Treasure finds from Niederbieber

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3. Treasure find: "Troop Treasury" around 259 AD in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn

The treasure finds from Niederbieber denote five coin finds from Niederbieber , a district of Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate . All finds were made during excavations in the area of the Niederbieber fort on the Upper German Limes . The first treasure find is from 1900, the last from 1989. Four of the five treasure finds and the number of individual coins found are related to the final destruction of the fort. It is unclear whether the destruction is related to an internal Roman conflict or at the same time as the German invasion and thus the fall of the Limes . The coin finds help archaeologists to narrow down the time of the event.

meaning

In 1901, Emil Ritterling described the first two finds as “two coin finds that were distinguished neither by the number nor the rarity of their pieces.” ( Emil Ritterling :). But even with this point of view, he also mentioned an aspect in the same text that speaks for the importance of the finds: The treasures help the archaeologists to determine when the Niederbieber fort was destroyed , an aspect that applies to all treasure finds to date. The buildings in which the finds lay were destroyed, which must have been caused by the storming of the fort. That was probably the time of the fall of the Limes or an intra-Roman conflict. Analyzes of the coins allow the period for this to be narrowed down to 259 or 260 as a term post quem . In addition, the curve of the relative coin frequency according to Klaus Kortüm seems to indicate a relatively late beginning of the fort, namely later than 194. However, this is not a conclusive statement, because it is based on a list of the mintings, which is divided solely according to emperors.

Apron

The first documented excavations in Niederbieber took place in 1759. At that time it was not yet known that a fort was hidden in the ground. Various artifacts were found during the dig, a bronze sculpture, bricks, especially coins, in silver and copper. Most of the coin finds were melted down immediately because of the raw materials. Most of the coins found were destroyed as early as 1791. Some coins from an emperor Gordianus and some from Gallienus have survived . After the discovery and excavation of the fort began around 1800, the finds were of great interest. As a result, a royal cabinet of antiquities was set up. The remnants of that collection are now in the Neuwied District Museum and in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn . The first scientifically usable excavations were carried out between 1897 and 1912. On behalf of the Reich Limes Commission, Emil Ritterling had about half of the fort's interior areas examined.

Value

The first four finds can be divided into two groups based on their composition. Finds 1 and 3 indicate that the coins were kept for a short time, with a minting period of only 20 to 30 years. In terms of metal value, these hoards are more important, also because of the silver vessels found. Finds 2 and 4, on the other hand, show that the content was saved in the long term. They are characterized by a high proportion of Severan denarii .

The greatest material value is gold jewelry. The most valuable piece is a single find from the northern fort quarter. It is a solid gold finger ring with a gem made of onyx . It weighs 23 grams, which is the equivalent of at least five contemporary aurei .

First treasure find

In 1900, excavations were carried out on the eastern longitudinal wall of the Fabrica building at Niederbieber Fort . On September 3, 1900, a find was found about 14 m south of the north side at a depth of 60 to 70 cm.

On the one hand, it was an upturned bowl made of white metal with coins in and under it. Some of the coins were bound to a lump through oxidation. On the other hand, there were delicate gold jewelry (two pin heads connected by a chain), a pendant decorated with base emeralds and an onyx cameo . Apparently the jewelry had been in a now rotten wooden box. This assumption is underpinned by fittings found near the jewelry and a broken bronze key . The circumstances of the find suggest that the box was not originally buried.

192 or 193 coins were found. All of them are Antoninians , from Caracalla to Gallienus . The older coins show some signs of wear. The majority comes from the times of the Roman emperor Gordian III. (77 pieces) and Philip Arabs (72 pieces). The minting times of almost all coins are only about 20 years. From the two coins of Valerian it can be deduced that the treasure was not lost before, but also not long after 254.

An Antoninian by Gallienus from 258 is often cited as the final coin, from the Lugdunum mint. But this coin was subsequently found in the overburden, which is why it is not certain that it belongs to this find. Then an Antoninian by Valerian of 254 would be seen as the final coin .

Second treasure find

On September 27, 1900, another find was uncovered about 9.70 m behind the eastern outer wall of Niederbieber Fort, in a building on the right-hand side of the Praetorian Guard . It was several lumps of oxidized silver coins. The find situation proves that the sum of money was left behind when the building burned, i.e., like the first find, it was not buried.

Within the clumps, the coins were arranged in stacks that were shifted sideways, 389 pieces. All coins were covered with a light green patina . As with the previous find, the older coins showed signs of wear, the younger ones appeared as good as unused. The different times of the coinage allow the date of origin of the found coins to be determined with astonishing accuracy. 301 of the coins found are Antoninians , from Macrinus to Gallienus . Another 88 pieces are denarii, from Clodius Albinus to Gordian III.

For example, the following facts suggest the dating: The vast majority of Valerian's coins have a legend that only occurs up to 257. The legend on the coins of Gallienus also reveals that they must have been minted before 257. The legion coins belonging to the later reign of Gallienus are completely missing. The coin series with the latest struck coins refers to historical events which suggest that they must have been issued before Postumus ' appointment . In addition, coins from Postumus are completely missing from the coin treasure. The 25 final coins extend to 259. All of this reveals that this series must have been minted in 259 at the latest.

Third treasure find

The third coin find was discovered six years after the first two. It comes from the same site and historical era. This find is called the “troop treasury” and is believed to have originated in 259. It was found under the floor of a barracks head. A small, bronze cauldron from Ostland was found containing a linen bag with coins. The money is 889 Antoniniane with which the Fund by the quantity of coins's been about five times as large as the previous finds. The coins date from 218/219 to the end of 258, from the time of the rulers Elagabal to Gallienus . The 68 final coins come from 259. In addition to the cauldron, there were two silver- plated bronze plates and two silver bowls.

Fourth treasure trove

This find can only be traced on paper, as it is only available as an original manuscript by Christian Friedrich Hoffmann . There is evidence that Hoffmann conducted excavations in the fort in the years 1791, 1800, 1804 and 1813–15. His extensive manuscript was found in the Fürstlich Wiedsche Archive in Neuwied in 1811. In 1991 it was worked up in terms of content in Frankfurt am Main. Hoffmann describes 256 coins that are said to have been found "in a goblet made of yellow metal". Thanks to Hoffmann's detailed description, almost all coins could be assigned. There are 213 denarii and 24 antoninians . Most of them originate from the periods of Septimius Severus , Elagabal and Severus Alexander . The year of the final coin fits in perfectly with the earlier find results with the year of issue 259.

Fifth treasure find

At the end of November 1989, the fifth find was found in the excavation in the area of ​​the staff building of the fort, a bulbous bronze vessel that was completely filled with silver coins. Presumably it was the troop coffers of the auxiliary unit " Numerus Divitiensium ". The little treasure consists of 1942 denarii (average weight 3.41 g), a 1½ times denarius weighing 5.11 g and an antoninian . The oldest found issue originated under Antoninus Pius in the years 140 and 143. The most recent issue appeared in the spring of 236 under Maximinus Thrax . Since ten other treasure finds from the Roman-Germanic border area in the region show comparable closing coins , it can be deduced that this find is related to the invasion of the Germanic peoples in the early summer of 236. Another source, however, interprets the finds as the cash left behind from a vexillation that had moved into the Danube region in the summer of 236 with Maximinus Thrax against the Sarmatians and Dacians .

Single find series

In addition to the five treasure finds, there is a series of individual finds. It consists of 76 coins. The period begins with Augustus and ends with a coinage under Valerian from Rome from 254.

In addition, individual silver vessels were found, which may come from other, unrecognized hoards.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Noeske: Treasure Finds 1–4 . 1996, p. 47 . Quoted from Alexander Heising : Perspectives on Limes Research using the example of Niederbieber Castle . In: Peter Heinrich (Ed.): Perspektiven der Limesforschung. 5th Colloquium of the German Limes Commission 19./20. May 2009 in the Roman-Germanic Museum of the City of Cologne. (=  Contributions to the Limes World Heritage Site 5 ). Stuttgart 2010, p. 60–63 ( academia.edu [PDF; accessed on August 27, 2019]).
  2. ↑ Alexander Heising : Perspectives on Limes Research using the example of Niederbieber Castle . In: Peter Heinrich (Ed.): Perspektiven der Limesforschung. 5th Colloquium of the German Limes Commission 19./20. May 2009 in the Roman-Germanic Museum of the City of Cologne. (=  Contributions to the Limes World Heritage Site 5 ). Stuttgart 2010, p. 61 ( academia.edu [PDF; accessed on August 27, 2019]).
  3. ↑ a b c Alexander Heising : Perspectives on Limes Research using the example of Niederbieber Castle . In: Peter Heinrich (Ed.): Perspektiven der Limesforschung. 5th Colloquium of the German Limes Commission 19./20. May 2009 in the Roman-Germanic Museum of the City of Cologne. (=  Contributions to the Limes World Heritage Site 5 ). Stuttgart 2010, p. 68 ( academia.edu [PDF; accessed on August 27, 2019]).
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g Emil Ritterling: Two coin finds from Niederbieber . In: Bonner Jahrbücher of the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn and the Association of Friends of Antiquity in the Rhineland . tape 107 . A. Marcus and E. Weber's Verlag, 1901, ISSN  0068-0060 , p. 99–111 ( uni-heidelberg.de [PDF; accessed on 23 August 2019]).
  5. ↑ a b c d e f Emil Ritterling: Two coin finds from Niederbieber . In: Bonner Jahrbücher of the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn and the Association of Friends of Antiquity in the Rhineland . tape 107 . A. Marcus and E. Weber's Verlag, 1901, ISSN  0068-0060 , p. 95.96 ( uni-heidelberg.de [PDF; accessed on 23 August 2019]).
  6. ^ A b c Karl-Josef Gilles: The coin cabinet in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier: an overview of the Trier coin history . Ed .: Rheinisches Landesmuseum (=  series of publications by the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier . No. 13 ). Trier 1996, ISBN 3-923319-36-3 , p. 18, 19 .
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Alexander Heising : Perspectives on Limes Research using the example of Niederbieber Castle . In: Peter Heinrich (Ed.): Perspektiven der Limesforschung. 5th Colloquium of the German Limes Commission 19./20. May 2009 in the Roman-Germanic Museum of the City of Cologne. (=  Contributions to the Limes World Heritage Site 5 ). Stuttgart 2010, p. 60–63 ( academia.edu [PDF; accessed on August 27, 2019]).
  8. ↑ a b Klaus Kortüm : On the dating of the Roman military camps in the Upper German-Rhaetian Limes area (=  Saalburg-Jahrbuch 49 ). 1998, p. 5–65 (based on the series of coins Dorow 1826, 63–66, which was commented on and supplemented by Ritterling 1901, 111–115 37-38 Fig. 77.). Quoted from Alexander Heising : Perspectives on Limes Research using the example of Niederbieber Castle . In: Peter Heinrich (Ed.): Perspektiven der Limesforschung. 5th Colloquium of the German Limes Commission 19./20. May 2009 in the Roman-Germanic Museum of the City of Cologne. (=  Contributions to the Limes World Heritage Site 5 ). Stuttgart 2010, p. 60–63 ( academia.edu [PDF; accessed on August 27, 2019]).
  9. ↑ a b c Hans-Christoph Noeske: Niederbieber, Postumus and the Limesfall . Stations in a political process. In: Egon Schallmayer (ed.): Saalburg writings . tape 3 . Saalburgmuseum Bad Homburg, Bad Homburg 1996, ISBN 3-931267-02-4 , p. 45, 46 .
  10. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Hans-Christoph Noeske: Niederbieber, Postumus and the Limesfall . Stations in a political process. In: Egon Schallmayer (ed.): Saalburg writings . tape 3 . Saalburgmuseum Bad Homburg, Bad Homburg 1996, ISBN 3-931267-02-4 , p. 47 .
  11. ↑ Brock: Journal for Numismatics III 75 . S. 80 and 89 . Quoted from Emil Ritterling: Two coin finds from Niederbieber . In: Bonner Jahrbücher of the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn and the Association of Friends of Antiquity in the Rhineland . tape 107 . A. Marcus and E. Weber's Verlag, 1901, ISSN  0068-0060 , p. 99–111 ( uni-heidelberg.de [PDF; accessed on 23 August 2019]).
  12. ↑ Presented by Wilhelmine Hagen in the guide to the exhibition of the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn 17 (1968) 39 Quoted from Hans-Christoph Noeske: Niederbieber, Postumus and the Limesfall . Stations in a political process. In: Egon Schallmayer (ed.): Saalburg writings . tape 3 . Saalburgmuseum Bad Homburg, Bad Homburg 1996, ISBN 3-931267-02-4 , p. 47 .
  13. ^ A b c Wilhelmine Hagen: Coinage and circulation in the Rhineland . Guided tour through the permanent collection of the Münzkabinett. In: Art and Antiquity on the Rhine . tape 17 . Rheinland-Verlag GmbH, Düsseldorf 1968, p. 39 .
  14. ↑ Lehner, Menninger: Lehner 1911, No. I c, 1–4. - Menninger 1997, 112–113; 116–123 with ill. 1998, p. 29-43 (cat. 10-13) . Quoted from Alexander Heising : Perspectives on Limes Research using the example of Niederbieber Castle . In: Peter Heinrich (Ed.): Perspektiven der Limesforschung. 5th Colloquium of the German Limes Commission 19./20. May 2009 in the Roman-Germanic Museum of the City of Cologne. (=  Contributions to the Limes World Heritage Site 5 ). Stuttgart 2010, p. 62 ( academia.edu [PDF; accessed on August 27, 2019]).
  15. ↑ Hans-Christoph Noeske: Niederbieber, Postumus and the Limesfall . Stations in a political process. In: Egon Schallmayer (ed.): Saalburg writings . tape 3 . Saalburgmuseum Bad Homburg, Bad Homburg 1996, ISBN 3-931267-02-4 , p. 48 .