[gothic-l] Re: Gothic Coins: Was Runic Influences

[dirk at SMRA.CO.UK]

--- In gothic-l at y..., Tore Gannholm <tore.gannholm at s...> wrote:
> Hello Dirk,
> Very interesting.
> I have not got your deep knowledge in the subject. I only qouted 
Peter Heather.
> 
> In Scandinavia there are quite a few Solidi found.
> 
> On Öland where we think the Heruls passed on their way to th Lake 
Mälare
> area lots of Solidi have been found. They are from the Hungary area 
where
> the Heruls had a kingdom before they were beaten about 505.


Hello Tore,

I don't want to be difficult, but there was no known mint in the 
'Hungary area' that could have produced these solidi. The only mint in 
the wider area was Sirmium which  had stopped producing gold coins in 
the late 4th century and - as far as we know - only minted silver 
denominations under Ostrogothic and probably Gepidic rule (I have 2 
Ostogothic and one Gepidic (?) quarter-siliquae in my own collection). 
 Sirmium was under Ostrogothic rule from about 504AD to about the 
mid-530sAD when the Ostrogoths had to relinguish Sirmium to the Gepids 
in the Gothic-Byzantine war.  

Those gold denominations were no small change and not used used for 
day-to-day purchases. Solidi were mainly used for tax-paying, 
gift-giving and far-distance trade (Roman gold coins have been found 
in India and China!). It was probably the latter which brought the 
solidi that you mentioned to the Oeland area.  

The composition of hoards often tell something about the 
purpose/origin of the money and the reason why it was burried. Thus, 
Scandinavian hoards of late Roman gold coins are best described as 
'storages of wealth', compiled over a longer period of time  
(inclusion of coins of different Emperors).

There are other rarer types of hoards, such as the Langobardic hoard 
of Alderanz in Austria, which comprises a round amount of money  and 
was most likely intended as were-geld or ransom to free prisoners. 

There is also the Ostogothic coin hoard of Mengen in South Germany, 
which consisted only of silver coins which is very unusual and always 
indicates a much closer and more immediate connection to the source, 
as silver was used in day-to-day trade and regular payments of wages 
e.g. for soldiers. Barbarians prefered gold to silver, as silver 
didn't have the same status as gold and to spend the money the owner 
would have to return to Ostrogothic markets.




> In Gotland on the other hand we can find many Solidis linked to 
Theoderiks
> time.



Yes, but they are invariably minted in Constantinopel or another 
Byzantine mint, under Zeno, Anastasius and Justinus I, and 
probably indicate that Gotland was linked to long-distance trade. No 
Ostogothic or Visigothic coins have been found  on Gotland or any 
other place in Scandinavia (in any significant numbers anyway).

cheers
Dirk


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