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Similar to their Greek predecessors, ancient Romans largely classified all people of other races and nationalities as “barbarians.” The obvious problem with such a broad delineation is that the Roman Empire constantly assimilated new lands and cultures; consequently, previously reviled barbarians continually evolved into new, tax-paying citizens of the Empire.
Throughout its history, the Roman Empire battled barbarians at nearly every border, ranging from minor incursions to full-scale wars. The list of specific barbarian tribes figuring into Roman history is prodigious: Alans, Berbers, Burgundians, Carpi, Frisii, Huns, Jutes, Lombards, Picts, Sarmatians, Scots, Suevi, Vandals — just to name a few. It might seem unfair to compile them together, since each had their own distinct origins, customs, and beliefs. Even so, that was exactly the viewpoint of many ancient Romans: barbarians were a monolith, viewed primarily as a threat unless they could be controlled, contained, or otherwise exploited for labor and military service.
Interactions between Romans and barbarians began long before the Empire. For example, the Germanic tribes (who would become highly relevant to the Empire’s ultimate downfall) originated in Scandinavia and moved southward over the first millennium BC. By the time of Julius Caesar, they had reached the Rhine; in fact, Caesar explicitly noted them as a serious future threat to Rome. A couple of centuries later, they had expanded to the Danube basin and occupied territories north of Italy to the east (mainly the Gepids, Ostrogoths, Vandals, and Visigoths) and west (mainly the Alamanni, Angles, Franks, Marcomanni, and Saxons). These clan-based tribes possessed rudimentary agricultural and husbandry skills, resulting in relatively slow population growth. They tended to emphasize martial prowess; however, their initial capacity for protracted warfare was limited given their technological state and lack of large-scale political or military organization.
Over time, the barbarians grew more sophisticated. Some groups started forming larger confederations, perhaps to more successfully raid Roman territories. In the early third century AD, southern Germanic tribes coalesced into the Alamanni, middle Rhine groups incorporated into the Franks, and North Germans converged as the Saxons. By the fourth century AD, there was a continuous barbarian belt all along Rome's frontier from the North Sea to the Euxinus Pontus (Black Sea).
Starting in the mid-fourth century AD, the barbarian barrage against the borders increased dramatically. This marked the beginning of what is referred to as the Migration Period, also known as the
Völkerwanderung, characterized by intensified human migration throughout Europe that lasted until the early Middle Ages. Early excursions involved the Germanic tribes, but they were soon forced westward, pressured by additional tribes arriving from the east — particularly the fearsome Huns. This relentless pressure fundamentally fractured the Roman economy. As borders became perilous and supply lines broke down, official Roman mints struggled to transport low-value bronze coinage to the outer provinces, particularly Gaul and Britannia.
This localized economic collapse gave rise to one of the most fascinating phenomena in ancient numismatics. Left without enough small change to conduct daily commerce, Roman citizens took matters into their own hands. Local merchants, soldiers, and civic leaders began striking their own unofficial, localized "emergency money." Because these unofficial mints lacked state-of-the-art equipment and the most highly trained celators of the state, the resulting coins often featured blundered legends, abstract portraiture, and crude artistry. In the 19th century, early numismatists incorrectly assumed these crude coins were struck by invading tribes, dubbing them "barbarous issues." Today, modern scholars recognize the profound historical irony—but not complete inaccuracy—of that moniker: the vast majority of these coins were not struck by barbarians, but by Roman citizens driven to desperation because of the barbarians.
In stark contrast to the barbarate coinage of desperate provincial citizens, this remarkable bronze nummus represents the physical culmination of the era's geopolitical shift. Appropriately classified by NGC not as a "Barbarous Issue" but as "Migration Period" coinage, this piece was struck sometime in the fourth or fifth centuries AD by the actual migrating tribes who had successfully carved out their own territories within the Empire's former borders. While the exact tribal kingdom responsible for this specific coin remains uncertain, it stands as a profound historical artifact. It captures the exact moment when the invaders transitioned from being a disruptive external threat to becoming the new, localized governing authorities in need of their own circulating currency.
The design of the coin perfectly illustrates how these newly established barbarian kingdoms attempted to legitimize their rule by co-opting Roman iconography. The obverse features a classic pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust surrounded by a garbled legend (δIVIIV[...]II ΛV), proving that the new rulers still viewed the image of the Roman emperor as the ultimate symbol of monetary authority. The reverse is even more telling, imitating a traditional Roman decennalia issue. It features the blundered inscription VOT / X / MVLT / XX within an ornate, jewel-clasped wreath — a traditional imperial vow celebrating ten years of successful rule and praying for twenty. There is a profound irony in a newly settled barbarian kingdom, having just helped fracture the Roman world, minting crude bronze coins that painstakingly mimic the ancient, optimistic vows of Roman imperial longevity.
Migration Period coins like this one are evidence that as the
Völkerwanderung pushed further into imperial territory, migrating populations increasingly integrated into Roman society. They frequently joined the Roman military, where they learned new tactics, acquired better materials, and came to admire Roman sensibilities. Many openly sought recognition not just as Roman soldiers, but as respected officers and officials. The Romanization of the barbarians was unstoppable — a dynamic that ultimately resulted in the Barbarianization of Rome and laid the very foundation of modern Europe.
Additional Reading: P. Heather, Empires and Barbarians: The Fall of Rome and the Birth of Europe, 2009, Oxford University Press.
Coin Details: MIGRATION PERIOD, Uncertain, 4th-5th centuries AD, Æ nummus (12mm, 1.11 g, 6h), Imitating decennalia issue of uncertain emperor, NGC Grade: XF, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, δIVIIV[...]II ΛV, Reverse: Blundered VOT/X/MVLT/XX in four lines; all within wreath with large central jewel. References: Cf. Sergeev 270 (for imitative siliqua).
Image: Sony ɑ 7R Ⅴ camera / Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS lens.