ABOUT THE UNKNOWN EXCAVATION OF 17th CENTURY IN KYIV
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37445/adiu.2025.03.17Keywords:
history of archaeology, early modern period, excavations, Kyiv, Ivan Vyhovsky, minting, silver, coin, ingots, hryvnias of the «Kyiv type».Abstract
The information of the document 1665 concerning the silver search in Kyiv is discussed in the paper. The document recalled that in Kyiv: «…there is silver ore in a Kyiv mount, and Ivashka Vyhovsky (Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky in 1657—1659) searched for this ore, got nothing and gave the idea: there is nothing here! But presumably he was out to open silver mines at the time when he came to the Kyiv Voivodship…». The silver search in Kiev confirmed Colonel Vasiliy Dvoretsky: «…there is a mount in the city, and that Ivashka Vyhovsky searched for silver ore, but he did not know for sure how valuable that silver was…». There was no silver of its own in Kyiv Land, but the Hetman was most probably searching for resources of monetary emission. The clauses of the Hadych Treaty drawn up in 1658—1659 also provided for the emission of the Rus Principality. The separate article said that the Rus Principality had the right to establish mints in Kyiv or other cities, The coin was supposed to carry the king’s portrait, and its quality had to be the same as those of the royal coins («…money will be minted as is the custom in the Lithuanian Principality…» or «…will be free to mint Cossack coins for payment to the Cossack host…» — in various wording and sources). The author concludes that the information about Kyiv as a mining area with deposits of silver was connected with many finds of Old Rus silver ingots of «Kyiv type» on the Kyiv mountains. For hryvnias of the manufacturing there well-quality silver as well alloys with concentrations of copper and other metals was used. Discoveries of the hryvnias of the «Kyiv type» are fixed in many districts of Kyiv but concentrated in Starokyivska («The City of Vladimir») and Michaelivska Hills. Probably Old Rus silver ingots of «Kyiv type» in the Middle Ages too could have been dug up during an unknown excavation in Kiev of the 17th century.
References
Boiko, A. P. 1994. Heohrafiia monetnoho karbuvannia na terytorii Ukrainy druhoi polovyny XVII st. In: Shevchenko, F. P. (red.). Istorychno-heohrafichni doslidzhennia v Ukraini. Kyiv: Naukova dumka, s. 139-158.
Hrushevskyi, M. S. 1958. Istoriia Ukrainy-Rusy. X. Niu-Iork: Knyhospilka.
Ilin, A. A. 1921. Topografiia kladov serebrianykh i zolotykh slitkov. Petrograd: Gosizdat.
Komar, O. 2017. «Kyivskyi rubl». Opus mixtum, 5, c. 35-46.
Kostomarov, N. (red.). 1869. Akty, otnosiashchiesia k istorii Iuzhnoi i Zapadnoi Rossii, sobrannye i izdannye Arkheograficheskoiu komissiei. 6: 1663—1668. Sankt-Peterburg: E. Prats.
Kryp’iakevych, I. 1910. «Skarby» Khmelnytskoho. Zapysky Naukovoho tovarystva imeni Shevchenka, XCVI (IV), s. 116-119.
Kryp’iakevych, I. 1917. Z kozatskoi sfrahistyky. Zapysky Naukovoho tovarystva imeni Shevchenka, CXXIII—CXXIV, s. 1-16.
Latysh, I. K. 1997. Serebro v prirode (geokhimiia i mineralogiia). Kiev: ArtEk.
Maksimov, M. M. 1981. Ocherk o serebre. Moskva: Nedra.
Mykhailov, V. A., Shevchenko, V. I., Ohar, V. V., Kurylo, M. V., Shunko, V. V., Hrinchenko, O. V., Omelchuk, O. V., Mykhailova, L. S. 2007. Metalevi korysni kopalyny Ukrainy: Pidruchnyk. Kyiv: Kyivskyi universytet.
Myshanych, O. V. (red.). 1991. Velychko S. V. Litopys. I. Kyiv: Dnipro.
Pamiatniki… 1846. Pamiatniki, izdannye vremennoiu komissiei dlia razbora drevnikh aktov. 2. Kiev: І. K. Valner.
Smirnov, V. I. 1976. Geologiia poleznykh iskopaemykh. Moskva: Nedra.
Tolochko, P. P. 1966. Topohrafiia skarbiv monetnykh hryven u Kyievi. Arkheolohiia, XX, s. 123-134.
Khmyrov, M. D. 1875. Metally, metallicheskie izdeliia i mineraly v Drevnei Rossii (materialy dlia istorii russkogo gornogo promysla). Sankt-Peterburg: A. S. Suvorin.
Chelebi, E. 1983. Kniga puteshestviia (izvlecheniia iz sochineniia turetskogo puteshestvennika XVII veka). 3: Zemli Zakavkazia i sopredelnykh oblastei Maloi Azii i Irana. Moskva: Nauka.
Yavornytskyi, D. I. 1991. Istoriia zaporizkykh kozakiv. 2. Lviv: Svit.
Yakovleva, T. 1998. Hetmanshchyna v druhii polovyni 50-kh rokiv XVII stolittia. Prychyny y pochatok Ruiny. Kyiv: Osnovy.
Ianiushkina (Glazunova), E. V. 1997. Sobranie slitkov GIM. Numizmaticheskii sbornik Moskovskogo numizmaticheskogo obshchestva, 5, s. 136-154.
Iausheva-Omelianchik, R. 1999. Monetnye grivny XI—XV vekov iz sobraniia Natsionalnogo muzeia istorii Ukrainy. Numizmatika i faleristika, 1, s. 14-23.
Volumina Legum… 1860. Volumina Legum. Przedruk Zbioru praw staraniem XX. Pijarów w Warszawie, od roku 1732 do roku 1782, wydanego. IV. Petersburg: Jozafat Ohryzki.
