Coin talk > Late Roman Bronze coins

Captives

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Victor:

--- Quote from: Genio popvli romani on May 17, 2014, 02:49:34 PM ---Note that Siscian barbarians look more barbaric than Trier's ones.   :)

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The ones from Siscia make me think of Persians

Genio popvli romani:
As I was checking some Sarmatia Devicta coins, I have made a little reverse gallery from Trier and Lyon mints with different representations.

Victor:

--- Quote from: Genio popvli romani on June 01, 2014, 12:15:41 PM ---As I was checking some Sarmatia Devicta coins, I have made a little reverse gallery from Trier and Lyon mints with different representations.

--- End quote ---

Nice, here is a pic of some from London, Arles and Sirmium. The captives on the Sarmatia type are remarkably similar across the mints.

Genio popvli romani:
You are right, Victor, and after all, it seems logical that a Sarmatian should be identically represented across the whole Empire. What is different of the Virtvs Exercit case (and other general concepts) on which a captive can be identified to any barbarian (according to the area where it has been struck).

Victor:

--- Quote from: Genio popvli romani on June 01, 2014, 03:34:08 PM --- it seems logical that a Sarmatian should be identically represented across the whole Empire.

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The issue, though, is how would the western mints, especially London know what a Sarmatian looked like?

"When Constantine learned that the Sarmatians, who live near Lake Maeotis, had sailed across the Danube and were pillaging his territory, he led his army against them...he killed many, took more prisoners and put the rest to flight." Zosimus 2:21

Lake Maeotis, which is now called the Sea of Azov, is very far from the western mints that issued these coins. There may have been some sort of image circulated (perhaps even a design for the coin reverse was issued to the mints) and I am sure that prisoners were taken, who would have been displayed and sold, but perhaps these depictions are still just generic representations of barbarians.

Sarmatians are also usually depicted as having beards in images from Trajan's time and coins issued by Marcus Aurelius seem show bearded Sarmatian captives (below is an example that is not very clear); but styles may have changed by the 4th century. Commodus also issued some coins celebrating a victory over Sarmatians, but from the examples I have seen I could not tell if they were bearded or not. My sample size is not very large for these Marcus Aurelius and Commodus coins either.

The ALAMANNIA DEVICTA type issued at about the same time has an almost identical reverse to the SARMATIA type including the captives, which makes be think even more that these captives are not styled on any actual living people, but only portray an idea of "barbarianism"

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