Roman gold goes abroad 2800-AFGOLD

The influx of Roman gold into the Barbaricum began as early as the mid-3rd century, when the Goths came into possession of vast spoils following the defeat of the Romans at the Battle of Abritus in 251 AD. Subsequent waves of gold entered the Barbaricum during the Migration Period: on one hand as a result of Gothic raids on the Danubian provinces in 375 AD, and on the other following the onset of Hunnic invasions. The barbarians acquired Roman gold through the payment of tributes, ransoms, military wages, and other forms of compensation. As a result, gold is found throughout the Barbaricum in the form of hoards, grave goods, or as isolated finds.

Another wave of gold reaching the Barbaricum is linked to the existence of the Ostrogothic and/or Burgundian state in Northern Italy, established in regions formerly part of the Roman Empire—often with the support of Western emperors. These developments led to a massive influx of gold, including coins and Roman medallions, into Scandinavia and the areas of modern-day Poland, especially its northern and central parts. Roman gold is also frequently discovered in the Carpathian Basin, as evidenced by large hoards of solidi. Additionally, Roman medallions are found as deposits—likely received as political gifts by barbarians even before the Hunnic invasions and buried decades later, probably out of fear of looming threats from the East.

During the course the subject of the influx of Roman gold into the Barbaricum will be addressed—its chronology, the circumstances of its arrival, and the role gold played in barbarian societies and in the formation of Germanic elites.

Key themes:

1. The role of gold in the formation of Germanic elites
2. Abritus – The Goths plunder the treasury of Trajan Decius
3. Gold circulation in the 4th century as a result of Germanic contacts between the Baltic and Black Seas
4. Medallions – origin, symbolism, and significance among barbarian elites
5. Gold and its role in Hunnic societies
6. The first gold hoards and Late Roman solidi in the Vistula basin – context of their influx
7. Solidi and gold in Western Scandinavia (medallions and their imitations)
8. Solidi and gold in Eastern Scandinavia – gold as payment for mercenaries
9. Bracteates and Guldgubber – production, meaning, and distribution
10. Imitations of solidi of Scandinavian origin"
12. Gold hoards from the southern Baltic coast – analysis of gold circulation