Carolingian Single Finds and the Economy of the Early Ninth Century

This paper examines single finds of Carolingian coins from eleven sites as a source of information about the Frankish economy in the late eighth and ninth centuries. Although there are local differences there also striking similarities. The study supports Garipzanov's suggestion that the introduction of Charlemagne's portrait coinage should be dated to 813, and suggests that Louis the Pious' second type was introduced in 816, two years earlier than hitherto thought. There is evidence of a remarkable economic boom in the 820s and 830s and it is argued that this was primarily driven by an improvement in relations with Scandinavia, the development of the silver mine at Melle, and expansion of trade with Byzantium and the East through Italy.