2023The 1400th Anniversary of the Formation of Samo’s Empire - First Day Cover

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.