Съкровище със златни монети от XVI–XVII век от село Сноп, област Добрич
A Coin-Hoard of Gold Coins from the 16th–17th Centuries from Snop Village, Dobrich Region

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this article is to publish the coins stored in the Dobrich Regional Museum of History, which are part of the treasure from the village of Snop, municipality General Toshevo, Dobrich Region. It should be noted that the first data on the village of Snop dates to 1573, when the settlement was recorded under the name Esedlu (Silistra Kaaza) in a register of the Jelepkeshans. In this document two post-Muslim Bulgarian shepherds are mentioned. A century later, in 1676, the same settlement was noted in a register of avarizi as Esetli – a hamlet with three houses. It seems that in the second half of the 16th–17th centuries there was habitation in this area, although not so intensive. The coin hoard published here is of a mixed type (with Ottoman and European coins). According to the information in the inventory book, the coins were found while plowing in the yard of Dimitra Koleva Stoyanova, and they had been placed in a small clay coin container. The European specimens published here number 13 in total. They are distributed by countries, as follows: Kingdom of Hungary – 3 pcs.; Republic of Venice – 4; Duchy of Prussia – 1; Belgian Confederation – 5. The Ottoman coins number 14 pcs. in total from the following rulers: eight specimens of Süleyman the Magnificent (1520–1566) – 4 from the mint in Misir, 2 from Constantiniye, 1 from Algeria and 1 from Sidrekapsi; two coins of Selim II (1566–1574) from the workshops of Misir and Damascus; four coins of Murad III (1574–1595) – 2 from Misir, 1 from Aleppo and 1 from Damascus. Among the coins there are very rare ones, such as the three issuesminted in West Frisia (Belgian Confederation), as well as the specimen of Selim II from Damascus. The reason for the hiding of the hoard cannot yet be stated with certainty. It is assumed that the treasure was buried at the end of the 16th century and can be connected with the military actions of the Wallachian voivode Mihai Viteazul and the defeat of the Ottomans in the battle near Nikopol in 1598. However, several arguments can be put forward against this date. The first one is chronological and it concerns the reign of the Polish-Lithuanian ruler Sigismund III, which lasted until 1632. The second is geographical, because the village of Snop is very far from Nikopol. Last but not least, in the portion of the treasure that is publish here, there are no Polish coins of Sigismund III, but a Hungarian one of Sigismund I. Another reason against a date at the end of the 16th century is the condition of the coins. The latest of them have traces of wear, although weak, unlike the earlier ones. Most likely, an answer to this question will be sought after the publication of the other portion of the treasure now stored in the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Science in Sofia.

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