Roman coins from Barbaricum. Evidence from surveys and excavation. The Ibsker settlement complex as a case study. more

ROMAN COINS FROM BARBARICUM, EVIDENCE FROM SURVEYS AND EXCAVATION. THE IBSKER SETTLEMENT COMPLEX AS A CASE STUDY Danish danefæ (treasure trove) legislation demands that all finds of archaeological objects made of gold or silver or of value for the cultural history of the country must be handed in to the authorities. Numismatic finds are mentioned specifically. When metal detectors became a tool for archaeologists and treasure hunters alike, the authorities took a pragmatic stand. Contrary to most European countries, the use of metal detectors was not banned in Denmark. Instead the users were encouraged to follow the law and hand in their finds, and very soon some archaeologists initiated a co-operation with amateur archaeologists including crash courses in basic field registration and lectures on the finds and their importance. This approach has provided us with an enormous increase in the number of coin finds from all periods of history and a unique empirical material. Situated between modern Denmark, Sweden and Poland, the island Bornholm was an important stepping stone in the Baltic Sea during the Iron Age. The isolated position, restricted size and abundant archaeological finds made Bornholm an ideal laboratory for the development of new archaeological approaches caused by the introduction of metal detectors. Ibsker parish in the northeastern corner of the island was famous for gold finds already in the 18th century, and excavations were undertaken on the site both in the late 19th century and in the 1950’s. Since the early 1980’s annual metal detector surveys have produced more than 18,000 artifacts, among these almost 1000 coins. Detector finds have been registered in the field, and information deriving from the surveys is digitalized and supplemented by information from old excavations as well as by new investigations in the form of rescue excavations, soil analysis and geomagnetic surveys. The Ibsker settlement complex serves to illustrate the potentials of this multifaceted approach, also for the study of Roman numismatics in Barbaricum. Most of the coins from Ibsker (now totaling c. 100 solidi and more than 800 denarii, as well as a smaller number of Viking Age and Medieval coins) 237 Abstracts dei posters Fig. 1. Distribution of detector finds from the Ibsker settlement complex. More than 2500 gold foil figurines found at the central site, Sorte Muld, qualify this area as a cultic center in the early Merovingian period (6th-early 7th century AD). Only c. 30 m from the cluster of figurines a denarius hoard was deposited around or shortly after AD 500. Iron Age houses have been excavated north as well as south of the hoard, and gold hoards (including Late Roman solidi) were deposited along the southern houses (Fuglesangsageren site). Map by Michael Vennersdorf based on information in the Sorte Muld Project database. 238 Occidente Fig. 2. Dalshøj is one of the satellite sites surrounding Sorte Muld. Detector finds (1980-2010) have been superimposed on the evidence from excavations. Also here gold hoards of the Migration period have been excavated in connection with the houses. Note that the solidi found during detector surveys are clustering in the areas of house remains. Map by Michael Vennersdorf based on information in the Sorte Muld Project database, superimposed in maps from KLINDT-JENSEN 1957. derive from from the archaeological contexts destroyed by modern agricultural works. The first finds from the site were Late Roman solidi (AD 395518), but recent surveys have yielded almost exclusively denarii from the 2nd century. Furthermore it is clear from the distribution pattern that although 239 Abstracts dei posters some denarii undoubtedly were deposited as hoards, the denarii in toto cannot derive from one or a small number of ploughed up hoards. The recognition of these patterns (visible in minor scale on other sites) have important implications for our understanding of the use of Roman coins in these non-monetarized societies, and it was possible only thanks to detector archaeology. Helle W. Horsnæs The National Museum of Denmark Bibliography ADAMSEN, CHR. et al. (eds.) 2009, Sorte Muld. Wealth, Power and Religion at an Iron Age Central Settlement of Bornholm, Rønne. HORSNÆS, H.W. 2009a, Late Roman and Byzantine coins found in Denmark, in WOŁOSZYN, M. (ed.), Byzantine Coins in Central Europe between the 5th and 10th Century, Moravia Magna vol. III, Kraków, 231-270. HORSNÆS, H.W. 2010b, Roman coins from Bornholm - a preliminary overview, in LUND HANSEN, U. - BITNER-WRÓBLEWSKA, A. (eds.), Worlds Apart? Contacts across the Baltic Sea in the Iron Age. Network Denmark-Poland, 2005-2008, Nordiske Fortidsminder, Ser. C, vol. 7, København - Warszaw, 433-448. HORSNÆS, H.W. forthcoming, Crossing Boundaries. 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