ADVERSE AND REVERSE…

The epithet of Roman goddess Juno, wife of the Roman god Jupiter, gave the name for the word "moneta." The word "moneta", taken from Latin, means a coin, mint, a warning. On Capitol Hill, not far from the temple of the goddess Juno, in ancient Rome, there were facilities for minting and casting coins. And from here went their name in most European languages. Moneta is a derivative of the verb moneo, monere, "caution". Hence it transformed in the Azerbaijani language in manat - the name of the basic monetary unit of Azerbaijan, which was a long and rich numismatic history.

On national heritage

Coins of Azerbaijan is another cultural project of Xalq Amanati (National Heritage) carried out on the initiative and with the financial support of Xalq Bank. It was demonstrated to the public on 21 December in the head office of the bank. They published a unique book - Coins of Azerbaijan - by famous Azerbaijani scholar and numismatist, Professor Ali Racabli. It is interesting not only in terms of content, but also the way it was printed. The event, which was attended by prominent scientists and representatives of the Azerbaijani public, was led by the well-known writer, essayist and journalist Yusif Gunaydin.

The book is a broad overview of the coinage of Azerbaijan and includes coins that were circulated and minted in Azerbaijan from antiquity to the present. The book highlights the role and importance of Azerbaijani coins as a genuine historical source, one of the most important attributes of the centuries-old Azerbaijani statehood.

The first vice-president of the National Academy of Sciences (NANA), academician Arif Hasimov, noted in his speech that although coins of Azerbaijan often attracted the attention of numismatists in the past, this rich numismatic heritage long remained outside the scope of a serious study.

"Now only the numismatic fund of the Museum of History of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan - the main repository of the country's mint - holds more than 150,000 coins. The majority are coins minted and circulated in Azerbaijan during its centuries-old statehood and originating mainly from the caches of coins found in the country. The author and publishers have done a tremendous amount of work. Ali Racabli's book "Coins of Azerbaijan" is a unique work in the scientific study of the historical heritage of our people," said Arif Hasimov said.

The numismatic material and finds related to it shed light on numerous little-known pages of the national and world history, inform about the presence in the country of a number of towns and trade and artisan centres that were practically unknown to date, reveal the names of rulers and kings about whom there is no information.

"At the same time over centuries of its history the coinage of the country managed to rise to a high level in an artistic sense as well, vividly illustrating both the ability and the skill of its manufacturers, and the aesthetic values of the time and society. Thus, the coinage of Azerbaijan is a very bright and valuable material on national history, centuries-old traditions of national statehood, evidence of the political, economic and social developments in the country for centuries. This is the most important source for the study of regional and sometimes global economic, political and cultural history," academician of ANAS, Doctor of Philology, Professor Vasim Mammadaliyev said. 

History of coins 

The coins of Azerbaijan often attracted the attention of numismatists in the past, but its rich numismatic legacy long remained outside the bounds of serious research. For example, the majority of coins collected in the numismatic fund of the Museum of History of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan were minted and used in Azerbaijan throughout the centuries of its statehood. They were found mainly in caches of coins found in the country. This is all just a small portion of what was buried over centuries in the Azerbaijani land and an even smaller part of what was later dug out, but remain the property of the lucky people who found them. Until recently about ten monetary caches were found in Azerbaijan ("country of underground museums" according to academician Meshchaninov) every year and most of them were taken to the Museum of History of Azerbaijan (MHA).

As for the Azerbaijani numismatics it made its first steps in the 1920s owing to the efforts of Yevgeniy Aleksandrovich Pakhomov, a well-known collector and numismatist, who visited Baku. Pakhomov created the numismatist cabinet which became richer with time and turned today into a big monetary foundation, the republican centre for registration, storage, study and display of numismatic memorials of Azerbaijan. The numismatic memorials of Azerbaijan are concentrated in the MHA. And today Ali Racabli supports this foundation. 

The inhabitants of the Kura-Araz basin in Azerbaijan since ancient times carried intertribal exchange of products, articles and stone raw materials. When the ancient Azerbaijani tribes learned about metals this gave a fresh impetus and expanded the scope and range of barter. But it is hard to say when first primitive measure of value - money, coins - appeared in Azerbaijan. Perhaps one of the earliest forms of monetary goods in Azerbaijan were the world-famous sea cowrie shells. They are known among Azerbaijanis as "Qarni Yariq" ("open belly"). Echoes of the special role of these imported cowrie shells survive to this day in Azerbaijani households as amulets (among other things as goz muncugu, uzerlik) to remove the evil eye, or similar purposes. As you know, after the metals appeared in economically developed countries the role of money shifted to them.

In Azerbaijan the first metal money, in all probability, were bronze bracelets or rings of different sizes and weights. They are found in graves dated for the end II - early I millennium BC as single copies or as dozens. The bracelets in question are devoid of any ornamentation and manufactured to a certain weight standard. Archaeologist Morgan called them the "Caucasian Sigle". How long and widely these bracelets were used in Azerbaijan is hard to say. Some graves are found at the beginning of our era. It is possible that in some places they were used along with the coins, where those appeared in Azerbaijan.

Interestingly Herodotus reported that following its defeat at the hands of the Achaemenid Empire Midia, which had Atropatena Midia as its part, paid annually to the treasury of the Iranian shahs 650 talents of silver as tribute (about 20 tons). Silver was not only familiar for the ancient Azerbaijanis, but as a money commodity it functioned as a means of payment for large commercial and financial transactions.

The first time coins in Azerbaijan appear in the time of Alexander the Great. These were silver coins - drachmas and tetradrachms - of the great conqueror. After his death and the division of the empire silver coins of the same value of the Hellenistic states (Seleucia, Parthia, Bactria, Pontus, etc.) and the individual centres of the ancient world (Athens, Rome and etc.) were used.

State coinage 

Along with the wide circulation of antique coins from the III century BC, in ancient Azerbaijan Atropatena and Caucasian Albania for the first time mint their own currency - silver coins - imitation coins of Alexander the Great, the kings of Seleucia and Parthia. With these coins and coinage begins the state coinage of Azerbaijan, who by this time had a certain economic potential and had close ties to the Hellenic Cultural Circle. Such imitative coins form an essential part of many treasures of ancient coins found in Azerbaijan, and are often found in archaeological excavations in the ancient Caucasian Albania (now the Azerbaijan Republic). The most significant findings of ancient times, both in the composition and the number of coins are two treasures of silver coins, found one another and close to each other in the north of Azerbaijan, at the foot of the Main Caucasus Range. Both treasures are remarkable by the fact that local imitative coins were first discovered here.

The second treasure was discovered in 1966 near the settlement of Qabala - the ancient capital of Albania - near the village of Cuxur Qabala in Qabala District. Scattered on the destroyed mound the coins were collected by members of the Qabala archaeological expedition of the Institute of History of Azerbaijan, who also identified and publicized them. Besides those coins already found in Azerbaijan of Macedonia, Thrace, Seleucia and Parthia the treasure contained the tetradrachms of Diadota Bactrian kings (250-247) and Eucratides (169-159), and the local new and the earlier types of imitations drachmas Alexander the Great and tetradrachms - imitation of the Seleucids' coins. The history of commodity-money relations in Azerbaijan in the early Middle Ages is characterized by numerous coin treasures, consisting of silver drachmas of Sasanian Iran, Azerbaijan coinage mints in Naxcivan, Baku, Derbent, Partav (Barda) with a mixture of Byzantine silver, reflecting the rivalry and struggle between the states of the East for hegemony in the Caucasus in the VI-VII centuries.

The conquest of Azerbaijan in VII century by Arabs and its inclusion some time later in the sphere of money circulation of the caliphate marked the revival of urban economy, crafts and trade, and in the end - the discovery of new mints (Balkh al-Bajza, Al-Yazidiyya, Arran, Ganza, Azerbaijan). The second half of the IX century when the power of the Caliph weakened in the provinces, the powerful governors of Azerbaijan turned their administrative areas into independent states and created their own dynasty, with the right of "Sikka" (monetary regalia - the right to mint coins) and Azerbaijan's coinage becomes even more intense. Coins, especially silver dirhams of the feudal states of Azerbaijan, as the Sirvansahs-Mazyadids (in Sirvan) Sadcids, Salaris, Ravvadis, Shaddadis (in Arran), not only meet the needs of the internal market at the time when the economic and cultural life was experiencing a rise, culminating in the XI-XII centuries in a true renaissance, but also played the role of international money along with general coins of the Caliphate. The intensive industrial and commercial life of Azerbaijan, as it was situated on one of the most important caravan trade routes between North and South in the IX-X centuries, is best characterized by the new economic phenomenon - the "silver crisis" in the money trade of the Near East, including Azerbaijan, when in XI - beginning of XIII century in the climax of the eastern Renaissance period the place of silver that disappeared in circulation was substituted mainly by copper. Thanks to this the Azerbaijani numismatics now possesses a number of unique facts to shed light on hitherto unknown pages of social-political history of the era of the great Azerbaijani Nizami Gancavi. This group of coins, due to their exceptional significance for the study of economic issues and economic life of Azerbaijan, have a special place in the catalogue.

Although the Mongol invasion suspended the forward motion of the Azerbaijani Renaissance for a long time, the economic life of the country has been gradually recovering. Thus, a century later in Azerbaijan there were approximately 30 mints (Alinca, Ardabil, Aresh, Astara, Babi, Bazar, Baku, Baylakan, Barda, Ganca, Gestasbi, Derbent, Qabala, Kar-kar, Kara-agac, Qara-bag Mahmudabad, Maraga, Naxcivan, Ordubad Salmas, Tabriz, Sabran Samaxa, Khoy, Urmiya) - indisputable evidence of a high level of municipal services and commodity-money relations. Coins of various conquerors, broken in these cities, like a mirror reflects the political situation and socio-economic situation in Azerbaijan in the XIV century.

Sirvansahs and the era of khans  

Azerbaijan's economy and culture flourished again in the XV-XVI centuries. Thanks to the efforts of Sirvansahs relative peace reigned in northern Azerbaijan, Sirvan. The land abounded with agricultural produce, and high-grade coins - tenge of Sirvansahs - was used throughout the Transcaucasia, acting as the general means of payment. In the south of the country - in Arran and Azerbaijan - the other states under the auspices of the Turkic dynasties of QaraQoyunlu, Aggoyunlu and Safavi formed one after. They produced not only silver, but also gold coins.

After the formation in the very beginning of the XVI century of the Safavid state objective conditions for the development of the productive forces and the formation of moral values formed there. The Safavid coinage based on heavy silver units weighing 9.4 gr to an extent reflects the economic and political power of this state.

However, by the end of the 16th century prolonged wars with the Ottomans in the west and Sheybanids in the east undermined the strength of the Safavis. Despite some resurgence in the first half of the 17th century, when the new monetary system with the new unit, abbasi (7-8 gr), was adopted, Safavis were supplanted by Afsharis. This turbulent period in Azerbaijan's history, full of endless wars and feudal strife, can by followed by the number of caches that comprised Safavi, Ottoman, Afshari and Baburi silver coins of the 18th century. They are often completely new, without any traces of circulation.

The independence struggle of the Azerbaijani people in the second half of the 18th century, when small feudal states - khanates - were formed that minted silver and copper anonymously, ended with Azerbaijan becoming part of Russia according to the treaties of Gulustan (1813) and Turkmancay (1828) between Iran and the Russian empire. Minting by khans was stopped and Azerbaijan entered the sphere of Russian monetary circulation.