Catalog
Denier anonymous
| Issuer | Benevento |
|---|---|
| Year | 880-900 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Central cross pattée occupying the majority of the coin's field, flanked by the Greek letters alpha (A) and omega (ω) to the left and right respectively, symbolizing divine omnipotence. The entire design is encircled by a circular legend in a combination of Latin and Greek characters. The hammered fabric produces a somewhat irregular flan, typical of southern Italian coinage of the late ninth century. The lettering, while crude in execution, is characteristic of the Beneventan monetary tradition of the Carolingian period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | BENEBENTV A - ω (Translation: Benevento.) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
The anonymous deniers of Benevento from this period reflect the principality's turbulent position between Carolingian pressure from the north and Byzantine encroachment from the south and east. By 880, the Lombard principality had already been fractured — split between Benevento and Salerno in 849 following a dynastic dispute that permanently weakened Lombard political cohesion in southern Italy. The anonymous attribution itself may stem from deliberate political ambiguity, with the issuing authority avoiding a named ruler during periods of contested succession or co-rulership.