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Denier - Radelchis ear of wheat
| Issuer | Principality of Benevento |
|---|---|
| Year | 839-851 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Denier = 1⁄12 Solidus |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicting a stylized ear of wheat rising vertically from a fleur-de-lis-like foliate base, composed of two symmetrical curved leaves flanking a central stem adorned with pellets representing grain. The design is rendered in a bold, somewhat archaic Lombard style typical of ninth-century Beneventan coinage. The field is flat and plain, with the motif occupying the majority of the flan. A beaded border encircles the entire design. The surrounding legend reads RADELCHI PRINCEPS, identifying the issuing prince. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Radelchis I came to power in Benevento through a prolonged civil war against Sicard's brother Siconulf, a conflict that effectively split the Lombard principality in two by 849 — a division formalized under Carolingian arbitration and never truly healed. Coinage struck under Radelchis reflects a moment when Benevento's political authority was contracting geographically even as its mint remained active.
The ear of wheat type is among the more distinctive monetary choices of the southern Lombard mints, occurring at a time when Byzantine and Arab monetary influence was pressing in from multiple directions along the Mezzogiorno.