Accidentally discovered coins from the area of Ujarma

Abstract

On September 15, 2022, Eduard and Merab Kurtanidze, residents of the city of Rustavi, brought a coin hoard, which they accidentally discovered near the historical fortress-city of Ujarma, to the Telavi Historical Museum. We would like to thank these individuals for their civic responsibility and protection of cultural heritage. I would like to express my gratitude and respect to the initiator of the study of the said hoard of coins. Telavi Historical Museum Fund Chief Treasurer Mrs. Marina Okhanashvili and the director of the same museum, Mr. To Guram Urchukhishvili. The historical fortress-city of Ujarma is located in eastern Georgia, in
Kakheti, on the right bank of the Iori River. Ujarma was involved in both domestic trade affairs and international relations. It was supposed to be one of the intermediate key points of the trade-caravan highway. Numismatic material can provide important information for research in the history of Ujarmi. The hoard of coins we are discussing is one small step forward in understanding some of the economic and political history of this historical fortress-city and the region in general. The coin hoard contains 26 coins, including one small silver coin and the rest copper. Most of the coins are Georgian. hoard is presented in the following form: King George III’s coins (20); Coin of Queen Rusudan; Foreign coins: Byzantine coin, Anonymous Follis; Mongolian occupation coins: Möngke Khan coin; so called “Kaanuri" . 2 coins are indeterminate, they cannot be identified. Thus, the coin hoard belongs to XI-XIII centuries. The latest minted coin in the Ujarma hoard is the so-called “Qaanuri”. It seems that the coin hoard discussed by us was buried at the end of XIII during the period of Mongol domination. It should also be taken into account that the earliest coin in the hoard (“anonymous Follis”) minted in the XI century seems to have been in use in the XIII century as well. The importance of Ujarma as a transit junction should be emphasized. The best indicator of this is numismatic material.