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Archaeologists have found a coin that mentions a Frankish queen. The first of its kind in history
Scientists have found a coin from the time of the Carolingian state. It bears the name of Fastrada, the wife of Charlemagne, king of the Franks and Longobards. Researchers say it is the first known coin to mention the queen.
German archaeologists have made an unexpected discovery. The Charlemagne Center in Aachen has received several new artifacts and relics from the Carolingian state. This is how the period in the history of the Frankish Empire is defined in relation to the era of the Carolingian dynasty’s hegemony in Western Europe. Among the items delivered to the museum was a coin that caught the attention of researchers.
The first-ever coin depicting a Frankish queen
Researchers noted that the obverse bore the inscription “Charles, King of the Franks” along with his image. On the reverse, on the other hand, “Queen Fastrada” was minted. Researchers suspect that the coin was struck around 793–794. Employees of the Aachen museum stress that the fact of mentioning a queen on the coin is very unusual, since no queen has ever before been on a coin from the Carolingian Empire.
Charlemagne’s monetary reform took place in 790. Its goal was to create a completely new and uniform…
