Catalog
40 Nummi
| Issuer | Rome, City of |
|---|---|
| Year | 493-553 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Reverse description | The she-wolf standing left, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus beneath her, a composition evoking the founding myth of Rome. Above the central device, the value mark XL denotes forty nummi, while the officina letter or numeral appears in the lower field or exergue, identifying the workshop of issue. The design is boldly struck though irregular in flan, characteristic of hammered bronze coinage of this period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Ostrogothic bronze coinage struck in Rome under the arrangement that allowed Theoderic and his successors to issue coins in the western provinces while nominally acknowledging Byzantine imperial authority. The 40 nummi denomination was among the largest bronze values in circulation and saw sustained use across the Italian peninsula through the Gothic Wars, which effectively ended Ostrogothic rule by 553 — the terminal date of this type's production range.
The reference spread across MEC, BMC Vandal, MIB, Metlich, and Arslan reflects genuine scholarly disagreement about attribution: some specimens assigned to this type were struck under Theoderic, others under Athalaric or later rulers, and distinguishing them often depends on subtle die characteristics rather than explicit mint marks.