SV: [gothic-l] Coinage

[dirk at SMRA.CO.UK]

Hi, the topic of gothic coinage is of great interest to me. 
Ostrogothic coinage started in the 490s with imitative gold solidi, 
tremissi and silver siliquae. Theoderic used his monogram on silver 
coins (as has done Odovacer before him) and there are very rare gold 
solidi which show his initial. From Athalaric the full name was 
introduced on silver and copper coins. There are coins in the name of 
all Ostrogorthic kings except Eraric and Hildebad. The majority of 
mints were located in Italy, but there seem to have been a mint in 
Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovice). The coins from there are of very 
different design and fabric and at least coins with the names of 
Justininian and Justinus (problably the second) are attributed to the 
Gepids. As for literature: see Grierson and Blackburn "Early Medieval 
Coinage", Wroth "Catalog of Byzantine and Imititative coins of the 
Ostrogoths, Vandals...in the Britisch Museum" (cheap reprint, but
book 
is quite out of date). A new book by D. M. Metlich is currently in 
preparation and should come out next year.
Gold Solidi and tremissi are attributed to the visigoths (in Toulouse 
until 507) including the famous Alariciani of the Lex Burgundorum. 
>From 507 minting is concentrated in Narbonne and Barcelona. The coins 
are imitative, i.e. they do not show the Visigothic kings' name until 
Luivigild and Liuva. From Luivigild the national series starts. Many 
mints are recorded. The latest King who definitely minted were Ervig, 
Egiga and Wittiza. All coins in the name of Roderich proved to be 
forgeries. As for literature: Wallace Tomasini " Visigothic 
coinage..." 1964 and Miles for the national series.
Interestingly, Russian scholars like Kazamanva and Kropotkin
attribute 
a certain series of coins to the Goths at the Black Sea. I bought 17 
of these coins in the Ukraine, which imitate Roman denars of Marcus 
Aurelius with the  walking-Mars-Reverse. The coins are devided in 3 
groups starting with fine silver coins (early 3rd Cent.) to billon
and 
more 'barbaric' design (mid-3rd to late 3rd Cent.) to copper and
brass 
(late 3rd to early 4th Cent.) and an even less intelligible design. 
However, Kazamanova said that the deterioration of the design was
come 
to a point were it resembles designs on objects of the Wilbark cuture 
found in (former) East Prussia. The attribution of these coins to the 
Goths is not certain, but there are a number of indications that make 
it fairly probable. Findspots are concentrated on the eastern part of 
the Crimea and the western tip of the Taman peninsula, and the dating 
is fairly accurate because of finds in an archeological context. As 
there is no western literature on these coins I am planning to write
a 
short article about them mainly in order to open the Russian research 
to western historians and numismatists.

Does anybody have any views about the possibility of a Gothic mint 
activity at the Black Sea?

regards
Dirk







--- In gothic-l at egroups.com, Manuel Gutierrez Algaba <irmina at c...> 
wrote:
> On Sun, 24 Sep 2000, Bertil Häggman wrote:
> > A large hoard of cold coins were found at La Capilla,
> > around five miles east of Carmona in 1891, in all
> > 505 coins. Only 67 were clearly identified:
> 
> I live at 30 km southwards Carmona. Carmona it's 30 km North-east
> Seville. Perhaps some of those coins are in the musseum. 
> Carmona (Carmo) was a very strategic city during the Roman/Gothic/
> Arab periods.
> 
> 
> Regards/Saludos
> Manolo
> www.ctv.es/USERS/irmina    /TeEncontreX.html   /texpython.htm
> /pyttex.htm /cruo/cruolinux.htm ICQ:77697936 (sirve el ICQ para 
algo?)
> 
>   Peace, n.: In international affairs, a period of cheating between 
two periods of fighting. -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"


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