[gothic-l] Crimean coins

[faltin2001]

--- In gothic-l at y..., george knysh <gknysh at y...> wrote:
>
> --- faltin2001 <dirk at s...> wrote:
> > Hello George,
> >
> > I re-read the Kazamanova article. She does not
> > refere to
> > archaeological cultures like Chernyakhov or
> > Wielbark. She only
> > mentiones a number of find places of these coins and
> > provides a
> > distribution map. Important hoard have been found in
> > an
> > archaeological context at Tiritaki and Fanagori,
> > both on the Taman
> > peninsula




Hello George,

> *****GK: Is "Tiritaki" TIRITAKA?


Yes, I must have transliterated from a Russian genitive case.


That was an important
> city of the Bosporan complex, but it was located on
> the west shore, some fifteen kilometers to the south
> of Panticapaeum/Kerch. PHANAGORIA, on the other hand,
> WAS the "capital" of the eastern part of the Bosporan
> Kingdom.*******
>
>  (D) and other hoards are concentrated on the
> > Kerch peninsula
> > and south eastern Crimea.
>
> *****GK: It would therefore appear that all the
> "hoards" are from the territory of the Bosporan
> Kingdom. One might hypothesize that these coins were
> used in commercial transactions between some component
> of that kingdom and outlying areas.*****


Very interesting, although the question remains why they made this
coinage when they a fully developed Bosporan coinage was in
circulation. And why this coinage appears separated from the Bosporan
pieces.





>  (D)A large number of single
> > finds have also
> > been made in the north Caucasus.
>
> *****GK: This also points to an "Alanic"
> connection.****


Somehow I picture Alans as a nomadic people that lived mostly in the
steppe. Do you think that they would have had the social complexity
to have need for a 'commercial' coinage between 260AD and 360AD?







>  (D)Kazamanova provides
> > also a map of
> > other imitations of Roman denari showing a spread
> > from Sosnovoe,
>
> *****GK: Where is that located on her map
> (roughly)?****


All the names that I mentioned are spread roughly from north western
Ukrain down to the Taman peninsula.


>
> >(D) Gorodok,
>
> *****GK: This sounds as though it might be Horodok on
> the Lower Boh/Bog (not far from OLBIA). One of the
> three known "fortresses" known to have been built in
> the area of the 3rd-4th c. Gothic settlements. Horodok
> is considered a part of the Chernyakhiv/Cernyachov
> culture, but was not the exclusive preserve of Welbark
> elements which are difficult to find here.*****
>
>  (D)Orgeev,
>
> *****GK: This sounds as though it might be in
> Moldavia, west of the Dnister, and thus closer to
> Terving territory.*****
>
> (D) Ternovka,
>
> ****GK: Where is that roughly?****
>
>  Chersones down to the
> > Crimea and Taman.
>
> *****GK: These sites (from Sosnovoe onward) were not
> enumerated in my listing of major (and minor) Welbark
> locations. At the very least, and given the dearth of
> solitary finds from the indubitably Gothic areas of
> Old Ukraine (as compared to the North Caucasus)I would
> doubt the Gothic connection. I don't rule it out, but
> at the moment Alans connected to the Bosporan Kingdom
> seem a safer bet. They were important enough to rename
> Theodosia (Feodosia) into ARTABDA ("City of the Seven
> (immortals)", in line with their Zoroastrian
> beliefs.****
>  Cheers,
> George


Again, that is extremely interesting and in a way confirms my own
suspicion. I could imagine that Wielbark/Chernyakhov people might
have been responsible for the introduction of Roman imitations to the
broad area, but the specific find concentration, perhaps as well as
the rather early dating, would fit better with Alanic groups. Did the
Alans have a centralised leadership during that period? Where they
known as traders? As I said most of these coins are of low intrinsic
value and can only have been used for small trade. All in all, this
is really fascinating, because it would challenge a 120 year old
attribution.

thanks again
Dirk






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