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1 Aureus - Imitating an Uncertain Ruler
| Issuer | Uncertain Germanic tribes |
|---|---|
| Year | 290-325 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Barbarian imitation of a Roman imperial aureus, depicting a draped and laureate bust of an uncertain emperor facing right, rendered in a crude, provincial style characteristic of Germanic workshop production. The portrait retains the general compositional conventions of late Roman imperial coinage but exhibits notably rough, abstract execution in the facial features and hair treatment. A degenerate legend surrounds the bust, composed of pseudo-Latin characters imitating Roman imperial titulature but without coherent meaning. The die-cutting reflects a craftsman working from a Roman prototype without full literacy in the Latin script. The overall style is consistent with Germanic barbarous imitations produced during the late third to early fourth century. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Barbarian imitations of Roman aurei from this period were not crude counterfeits intended to deceive — they circulated among tribal elites as prestige objects and gift currency, their value tied more to gold weight than to any claim of imperial legitimacy. The prototypes being copied were often decades old by the time the imitator's die was cut, which explains the frequent scrambling of legends into meaningless strings of letters by craftsmen who had no Latin.
At 6.34 g, this piece sits close to the Diocletianic reformed aureus standard, narrowing the likely prototype window considerably.