Alpine ice-core evidence for the transformation of the European monetary system, AD 640-670

Loveluck, Christopher P.; McCormick, Michael; Spaulding, Nicole E.; Clifford, Heather; Handley, Michael J.; Hartman, Laura; Hoffmann, Helene; Korotkikh, Elena V.; Kurbatov, Andrei V.; More, Alexander F.; Sneed, Sharon B.; Mayewski, Paul A.

doi:10.15184/aqy.2018.110

Alpine ice-core evidence for the transformation of the European monetary system, AD 640-670

Loveluck, Christopher P.; McCormick, Michael; Spaulding, Nicole E.; Clifford, Heather; Handley, Michael J.; Hartman, Laura; Hoffmann, Helene; Korotkikh, Elena V.; Kurbatov, Andrei V.; More, Alexander F.; Sneed, Sharon B.; Mayewski, Paul A.

Authors

Professor CHRISTOPHER LOVELUCK CHRISTOPHER.LOVELUCK@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
PROFESSOR OF MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN ARCHAEOLOGY

Michael McCormick

Nicole E. Spaulding

Heather Clifford

Michael J. Handley

Laura Hartman

Helene Hoffmann

Elena V. Korotkikh

Andrei V. Kurbatov

Alexander F. More

Sharon B. Sneed

Paul A. Mayewski

Abstract

© Antiquity Publications Ltd, 2018. The seventh-century AD switch from gold to silver currencies transformed the socio-economic landscape of North-west Europe. The source of silver, however, has proven elusive. Recent research, integrating ice-core data from the Colle Gnifetti drill site in the Swiss Alps, geoarchaeological records and numismatic and historical data, has provided new evidence for this transformation. Annual ice-core resolution data are combined with lead pollution analysis to demonstrate that significant new silver mining facilitated the change to silver coinage, and dates the introduction of such coinage to c. AD 660. Archaeological evidence and atmospheric modelling of lead pollution locates the probable source of the silver to mines at Melle, in France.

Citation

Loveluck, C. P., McCormick, M., Spaulding, N. E., Clifford, H., Handley, M. J., Hartman, L., Hoffmann, H., Korotkikh, E. V., Kurbatov, A. V., More, A. F., Sneed, S. B., & Mayewski, P. A. (2018). Alpine ice-core evidence for the transformation of the European monetary system, AD 640-670. Antiquity, 92(366), 1571-1585. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2018.110

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	May 22, 2018
Online Publication Date	Nov 14, 2018
Publication Date	Dec 1, 2018
Deposit Date	Jul 13, 2018
Publicly Available Date	Nov 14, 2018
Journal	Antiquity
Print ISSN	0003-598X
Electronic ISSN	1745-1744
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	92
Issue	366
Pages	1571-1585
DOI	https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2018.110
Keywords	Archaeology; General Arts and Humanities
Public URL	https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1114631
Publisher URL	https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/alpine-icecore-evidence-for-the-transformation-of-the-european-monetary-system-ad-640670/0727B4230C5DA92634B6251B9FBD3898