Denarius of Commodus

The silver coin from Resko – the Roman Emperor Commodus’ denarius is a part of approx. 240 denarii hoard found by chance in 1924 on a farmland in a clay vessel. To this day only 160 denarii have survived, from which the earliest is dated to 69–71, the latest to 193–211. Part of the hoard was lost during World War II. The Roman Emperor Commodus’ denarii were minted between 177–192. The denarius’ obverse depict a portrait of the Emperor’s right profile with a laurel wreath on his head and the inscription M COMM ANT P FEL AVG BRIT. The reverse shows a Nobilitas person standing upright, wearing a decorative dress, and turned to the right. In the right hand it holds a long sceptre, and a miniature statue of Minerva - the goddess of wisdom, art, and craft rests on their left, raised hand. Around it, there is the inscription NOBILIT AVG P M TR P XII IMP VIII COS V P P. The Resko treasure should be associated with the population of the Dębczyno group and dated to the second half of the 4th century. The long period of time between the date of issue and the hiding of the treasure is noteworthy, as the latest coins are dated to 193-211. However, the phenomenon of keeping Roman coins for a long time was not uncommon. While the Roman Empire used such coins for a relatively short time, on the Barbaricum territories (European areas outside the Roman Empire boundaries) they were used even for several hundred years. Initially, it was assumed that hoards were buried in the ground by Roman merchants when threatened. However, the fact is that most of treasures were hidden in locally manufactured vessels suggesting that they belonged to members of (probably wealthy) local communities, which maintained trade contacts with Roman merchants and exchanged goods with nearby tribes.

Monika Witek