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1 Denarius - Imitating Augustus, 27BC-14AD
| Issuer | Uncertain Germanic tribes |
|---|---|
| Year | 150-250 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Aureus (circa 150-325) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Barbarous imitation of the reverse of an Augustan denarius, likely derived from the Lugdunum mint type featuring the altar of Lugdunum or associated dynastic imagery. The central design displays a highly schematized arrangement of standing figures or architectural elements, rendered in a simplified, almost geometric Germanic style. Two upright figures flank a central motif, with globular or circular elements in the lower field, consistent with a degenerate rendering of the Lugdunum altar reverse. A pseudo-Latin legend in barbarous lettering surrounds the design within a beaded border. The overall execution is consistent with late 2nd to mid-3rd century Germanic imitative coinage copying Augustan prototypes. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Germanic imitations of Roman silver coinage were not crude forgeries but functional currency produced by tribes operating outside Roman monetary infrastructure. Augustus-type denarii were copied well into the second and third centuries precisely because the prototypes had circulated so heavily in frontier zones that the imagery itself became synonymous with value. The weight here — notably below the contemporary Roman standard — reflects neither error nor debasement policy but the practical reality of tribes working from worn source coins and without access to Roman assay controls.