have followed this development are less inclined to doubt that coins were used and used
widely; however, the question has to be analysed in detail, and even though the con-
cept of money being used does not meet the same resistance as before, the concept of
monetary economies is still difficult to argue.
FROM ISLAMIC TO CHRISTIAN SILVER: A SHIFT
FROM EAST TO WESTThere are three major shifts to be observed in the monetary scene in the Viking world
from 750 to 1100. The first to occur is the flow of Islamic dirhams reaching Scandinavia
Figure 10. 3 Scandinavian royal coinages were imitations of contemporary Anglo-Saxon coin types.
This Danish penny showing a snake as its main motif, issued for Cnut the Great ( 1018 – 35 ) in the 1020 s
or 1030 s, is considered the first nationalised coin type in Scandinavia. (Courtesy of Museum of Cultural
History, Oslo.)
Figure 10. 4 Norwegian pennies from the 1050 s and 1060 s issued after Harald Hardrade ( 1047 – 66 )
had established a national coinage. (Courtesy of Museum of Cultural History, Oslo.)–– chapter 10 : Coinage and monetary economies––