“My fleet sailed from the mouth of the Rhine eastward as far as the land of the Cimbri, which up to that time no Roman had penetrated by land or sea, and the Cimbri, Charydes and Semnones and their Other peoples of the Germans in the same region sought through their messengers my friendship and that of the Roman people.” Res Gestae 26.
With a single sentence, the first Roman Emperor unwittingly recorded some of the earliest known interactions between his Empire and the “barbarian” regions of the far north. Augustus’s Res Gestae provides evidence that, although the Romans did not conquer the northern regions of Britain (nor did they conquer Britain), Rome still achieved it. Tiberius’s attempt is cited above (before he succeeded the emperor) and ancient historians have mentioned this and other attempts to reach the North. Parallel to the discoveries of Roman coinage at sites in Scandinavia, these references provide an interesting insight into a relationship that may have been lost to history.
The ancient Roman river ship carried barrels, believed to contain wine and people. ( CC BY-SA 3.0 )
Roman trade with the Norse
One of the earliest known interactions between pre-Christian Norse people and the Roman Empire was based on trade. The amber trade is recorded by the ancient historians Tacitus and Pliny the Elder, who point out that the trade lasted (at least) from the beginning of the Empire until the 400s A.D. BC. Since nations were not as defined in the ancient world as they are today, one must be careful to determine whether the “northern tribes” and “northern tribes” referred to by the authors extended to as far as modern Scandinavia, i.e. Denmark (where most of the finds are concentrated), Sweden and Norway. Pliny is arguably the person who most clearly discussed the interaction between the Romans and the Scandinavians, arguing that Scandinavia was later named after his references to the ” Scandia ” or ” Scandi ” peninsula.
It can be inferred that Roman coinage may have circulated in these trade relationships, although not necessarily intentionally. Roman coins would have had no monetary value in the monetary system of the northern tribes. In Scandinavia, bartering was still the dominant form of exchange, so coins were pretty useless in payment. Therefore, Roman coins discovered in Scandinavia are believed to have reached the northern regions in a number of different ways. The first – and most obvious – is that a Roman soldier or merchant just happened to drop part of his pay, either in the North itself or in a location that Scandinavian soldiers might have found and picked up. get that piece; another consideration was that the use of these imperial coins as gifts demonstrated the Empire’s goodwill towards northern leaders.
Examples of Roman gold coins. This particular coin is part of the Roman collection at the Yorkshire Museum. ( CC BY SA 3.0 )
Scholar Thomas Green (2007) investigates Roman imports as symbols of power among Scandinavian elite leaders. Any Roman items brought into the area of a particular tribe showed good relations between the tribal leader and the Emperor, thereby enhancing the leader’s status. It was recognized that the number of Roman coins in an area was equivalent to the level of prestige that the leaders could boast of. Although Scandinavia was beyond Rome’s reach, the emperor may still have been considered a very important figure, and perhaps even god-like to the tribes who knew their Western chieftains only through through depictions on coins (and Roman coins and medals) of a man in semi-divine form. Although invisible to the North, these images spoke volumes and the people of the North found their own reasons to appreciate the Empire’s currency.
Hoby silver cup/bowl/goblet from the Roman Iron Age. Marked with the Roman name Silius and the artist’s name. Found in Hoby, Lolland, Denmark in 1920. (Leif Plith, Museum Lolland-Falster/ CC BY SA 4.0 )
Roman coins gained prestige
In fact, it became traditional for Roman coins to be worn as prestigious decorations. While the Roman Emperor had little influence in the farthest regions of the North, the Empire itself was recognized as a fierce power, led by a man to whom Scandinavians could easily associate for the status of demigod. The Scandinavian people must have been ready to accept the Roman Emperor as a “god leader” based on their cultural beliefs and willingness to assimilate with other religions. In Norse mythology, the gods are mortal, their lives are extended by eating certain fruits, and much of their power stems from their relationships with human warriors , who will one day fight alongside them in the final battle, Ragnarök. A human leader with as much power as the Roman Emperor seemed to possess (from such a distance, no less) would be quite consistent with their belief system. A piece of jewelry from such a chief would have had great resonance among the northern tribes.
Evidence suggests that tribesmen would forge a small ring of metal, through which scholars believe a small string was strung so that the coin could be worn as a necklace or bracelet. This theory also helps explain why the discoveries of Roman coins were concentrated in specific areas. Because coins were not used in the Northern barter system, coin rarely changed hands outside the tribe that first received it. Although a leader could transfer a Roman coin to a loyal person in his community, these coins were not freely passed from tribe to tribe. The prestige of the Empire attached to the coin was too valuable to be used for such a mundane purpose.
Bronze paintings of Constantine the Great, 332-333 AD. Note that this coin is carefully perforated so as not to damage the design. ( forumancientcoin )
The influx of Roman coins into certain areas of Scandinavia, most obviously Denmark, suggests the possibility of a relationship between the two cultures – however small. Although the evidence remains unclear as to whether the relationship was political or purely commercial, the vast number of coins discovered on Scandinavian soil provides a stepping stone for future research. The continued discovery of Latin inscriptions and fragmentary documents may one day improve Tacitus and Pliny’s descriptions of Scandia and the northern tribes, thereby providing further possible explanations. Poetry on Roman coins has been buried for two millennia.
