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Artykuły
DOI article:Zapolska, Anna: The influx of Roman coins to the West Balt culture enviroment
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.31072#0110
ANNA ZAPOLSKA
!n the territory of the Przeworsk Cuiture bronzes struck between 1^ and the 3^
century are recorded and are ałmost without exception singie ńnds iacking archae-
oiogical context," and there are no hoards with a confirmed context of discovery.
To the south of the Carpathian are, in the territory settled by the Marcomanni, stray
hnds are aiso the ruie'- (Tabie 3). Simiiariy, in the area of Quadic settiement bronze
coins are fairly rare (Tabie 3), where they are found mostiy in settiement contexts
and as singie Tnds. However, from the territory of the Marcomanni and the Quadi
what we do find are bronzes minted at Viminacium (4.4% finds from Marcoman-
nic territory and 9.3% from Quadic territory). A smail number of bronze coins is
known aiso from the territory settied by the East Baits, and the finds from this area
directiy adjacent to the territory of West Bait cuitures suggest the existence of in-
tercuiturai exchange.
In iight of these finds we may ask whether the reason why Roman bronze
coins are not recorded in other areas of the Barbaricum is because there was no
tradition of depositing them in graves, or rather because there was no influx of
bronzes to those areas.
However, the evidence from the finds encountered in the territory of the Bar-
baricum shows cleariy that their indux was iimited to the West Bait territory and
the Vistu!a deita, where the deposits are mostiy concentrated. Just how massive
the indux of Roman bronzes was in the area is indicated by the size of many of the
finds. As regards their function within West Bait society, the practice of depositing
Roman coins in graves is redective of the stage of /We AT/Zz/r as distinguished by
H. J. Eggers.'^ On the other hand, the presence in the hoards of a iarge number of
Roman bronzes, which are ałmost compieteiy absent from other areas of the north-
ern European Barbaricum (Map 2),'^ and their presence in settiement contexts too,
proves that they were in use aiso in everyday iife (the /c^cz7ć/c Az/Az//* stage).
CIRCUMSTANCES AND TiME OF INFLUX
Roman coins - most notabiy, iarge bronzes (sestertii) - start to appear in the
territory settied by West Bait communities in connection with the amber trade.
O.W. §AROV. ].W. PALAGUTA, S.W. HAVR[N, "Nahodki kladov rimskih monet w raione Kopor'ja,'' PojyZ/'^łZ/'
arc/?eo/og/ce^/rZ/' ezegoJwZł 1/2010, pp. 335-359.
'' Only lour coins were discovered in graves or in the surface layers of the cemetery (cf. R. CIOŁEK, D/e PM/? J-
/WMMzeM Jer ro/??Z^cAe/? Ze/Z /w Po/e/?.' Xc/7/e^Ze/7, Wetteren-Warsaw 2008, p. 17, no. 6; p. 79, no. 114; p. 140, no. 219).
.). MILITKY "Die rómischen Mtinzen in Bóhmen - Kontexte und Funktion. Notizen zu dem heutigen
Stand der Forschung," [in:] A. BURSCHE, R. CIOŁEK, R. WOLTERS (eds.), P0//70/7 coZ/w o;/Z.sZJe Z/?e P////?/'/e...,
pp. 231-242, p. 236; IDEM, PZ/7& o/*Greeł, Powo/7 o/?Jeor/y Pyzo/7ZZ/?e coZ/?^ Z/? Z/?e ZerrZZo/3/ o/Czec/7 Pe/z/^/Zc,
vo!s. 1-111, Wetteren 2010.
H.J. EGGERS, Der rowZ^cAe 7/??/?orZ Z777 /reZe/7 GerwowZe/?, Hamburg 195 Ł
An exception here are two hoards of sestertii discovered in Bohemia and three from the territoiy of the
Elbian cuitures and Finno-Ugrian settiement. See discussion above.
!n the territory of the Przeworsk Cuiture bronzes struck between 1^ and the 3^
century are recorded and are ałmost without exception singie ńnds iacking archae-
oiogical context," and there are no hoards with a confirmed context of discovery.
To the south of the Carpathian are, in the territory settled by the Marcomanni, stray
hnds are aiso the ruie'- (Tabie 3). Simiiariy, in the area of Quadic settiement bronze
coins are fairly rare (Tabie 3), where they are found mostiy in settiement contexts
and as singie Tnds. However, from the territory of the Marcomanni and the Quadi
what we do find are bronzes minted at Viminacium (4.4% finds from Marcoman-
nic territory and 9.3% from Quadic territory). A smail number of bronze coins is
known aiso from the territory settied by the East Baits, and the finds from this area
directiy adjacent to the territory of West Bait cuitures suggest the existence of in-
tercuiturai exchange.
In iight of these finds we may ask whether the reason why Roman bronze
coins are not recorded in other areas of the Barbaricum is because there was no
tradition of depositing them in graves, or rather because there was no influx of
bronzes to those areas.
However, the evidence from the finds encountered in the territory of the Bar-
baricum shows cleariy that their indux was iimited to the West Bait territory and
the Vistu!a deita, where the deposits are mostiy concentrated. Just how massive
the indux of Roman bronzes was in the area is indicated by the size of many of the
finds. As regards their function within West Bait society, the practice of depositing
Roman coins in graves is redective of the stage of /We AT/Zz/r as distinguished by
H. J. Eggers.'^ On the other hand, the presence in the hoards of a iarge number of
Roman bronzes, which are ałmost compieteiy absent from other areas of the north-
ern European Barbaricum (Map 2),'^ and their presence in settiement contexts too,
proves that they were in use aiso in everyday iife (the /c^cz7ć/c Az/Az//* stage).
CIRCUMSTANCES AND TiME OF INFLUX
Roman coins - most notabiy, iarge bronzes (sestertii) - start to appear in the
territory settied by West Bait communities in connection with the amber trade.
O.W. §AROV. ].W. PALAGUTA, S.W. HAVR[N, "Nahodki kladov rimskih monet w raione Kopor'ja,'' PojyZ/'^łZ/'
arc/?eo/og/ce^/rZ/' ezegoJwZł 1/2010, pp. 335-359.
'' Only lour coins were discovered in graves or in the surface layers of the cemetery (cf. R. CIOŁEK, D/e PM/? J-
/WMMzeM Jer ro/??Z^cAe/? Ze/Z /w Po/e/?.' Xc/7/e^Ze/7, Wetteren-Warsaw 2008, p. 17, no. 6; p. 79, no. 114; p. 140, no. 219).
.). MILITKY "Die rómischen Mtinzen in Bóhmen - Kontexte und Funktion. Notizen zu dem heutigen
Stand der Forschung," [in:] A. BURSCHE, R. CIOŁEK, R. WOLTERS (eds.), P0//70/7 coZ/w o;/Z.sZJe Z/?e P////?/'/e...,
pp. 231-242, p. 236; IDEM, PZ/7& o/*Greeł, Powo/7 o/?Jeor/y Pyzo/7ZZ/?e coZ/?^ Z/? Z/?e ZerrZZo/3/ o/Czec/7 Pe/z/^/Zc,
vo!s. 1-111, Wetteren 2010.
H.J. EGGERS, Der rowZ^cAe 7/??/?orZ Z777 /reZe/7 GerwowZe/?, Hamburg 195 Ł
An exception here are two hoards of sestertii discovered in Bohemia and three from the territoiy of the
Elbian cuitures and Finno-Ugrian settiement. See discussion above.