Catalog
1 Denarius - Imitating Marcus Aurelius, 161-180 Group 1
| Issuer | Taman, Goths from |
|---|---|
| Year | 250-275 |
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| Value | 1 Denarius |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Crude barbarian imitation of a Roman imperial reverse type, featuring a schematically rendered standing figure, likely imitating a deity or emperor in a pose derived from official Marcus Aurelius denarius reverses. The design is executed in a highly degenerate style with roughly incuse or weakly struck elements typical of Gothic imitative issues from the Taman peninsula. A debased and partially legible Latin legend borders the scene, composed of repeated letter-like strokes derived from the Roman prototype but largely stripped of meaning. |
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| Additional information |
Gothic silver imitations of Roman denarii began appearing in substantial numbers during the mid-third century, produced by craftsmen working from circulating Roman prototypes rather than official dies. The groups classified by Sergeev represent distinct production clusters, likely tied to specific tribal workshops operating in the Taman Peninsula region — a chokepoint between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov that made it a persistent zone of Gothic commercial and military activity during Rome's Crisis of the Third Century.
The "cf." designation against Sergeev 299 signals an imprecise match — close enough to anchor attribution, not close enough to confirm it outright.