Die Frühzeit des Friesacher Pfennigs (etwa 1125/30 ‒ etwa 1166)

The Friesach Pfennig was one of the most important medieval means of payment in what is today Austria and indeed far beyond. In its early stage (roughly 1125/30 – roughly 1166) it was initially minted by the Archbishops of Salzburg and the Dukes of Carinthia. They were joined by the Patriarchs of Aquilea, who were the first to imitate the Friesach Pfennig. The present monograph presents the results of an interdisciplinary research project, in which historians, numismatists and engineers joined together to illuminate the early history of the Friesach Pfennig using all the currently accessible relevant sources and with the assistance of all the methodological instruments available. The analysis of the written sources shows that the currencies evidenced in writing actually refer to a specific type of minted product, and are not simply to be regarded as book money. As a result, the written sources must be granted a considerably higher degree of realism as compared with actual payment transactions. The dies were examined as the basis for a reclassification of the mintings, and from a numismatic point of view for the first time provide interesting insights into the activity of the medieval mints of the 12th century. Statistical analyses provide an impression of the quantities of the individual issues. The natural science section focuses on questions of the material composition of the silver alloys processed in the different mints.