Khazaria And International Trade In Eastern Europe 149
found. Unlike Birka and Hedeby, the commercial significance of the island was
preserved even after trade with the East ceased. Its heyday actually came in the
following years. Around the time when Birka and Hedeby were established in
Scandinavia, during the second half of the eighth century, similar settlements
emerged also in Eastern Europe, on the territory of today’s North Russia. The
earliest of them was Ladoga.5 The first accounts regarding the Rus’ date from
that time. Attracted by the influx of silver Arab dirhams, they quickly joined
not only in the trade activities, but also the struggle to take hold of the major
trade routes in Eastern Europe.
Trade growth is assessed today mainly through silver coin finds. Two periods
of infiltration of these coins in Eastern Europe can be distinguished. One is
from the late eighth century to the end of the ninth century, with the prevailing
coins being Abbasid dirhams, and the other is the tenth century when the pre-
vailing coins were Samanid ones. From the second half of the eighth century
onwards the markets of the Arab Caliphate had a lot of dirhams, as a result of
economic prosperity at the beginning of the Abbasid rule. At that time Arabic
culture became infused with a Sassanid (Persian) and Hellenistic heritage. The
Abbasids expanded the horizons of the Arab world. Commercial and cultural
ties were established with China, India, Europe and Africa.6 Eastern traders (of
Arabic and Jewish—the so-called Radhanites—descent) appeared at market-
places in Eastern Europe. Silver mining was enabled by large reserves in Iran
and Hindu Kush. In return, the Arab and Persian traders obtained from the
forest regions of Eastern Europe furs, honey, wax, linen, amber, swords and last
but not least—slaves.7
Until the first third of the ninth century, the main coins, found in Eastern
Europe, came from Africa (and are probably related to the Radhanites). The
largest amount is found in the basin of the Don and the Severski Donets.
Significantly smaller amounts have been found in Transcaucasia and the
Baltics. The trade route, through which these coins reached Eastern Europe,
began at the North African coast, passed through Syria and Transcaucasia and
reached the Don and the Severski Donets (along the lower reaches of which
the Bulgaro-Alanian settlements and fortresses were situated), before continu-
ing north towards the upper reaches of the Volga.8
5 Mel’nikova and Petrukhin 1986, 70–71; Gurevich 1966, 48–58; Shepard and Franklin 2000,
28–41.
6 Darkevich 1976, 77.
7 Darkevich 1976, 148.
8 Kalinina 1986, 78–80; Shepard and Franklin 2000, 46–48.