Coin Circulation along the Upper Valley of the Stryama River (6th – 4th centuries BC)

The contribution has been presented during the international conference "First Bulgarian Numismatic Readings (BulgNR)", 10-12 November 2020

Abstract

The valley of the Stryama River in its upper course is a well-defined historical-geographical region. In terms of physical geography, the most characteristic feature of the region is the presence of mineral springs near the town of Banya, the town of Hisarya, and the village of Krasnovo. Of great importance for the developed settlement structure in all eras in the region is the Stryama River, which runs high in all seasons. As regards climate, the Balkan Mountain and Sredna Gora Mountain serve as natural barriers and protect the valley of the Stryama River from the cold northern winds. The climate is relatively mild, moderately continental. The region of the present study is characterized by its extremely rich ancient culture, which is best represented by the finds from the mound necropolises near the villages of Duvanlii, Kaloyanovo municipality, and Starosel, Hisarya municipality; the fortified Thracian settlement near the village of Vasil Levski, Karlovo region; the Thracian settlements near the villages of Duvanlii and Krastevich, and the town of Hisarya; the Thracian Royal residence at the Kozi Gramadi peak and the coin finds from the villages of Krastevich, Starosel, and the vicinity of Pyasachnik dam, Hisarya municipality. The subject of the present study are the single and collective coin hoards from the 6th – 4th centuries BC along the upper reaches of the Stryama River and the eastern part of the Sashtinska Sredna Gora Mountain.