Study of the Late Roman gold and political power in the Barbaricum

The dataset encompasses materials pertaining to recent discoveries of gold objects and gold coins from the Barbaricum, dating from the 1st to the 4th century AD. The materials consist of photographs of key finds from archaeological sites in Poland, Denmark, Slovakia, and Ukraine, comparative analyses of similar discoveries across the Barbaricum, a cartographic representation detailing the distribution of gold objects and coins in the Barbaricum, and maps delineating the geographical distribution of specific types of gold artifacts from the Late Roman period.

Files 1, 2, and 5-8 present photographs of gold objects, aurei, and solidi unearthed in various regions of the Barbaricum, including the assemblage from Czarnówko (File 1), cut objects from the bog deposit in Illerup Ådal, Denmark (File 2), a grave assemblage from the Ostrovany site in Slovakia (File 5), a detailed plan of a grave from Ulów, Poland, featuring golden items and aureus fragments (File 6), an image of a rare aureus of Postumus with a Greek inscription housed in the Ossolineum collection in Wrocław, Poland (File 7), and gold items and coins from the Brangstrup Hoard, Denmark (File 8). Two other files illustrate statistics concerning the chronology of mid-3rd-century aurei finds in Ukraine (File 3) and the position of holes on aurei (File 4). These examples aid in understanding the spread and typology of gold objects throughout the Barbaricum during the Late Roman period.

The next files, represented by ten maps, aim to visualize the geographical distribution of gold object discoveries in the Barbaricum during the 1st-4th centuries, and specifically, the locations where the most significant gold hoards and finds have been located. File 9 represents the distribution of grave assemblages (3rd century) in the Barbaricum containing cut-up gold objects. File 10 consists of the distribution of mid-3rd-century aurei finds in the Barbaricum. The distribution of elite graves from the Late Roman Period (C1b-C3) in the Barbaricum is represented in File 11. File 12 is devoted to the distribution of Late Roman period gold foil pendants stamped with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic ornaments. File 13 consists of a map showing the distribution of rosette brooch finds. The distribution of fold pelta-shaped and crescentic pendants without anthropomorphic/zoomorphic motifs is represented in File 14. File 15 represents the distribution of gold hoards in Denmark during the Late Roman Iron Age. File 16 shows the distribution of finds of gold imitations of Roman coins. File 17 shows the distribution of Kolbenarmringe bracelets in the Barbaricum. Finally, File 18 represents the distribution of Roman gold medallions in the Barbaricum.

This dataset is crucial for furthering the understanding of the circulation and cultural significance of gold objects within the Barbaricum during the Late Roman period. It contributes to research on the typological, contextual, and geographical analysis of gold artifacts and their role in the archaeological record.