The evolution of early medieval Moravian axe-shaped currency bars through the perspective of an archaeological experiment

The presented text attempts to assess the possibilities and limitations of processing Great Moravian currency bars (by domestic archaeologists traditionally called axe-shaped hryvnias) into the form of an end product – a tool in the form of an axe – using an archaeological experiment. In this manner, it is also testing the possibilities of the axe-shaped bars to remain in circulation as tokens of general-purpose money. The present experiment shows that the processing of these bars is considerably loss-making, which means that in the case of their circulation as tokens, their withdrawal from circulation for the purpose of their practical utilization would be unlikely. The text also attempts to model the genesis of axe-shaped currency, seeing their roots in Moravian social currency, which probably originally had the form of real axes. During the social and political changes of the Great Moravian period, this currency acquired the form of stylised semi-finished products and were probably also integrated in anonymous market transactions at least in part of Great Moravian territory.