Catalog
1 Denarius circle and X, circle and X
| Issuer | Goths from Taman |
|---|---|
| Year | 275-325 |
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| Currency | Denarius (late 3rd/early 4th centuries) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Highly stylized, schematically rendered barbarian effigy facing right, executed in a crude provincial manner characteristic of Gothic imitative coinage from the Taman region. The head is depicted with bold, simplified strokes, lacking fine detail, reflecting the degenerate artistic tradition of late Roman denarius imitations. The surrounding field is unadorned, and the flan exhibits an irregular, roughly circular shape with visible surface porosity and green patination consistent with prolonged burial. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (275-325) |
| Additional information |
The so-called "Taman denarii" are among the most debated coinages in late antique numismatics. Attributed to Gothic groups operating around the Taman Peninsula — the ancient Sindian and later Bosporan territory at the eastern end of the Crimea — their precise issuing authority remains contested. Some scholars assign them to Gothic federates drawing on degraded Roman monetary conventions; others see them as local imitations circulating in the power vacuum left by the collapse of the Bosporan Kingdom in the later third century.
The copper fabric and the broad date range reflect genuine uncertainty rather than established chronology.