DOI issue:
Artykuły
DOI article:Dymowski, Arkadiusz; Myzgin, Kirill: Inflow and redistribution of Roman Imperial Denarii in the area of the Przeworsk, Wielbark and Chernyakhiv cultures and in the Baltic Islands in the light of chronological structure of coin hoards
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.31073#0057
1NFL0WAND REDISTRIBUTION...
A smali number of denarii from later years of the reign of Septimius Severus and his 3^ cen-
tury successors, mixed presumably to some extent with older denarii,"^ was introduced during the
3"* century, until the end of the 230s and 240s (to the area covering the Przeworsk and Chemyakhiv
cultures?), or possibly later, around the rnid-3"* century, as an addition to antoniniani'^ (to the regions
of the Wielbark culture and, possibly, also that of the Chemyakhiv culture). These late denarii could
have been hoarded in type E deposits or used to top up type C and D assemblages."^
In the case of Bomholm, and possibly also of Óland, we agree with the claim that H-2"'' century
denarii came there as a result of redistribution, from the territory of present-day Poland. As with the
Chemyakhiv culture, this may have happened during Roman Period phase C1 b at the earliest or, very
likely, later. In the case of Gotland, the problem is morę complex. Finds from this island are dominat-
ed by hoard type C-3. It seems that most of the coins came there as an unmodihed pool of a Severan
pattem. Basing only on the chronological structure of finds from Gotland it is hard to decide whether
the Imperial denarii came to the island directly from the Empire or were redistributed from the Con-
tinental part of Barbaricum. What is quite certain is that they must have come relatively early, at the
end of the 2^ century, perhaps slightly later. The dating proposed for the Bomunds i Burgen hoard
(in the later reign of Marcus Aurelius?) suggests the process could have started even a little earlier.
When it comes to the denarius hoards, the occurrence of type D deposits is the most typical
feature in the Przeworsk-Wielbark-Chemyakhiv-Baltic zonę. In generał, deposits of this kind are
recorded in abundance everywhere on this area (Map 2). At the same time, some type D hoards (or
their close analogies) have been discovered outside this zonę, especially in north-westem Germany
(Laatzen, Lengerich) and on the Great Hungarian Plain'^ (Kecel M and Mende in Hungary, Ghiri$a 11
in Romania). There are a few ways to explain this. Firstly, other Barbarian territories may have been
supported with Roman denarii during the same period, from the same direction, for the same reason,
and used in the same way as in the Przeworsk-Wielbark-Chemyakhiv-Baltic zonę. The same is
equally likely for north-westem Germany and the Great Hungarian Plain, where type C (C-3) hoards,
a modihcation of which interpreted as type D are also recorded (Lashorst in Germany, Miskoic in
Hungary). Secondly, some of the Barbarian tribes had been migrating during the late Roman Period
and the Migration Period. For example, some of the Przeworsk culture population, identihed with the
Yandals, moved in the direction of the Great Hungarian Plain during the late Roman Period.'"* Most
"3 During the 230s, possibly even later, until the mid-3"* century, many 2"**-century denarii, as well as some
older ones, continued in circulation within the Empire; cf. SCHUBERT, "Das Verha)tnis...," pp. 262-271.
"^BURSCHE, "Dalsze monety...," p. 20); A. DYMOWSKI, "A Roman antoninianus of Egnatia Mariniana
found in the Kujavian region. The third century silver coinage in the region of the Przeworsk culture," IVo?ae
AMwAwat/cae - ZapAł/ Aaw/zwatyczwe VII, 2012, pp. 95-100.
"5 Cf. BURSCHE, "Dalsze monety...," pp. 200-204.
"6 HORSNAS, Cro&smg..., p. 79.
AA/ew, p. 73-80; cf. LIND, "The Monetary Reforms...," p. 137.
"s P. KACZANOWSKI, R. MADYDA-LEGUTKO, "Strefy kulturowe w Europie Środkowej w okresie
rzymskim" in: P. KACZANOWSKI, M. PARCZEWSKI (eds.), Zrc/?go/ogz'a o pocz^Aac/? ÓYow/aa, Kraków
2005, p. 130. The Hungarian researchers tend to attribute all hoards of the Imperial denarii found on the Great
Hungarian Plain invariably to Sarmatians (E. FARKAS, M. TORBAGYI, "Sarmatians and the Roman coins"
in: A. BURSCHE, R. CIOŁEK, R. WOLTERS (eds.), Powaa CoAy oarsAe Ewpfre. hhys aa<7 P/ra^e^, Coa-
?exA a??ć/ FaacPofM, Wetteren 2008 ("Collection Moneta," vol. 82), pp. 255-264; I. V1DA, "Late 2"** Century
A smali number of denarii from later years of the reign of Septimius Severus and his 3^ cen-
tury successors, mixed presumably to some extent with older denarii,"^ was introduced during the
3"* century, until the end of the 230s and 240s (to the area covering the Przeworsk and Chemyakhiv
cultures?), or possibly later, around the rnid-3"* century, as an addition to antoniniani'^ (to the regions
of the Wielbark culture and, possibly, also that of the Chemyakhiv culture). These late denarii could
have been hoarded in type E deposits or used to top up type C and D assemblages."^
In the case of Bomholm, and possibly also of Óland, we agree with the claim that H-2"'' century
denarii came there as a result of redistribution, from the territory of present-day Poland. As with the
Chemyakhiv culture, this may have happened during Roman Period phase C1 b at the earliest or, very
likely, later. In the case of Gotland, the problem is morę complex. Finds from this island are dominat-
ed by hoard type C-3. It seems that most of the coins came there as an unmodihed pool of a Severan
pattem. Basing only on the chronological structure of finds from Gotland it is hard to decide whether
the Imperial denarii came to the island directly from the Empire or were redistributed from the Con-
tinental part of Barbaricum. What is quite certain is that they must have come relatively early, at the
end of the 2^ century, perhaps slightly later. The dating proposed for the Bomunds i Burgen hoard
(in the later reign of Marcus Aurelius?) suggests the process could have started even a little earlier.
When it comes to the denarius hoards, the occurrence of type D deposits is the most typical
feature in the Przeworsk-Wielbark-Chemyakhiv-Baltic zonę. In generał, deposits of this kind are
recorded in abundance everywhere on this area (Map 2). At the same time, some type D hoards (or
their close analogies) have been discovered outside this zonę, especially in north-westem Germany
(Laatzen, Lengerich) and on the Great Hungarian Plain'^ (Kecel M and Mende in Hungary, Ghiri$a 11
in Romania). There are a few ways to explain this. Firstly, other Barbarian territories may have been
supported with Roman denarii during the same period, from the same direction, for the same reason,
and used in the same way as in the Przeworsk-Wielbark-Chemyakhiv-Baltic zonę. The same is
equally likely for north-westem Germany and the Great Hungarian Plain, where type C (C-3) hoards,
a modihcation of which interpreted as type D are also recorded (Lashorst in Germany, Miskoic in
Hungary). Secondly, some of the Barbarian tribes had been migrating during the late Roman Period
and the Migration Period. For example, some of the Przeworsk culture population, identihed with the
Yandals, moved in the direction of the Great Hungarian Plain during the late Roman Period.'"* Most
"3 During the 230s, possibly even later, until the mid-3"* century, many 2"**-century denarii, as well as some
older ones, continued in circulation within the Empire; cf. SCHUBERT, "Das Verha)tnis...," pp. 262-271.
"^BURSCHE, "Dalsze monety...," p. 20); A. DYMOWSKI, "A Roman antoninianus of Egnatia Mariniana
found in the Kujavian region. The third century silver coinage in the region of the Przeworsk culture," IVo?ae
AMwAwat/cae - ZapAł/ Aaw/zwatyczwe VII, 2012, pp. 95-100.
"5 Cf. BURSCHE, "Dalsze monety...," pp. 200-204.
"6 HORSNAS, Cro&smg..., p. 79.
AA/ew, p. 73-80; cf. LIND, "The Monetary Reforms...," p. 137.
"s P. KACZANOWSKI, R. MADYDA-LEGUTKO, "Strefy kulturowe w Europie Środkowej w okresie
rzymskim" in: P. KACZANOWSKI, M. PARCZEWSKI (eds.), Zrc/?go/ogz'a o pocz^Aac/? ÓYow/aa, Kraków
2005, p. 130. The Hungarian researchers tend to attribute all hoards of the Imperial denarii found on the Great
Hungarian Plain invariably to Sarmatians (E. FARKAS, M. TORBAGYI, "Sarmatians and the Roman coins"
in: A. BURSCHE, R. CIOŁEK, R. WOLTERS (eds.), Powaa CoAy oarsAe Ewpfre. hhys aa<7 P/ra^e^, Coa-
?exA a??ć/ FaacPofM, Wetteren 2008 ("Collection Moneta," vol. 82), pp. 255-264; I. V1DA, "Late 2"** Century