Christian Weiss

Die mittelalterlichen Fundmünzen und Gewichte vom Monte Iato auf Sizilien Christian Weiss

From the very beginning of Zurich university's Ietas Excavations in 1971 not only the antique, but all settlement phases of the Monte Iato mountain in SW-Sicily were documented. Amongst them, Medieval finds and features are particularly numerous due to the levelling and depopulation of the town in A. D. 1246 and form the largest Medieval excavation project in Sicily. The catalogue includes coins up to the 2008 campaign and comprises 1,085 pieces from A. D. 638 to 1953, amongst which Byzantine and Arab coins form a small minority. Since Medieval Sicilian settlements, Fatimid and Norman small silver coins, and the 137 glass weights had few published parallels, the study with its exploitation of unpublished material was a special challenge and an important desideratum. During Norman and Early Hohenstaufen times, there were two parallel currencies, Byzantine-oriented copper follari in the East, and Arab-derived billon kharrubas in the West. Under the rule of Henry VI [1194-7] billon denari were first introduced. The glass weights belong to Arab weight systems and perfectly match the re-published lead, bronze, and stone weights.