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Posted 12/10/2011 10:49 am
I'll add a bit of context to these coins to give you a better understanding of them.
Most (including me much of the time) refer to them as 'barbarous' or 'barbs' but a better description would be 'unofficial' or 'semi-unofficial'. It is often wrongly thought that they were all made to deceive, made as fakes to defraud people. While a small proportion were certainly made for this the vast majority were not.
These coins were made to alleviate currency shortages when either the Empire couldn't or wouldn't supply outlying areas and also as emergency currency for areas that the Empire gave up on completely and left.
Unofficial coins can be found all over the Empire and throughout the ages but they are particularly common in the 'edge of Empire' areas and in the 3rd and 4th centuries. This is a result of the turmoil and eventual collapse that the Empire suffered in areas during this time.
When the Romans couldn't / wouldn't supply or left an area the locals were in a very difficult situation, their economies could collapse without currency so they had to make it themselves be it in a semi-official or totally unofficial way.
Barbs were very common in the Gallic and Britannic breakaway Empires because administration for new currency was probably either not there at all or no where near as efficient as the official Roman machine.
Dating these coins can be hard - all that can really be said is that the unofficial imitative designs came after the official originals. But was it a day, a week, a year, a decade or even a century - most people can only theorise.
Most (including me much of the time) refer to them as 'barbarous' or 'barbs' but a better description would be 'unofficial' or 'semi-unofficial'. It is often wrongly thought that they were all made to deceive, made as fakes to defraud people. While a small proportion were certainly made for this the vast majority were not.
These coins were made to alleviate currency shortages when either the Empire couldn't or wouldn't supply outlying areas and also as emergency currency for areas that the Empire gave up on completely and left.
Unofficial coins can be found all over the Empire and throughout the ages but they are particularly common in the 'edge of Empire' areas and in the 3rd and 4th centuries. This is a result of the turmoil and eventual collapse that the Empire suffered in areas during this time.
When the Romans couldn't / wouldn't supply or left an area the locals were in a very difficult situation, their economies could collapse without currency so they had to make it themselves be it in a semi-official or totally unofficial way.
Barbs were very common in the Gallic and Britannic breakaway Empires because administration for new currency was probably either not there at all or no where near as efficient as the official Roman machine.
Dating these coins can be hard - all that can really be said is that the unofficial imitative designs came after the official originals. But was it a day, a week, a year, a decade or even a century - most people can only theorise.
