I have acquired this lovely 10 nummii of Theodoric from vcoins. Being of the goth subculture I feel quite attracted to these guys. I shall use the seller photo since it hasn’t arrived yet but I’d like to do a little write up for this lovely coin. Theodoric was the king of the ostrogoths from 475-526, king of Italy from 493 to 526 and last but not least king of the Visigoths from 511-526. Spending part of his life as a captive of Rome, Theodoric became a commander of the Roman army sent by emperor Zeno to retake Italy from the Germanic king of Italy, Odoacer. He had made no waste in defeating Odoacer and in 493, while at a feast to celebrate a treaty between them, he murdered the defeated king and all of his most loyal followers. Now in charge of Italy, Theodoric expanded his sphere of influence by marrying the sister of the Frankish king Clovis I and sending his sister off to marry the king of the vandals, Thrasamund. He also had major victories over the gepids in the East and made a gothic superstate by bringing the visigoths under his control in 511. He died in 526 of dysentery, bringing an end to a legendary king. Theodoric was renowned as an excellent ruler and general and became one of the many heros of the Germanic sagas. Mentioned in the Rök runestone of Sweden, the Poetic Edda and in medieval German folktales, under the name Dietrich von Bern.
I have an example of this type but for some reason it’s photo (along with several of my older coin photos) isn’t displaying properly so I’ll post my latest Ostrogothic purchase: Theodahad, Ostrogothic Kingdom AR half-siliqua Obv: D N IVSTI-NIAN AC, diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right Rev: Monogram THEODAHATVS within wreath Mint: Ravenna Date: 534-536 AD Ref: Metlich 61; MIB 55b; Ranieri 287 And my Odoacer: Odoacer, Kingdom of Italy AE nummus Obv: OD[O-VAC], bare-headed, draped bust right Rev: Odoacer's monogram (letters ODOVA: “Odovacar”) within wreath Mint: Ravenna Date: 476-493 AD Ref: RIC X 3502
here's a Theodoric issue converted to a weight Theoderic. Æ Decanummium Converted to Weight (17mm 2.9 gm). Municipal issue. Ravenna mint. Struck A.D. 493-518. FELIX RAVENNA; Draped bust of Ravenna right, wearing mural crown / [Ravenna monogram in wreath; X (mark of value) at point of wreath ties]. COI 78a; MEC 145-9. converted to a two tremissis weight with the reverse removed and blank surface inscribed IS (16) in series of points to denote weight.
[QUOTE=" And my Odoacer: Odoacer, Kingdom of Italy AE nummus Obv: OD[O-VAC], bare-headed, draped bust right Rev: Odoacer's monogram (letters ODOVA: “Odovacar”) within wreath Mint: Ravenna Date: 476-493 AD Ref: RIC X 3502 [/QUOTE] I like your Odovacer Nummus above. Odovacer is of course a pivotal figure in late antique history. From the Byzantine Suda Lexicon, we know a bit about his family. His brother was Hunwulf, who served as officer in East Roman services. Hunwulf's father (i.e. Odovacer's father) was Edeka, a Thuringian and their mother was a Scirian. Odovacer let a group of diverse Germanic warriors, including Heruls, Scirians and Torcilingi (which is likely a later misspelling for Thuringians). (Thuringia is in central Germany). Below is my Odovacer Nummus. Odovacar (476 - 493) Avers: head without diadem. Legend (O D -) OVAC Revers: Monogramm of Odovacar I bought the coin 2 years ago. The estimate was EUR 50,-, but I paid 800!, which shows just how sought after this ruler is. At least, I believe that this is one of the best preserved examples on record
It has to be said though, that the Gothic subculture has absolutely nothing to do with the historical Goths.
The war dragged on for several years and eventually Theoderic and Odoacer agreed to share power in Italy. Theoderic, however, didn't stick to the bargain and murdered Odoacer, his family and his followers in cold blood.
my only coin from this period , I used a description from Roma Numismatics OSTROGOTHS . Municipal coinage of Rome Æ 20 Nummi. Time of Athalaric, AD 526-534. INVICTA ROMA, draped bust of Roma to right, wearing crested helmet, pendant earring and necklace / She-wolf standing to left, head turned back to watch the two infants Romulus and Remus suckling; two stars flanking I above, mark of value XX below. Hahn, MIB 71c (Theoderic); Kraus 29; Metlich 84b; MEC 1, 97-8. This revived Senatorial coinage features the helmeted bust of Roma along with the ironic obverse inscription INVICTA ROMA. This series may therefore be rightfully described as the final issue of coinage struck by the ancient Romans in their own name. 22 mm / 8.7 g
here are a few more that I have Athalaric. A.D. 526- 534 Æ Decanummium (18mm 2.1gm) Rome mint. INVICTA ROMA, helmeted and cuirassed bust of Roma right. D N ATHALRICVS S-C, Athalaric in military attire, standing right and holding spear, X (mark of value) in field. COI 85; MIB 77; MEC 132. Witigis (536- 539) Æ 10 Nummi (4.63g 15mm) Ravenna INVICTA ROMA, helmeted bust of Roma right of fine style DN-VVIT-ICES-REX within wreath terminating in X. Metlich 92 Baduila (541-552) Decanummium (16mm 5.1g). Rome DN BADVILA REX. Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing. FLOREAS SEMPER. Emperor standing right with shield and spear. Metlich 98b; MEC 162.
This comment, though made in fun, got me to wondering what the actual connection is. The link, apparently, is a spooky novel published in 1764 subtitled "A Gothic Story". The allusion seems to be to Gothic architecture - haunted ruins - as a setting for ghost stories and more generally, to the mysterious medieval past. According to Wikipedia, the term "Gothic" was first applied to a type of architecture in the 1530s as a sort of insult, meaning that medieval architecture was barbaric, not as refined as either that of the Renaissance or that of the Romans. Prior to the 1530s, the architectural style called "Gothic" today was known as "French Style". I love Google https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-origins-of-the-gothic https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture
A little Theodahad decanummia AE15mm 2.71g Together with its tickets: - an older one - and a newer one The coin comes from a French collection.
It is historically interesting that the Gothic bronze coinage became completely "national" after the death of Theoderic. Here is a Decanummi of Athalaric: INBICT - AROMA (instead of IN VICT AROMA) // DN ATAL - ARICVS - S C and value mark X
Below is a 20-Nummi of Athalaric: INVICTA - ROMA The reverse with two eagles under a palm tree is somewhat mysterious. Some scholars believe that it represents the "ficus ruminalis". I wonder what the eagles mean?
And here is a 40-Nummi of Athalaric. I don't have a better picture at hand and I don't have the measurements right now. However, this coin is unusually large and heavy. IMVICT - AROMA // XL
