNÓNIA on Béla's coins are double. On the obverse of the coin of Endre I. the letters of E and X are written E, X, whereas Béla's coins bear the forms e and 1. Here we find a Greek influence at the latter two ones. On Endre I.' s coins the title "Rex", precedes, on those of Béla the title "Dux" follows the name. These small symptoms strengthen the hypothesis of the existence of two separate mints those of the king and of the duke. We have sifted the finds, too, but these show that the coins of the king and the duke were in circulation together, we have several finds where the coins of both of them occurred. The two types aren't sharply separated. Having stated that there must have been a royal mint and a separate ducal one, we cannot say anything about the locality of the latter one, except pointing to the unwritten law that the mint was usually at the residence of the issuer. The Duchy had two centers: Nyitra and Bihar. Of these Bihar seems to be the more important one, which doesn't mean, however, that the ducal mint was necessarly at Biharvár.