An iron axe-like fine from a gravel pit in Radymno. A loose find, without archaeological context. Dimensions: length 31 cm, blade width 5 cm. Dated to the early medieval period – 9th century. Its shape resembles a long, narrow axe head with a slightly obliquely cut blade. At the opposite end of the object is an oval hole, parallel to the blade. Axe-like fines or axe-like objects are artifacts of ambiguous function. They are believed to have been a pre-monetary means of payment, and as so-called commodity money, they served as a conventional, substitute for money. There are also theories that this method was used to form, store, or transport semi-raw iron. Fines are rare in Poland, mostly concentrated in the Lesser Poland region. They date from the late 8th and early 9th centuries to the first half of the 10th century. A large deposit of such artifacts was discovered in Kraków on Kanoniczna Street. A significant number of axe-like żunas have been found in western Slovakia and Moravia. Their presence has been linked to the existence of the Great Moravian Empire in this area. The żuna from Radymno is an exceptionally intriguing find, as it represents an isolated instance of this type of object occurring in Subcarpathia, far from the centers of Lesser Poland. It should perhaps be considered evidence of contact between the local population (the Lendian tribe) and the Vistulans, or even Transcarpathian centers under the authority of the Great Moravian Empire. Reconstructing the political situation of the Subcarpathian region during the formation and existence of Great Moravia from the 9th century to the early 10th century is extremely difficult due to the sparse and enigmatic records concerning the area of present-day southeastern Poland. Currently, there is no clear evidence that the lands of the Vistulans or even the Lendians were under Great Moravian suzerainty, although this is not entirely ruled out. Therefore, the Radymno grzywna should be treated as an isolated expression of influence or some kind of interregional contact, the nature of which is difficult to determine.
Axe-like fine from Radymno
