Sriblianyks were the first minted silver coins of Ancient Rus, which were minted at the end of the 10th – beginning of the 11th century during the reign of Volodymyr Sviatoslavovych (972–1015) after the adoption of Christianity and became a kind of declaration of the sovereignty of the East Slavic state.
Silver coins kept being minted with the name of Volodymyr's son, Kyiv’s Prince Svyatopolk (1015–1018). The images and legends on the coins had a declarative character and were proclaimed the completeness of the prince's power. Ancient Rus coins are one of the oldest artifacts of Ancient Rus fine art, writing and language.
The scheme of images and the formula of the legend on the coins of Svyatopolk were mostly similar with Sriblianyks of the 4th type of Volodymyr.
On the obverse of the coin, in the center of the field, in a double dotted frame, there is a full-length figure of Prince Svyatopolk, sitting on a throne. The prince holds a cross in his right hand, his left hand on his chest. Inscription is around it.
On the reverse of the coin, in the center of the field, in a double dotted frame there is a bident, the left prong of which ends with a cross – the heraldic sign of Svyatopolk. Above the coat of arms is an equilateral cross with circles at the ends. The inscription has not been preserved around.
The coin of Svyatopolk was found in 1852 as part of a hoard near the town of Nizhyn while plowing a field by the peasant S. Borys.
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