Theodoric the Great AE Decanummium Rome/Ravenna AD 493-518

 

Obverse: FELIX RAVENNA, mural-crowned and draped bust to right

Reverse: Eagle standing to left, wings spread, two stars flanking; X in exergue

Metlich 77; BMC p. 106, 34-5

 

**OF EXTREME RARITY AND HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE**
This is a coin that falls between Roman coinage and 'Byzantine' coinage, and is technically filed under 'Migration Period' or 'Germanic' but is actually as Roman as one can get; the obverse shows the image of the personification of Ravenna, complete with Mural Crown, while the reverse shows the Imperial eagle with spead wings, long a symbol of Rome; while the Ostrogoths under Theoderic the Amal did indeed 'migrate' to Italy at the end of the 5th Century, this coin should not be considered 'barbarous' or 'tribal' as it was issued from the offical Imperial mint that also issued coins for the Eastern Emperor 

Theodoric's Italy was for all intents and purposes a 'Golden Age' in which the business of Imperial government not only continued, but FLOURISHED, with Theodoric appointing Romans to all civialian posts while the Goths handled the military; this time period is very interesting to read about, as previous histories have painted AD 476 as the 'end of Rome' and the beginning of 'the Dark Ages', a notion we now know is not only completely wrong, but prepostorus as well!

It would not be until Justinian's Reconquest of Italy that the internal infastructure failed and the images of 'Dark Age' ruin begin; one wonders what could have been, had Theodoric been able to secure his sucession, as he had made alliances with nearly every Post-Roman Kingdom in the West save for Britian, and actually controled more territory than the Roman Emperors themselves had in the 5th Century

I purchased this coin from Forum Ancient Coins many years ago and they purchased this coin from CNG c.2010; it is apparently unknown which mint this coin came from, either Rome or Ravenna, but as Forum and CNG both attribute it to Rome, I have followed suit with the caveat that it may have issued from Ravenna; I have also included Forum's photo, which is also the photo used by CNG, but as usual I have added multiple images of my own to show the coin from all angles 

15mm, 2g (actually 1.995g but I rounded it up)





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