Exploring the Past: Silver Coins Unveil Kaltenborn Monastery's Role in Medieval Regions
Monastery Coins Referencing Its Significant Function - Coins made of silver serve as evidence of the Monastery of Kaltenborn's influence
Get ready to dive into the rich history of the medieval times as the Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte Halle (Saale) unveils a captivating collection of silver coins from the once prosperous Kaltenborn Monastery! The exhibition, titled "Monasteries. Plundered. In the Turmoil of the Peasant Uprisings," runs from June 28 to November 30 and is part of the decentralized state exhibition "Justice 1525."
Harald Meller, the state archaeologist, shares his excitement regarding the finds: "The coins are time-honored relics that weave a fascinating tale of the monastery's history and offer a captivating glimpse into the daily lives of the monastic community." He further adds that these coins shed light on the densely connected network of monasteries in the Harz region.
Daily Life Currency
These silver coins hail from urban mints, noble realms, and even foreign lands, such as Bohemia, Nuremberg, and Schwäbisch Hall. They range in denomination from hollow pennies to a little more substantial groats. Minted between 1190 and 1513, they were used for transactional purposes like paying wages, purchasing goods at local markets, or catering to the internal requirements of the monastic organization. Even monastic businesses like breweries, mills, or workshops utilized such currencies.
The Necessary Reckoning Pennies
Alongside coins, reckoning pennies, which lacked monetary value, were also discovered. These flat metal discs, used as aids for line reckoning, offer an intriguing peek into the monastery's bookkeeping and administration. The displayed reckoning penny comes from master Jörg Schultes, who worked in Nuremberg from 1515 to 1559.
Social Tensions Before the Peasant War
Established by the Thuringian-Saxon high nobility in 1118 as an Augustinian canonry, the Kaltenborn Monastery grew into a significant institution that owned vineyards, fisheries, forests, and mills across the eastern Harz and southern Thuringia. Records from the mid-15th century document cases where farmers refused to meet the monastery's demands, signaling social tensions that ultimately led to the monastery's destruction during the Peasant War in 1525.
- Silver coin
- Archaeology
- Mansfeld-South Harz district
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Thuringia
- Nuremberg
- Federal Government
- Harald Meller
- German Press Agency
Bringing Light to the Past
Delving deeper into the role of monasteries in medieval Europe, we can observe that they served as vital centers for economic, cultural, and religious activity. They often acted as hubs for trade, education, and craftsmanship and managed extensive lands, engaging in agriculture and trade that sometimes included minting or using coins.
By analyzing the silver coins found in Kaltenborn, we can deduce several aspects of the monastery's regional connections:
- Trade and Commerce: The presence of coins suggests that the monastery was involved in economic activities with other regions.
- Cultural Exchange: The designs and denominations of coins can provide insight into cultural influences from other regions, indicating exchange and interaction.
- Monastic Power and Influence: Coins minted by the monastery might signal its economic and political influence within the region.
The findings from Kaltenborn Monastery not only shine a light on the monastery's prosperous past but also offer an exciting snapshot of the intricate web of regional interconnections during the Middle Ages.
- The excavated silver coins from the Kaltenborn Monastery, while predominantly being used for transactions within the monastic community, also hint at the monastery's trade relationships with urban centers like Nuremberg, Bohemia, and Schwäbisch Hall.
- As technologies advance and archaeologists uncover more about these coins, such as their minting techniques and designs, we might gain a better understanding of the cultural exchange that existed between the monastery and various medieval regions.
