Athalaric, Ostrogothic Kingdom AE decanummium Obv: INVICT-A ROMA, Roma helmeted, facing right Rev: D N / ATHAL / ARICVS / REX, legend within wreath, X (10) below Mint: Rome; struck 526-534 AD Ref: COI 86; MIB 78; MEC 1, 133-4 Just received a second Athalaric coin for my collection (I recently sold a nummus of him so I've had three altogether). I really like these legend-in-wreath Ostrogoth types with the king's name in them, and would buy more of these (along with many other coin types, goes without saying) if money was no object. I also have this type for Theodahad (almost had a Witiges as well , so I'm still looking for a coin of him). Athalaric was the son of Eutharic and Amalasuntha, the latter being the daughter of the great King Theodoric of the Ostrogoths, making Athalaric his grandson. He was born in 516 AD, and he had a sister, Matasuntha. Theodoric had no male heir, so when he died in 526 AD, the ten year-old Athalaric was proclaimed king, but with his mother ruling in his name until he would become an adult. Amalasuntha, however, quickly found herself at odds against members of the Ostrogothic nobility. She wanted Athalaric to be educated and grow up like a Roman, while the nobles thought a tough and "Gothic" kind of upbringing was more suited for the young king. The nobles' influence won out, and Athalaric soon began to engage in heavy drinking and other indulgences. His health sharply declined and in 534 AD he died, at the age of 18. (the Ostrogothic Kingdom is in red)
cool VK, that reverse legend is clear as a bell. i still don't have any ostrogoth coins, here's a byzantine that i bet is pretty close to contemporary.
Jango => congrats on scoring yourself a very cool and "readable" ostro-example!!! total winner (I like it)
Great coin and writeup! Unfortunately, your interesting writeups have caused me to begin looking at the Migration Period section of auctions .
Wonderful write-up and such a cool coin!!! You have me constantly changing my wish list to accommodate 'barbarian' issues among all the others I still crave...
Thanks all! No you don't. You two will stick to collecting only Greeks, Romans, and everything else you currently collect.
You're darn right there isn't! But there's plenty in the Greek and early Roman sections, so go crazy there!
Thought I'd put up Athalaric's successor on here as well, Theodahad, who happened to be a nephew of Theodoric (making Theodahad Athalaric's great-cousin I think? If thats even a thing ). Theodahad, Ostrogothic Kingdom AE decanummium Obv: INVICT-A ROMA, Roma helmeted, facing right Rev: D N / THEODA / HATHVS / REX within wreath, X below Mint: Rome (struck 534-536 AD) Ref: COI 90