To commemorate the 1400th anniversary of the formation of Samo’s Empire, Slovak Post will release a special postage stamp issue. The author of the design, painter Igor Piačka, has developed several motifs here. In the foreground is the figure of Samo holding a Frankish sword in his hand. Scholars, both domestic and international, agree that the Frankish merchant Samo probably traded in Frankish swords, which were a greatly sought-after commodity in the Slavic territories of the time. The raised sword, in turn, symbolises the determination of Samo to lead the Slavs in their revolt against the Avars and, subsequently, the Franks. In the background, the author of the design has developed a further motif, of the Slavs subjugated by the Avars. Both of these motifs are in line with the current state of knowledge within the domestic and foreign historiographies, that relies on contemporary written sources of both Byzantine and Frankish provenance. The linking of the two motifs essentially refers to the main content of the path to the birth of Samo’s Empire, thus illustrates the significance of this anniversary in a most appropriate way.

The authorʼs theme, the historical motifs depicted and the symbolism used totally correspond with the historical realities of the time and the current state of our historical knowledge. The complete graphic design of the postage stamp also has an educational role, through its images it provides a “narrative” for the main historical lines that led to the birth of the first (proto-) state formed on the territory of todayʼs Slovakia. The other related philatelic products were created in a similar spirit: the FDC overprint features a metal segment from a 7th-century Merovingian-type horse harness found at the Slavic-Avar burial site in Devínska Nová Ves. The inventories of the graves listed a number of others products of Frankish provenance, related to the equipment and armour of local warriors. The FDC postmark has the motif Avar stirrup from the burial ground in Devínská Nová Ves. Finally, the commemorative sheet of the issue depicts an Avar horseman against the background of the oldest preserved manuscript, Fredegarʼs Chronicle, from which we have detailed information about Samo: “In the fortieth year of the reign of Chlothar II (e.g. in 623), a man named Samo, a Frank by nationality, from the region of Senonago, brought many merchants with him and set out to trade with the Slavs called Wends. The Slavs had already begun to rebel against the Avars, called Huns... The Wends, recognising Samo‘s usefulness, chose him as king over them, and here he reigned happily for 35 years.”

Rastislav Kožiak