Some Observations on Coin Finds in Crimean Cemeteries from the Late Roman Period

In the Crimean Peninsula there were flat inhumation cemeteries traditionally related to the Iranians (Sarmatians and Alans) that survived the mid-third century AD invasion of Germanic tribes. The latter created a few cremation sites and sometimes joined the Iranians to make the cemeteries featuring both rituals. No related settlement has been found so far. A small but important group among the finds comprised coins, mostly minted in the Roman Empire, but also in the Bosporan Kingdom, Chersonese in Taurica, Lycia, and Amastris. This paper offers statistic analysis of the coin finds and discusses some possible interpretations. Chersonese probably was the source where the coins arrived from, even those minted in other centres. Most cemeteries have coins in 5-10 % of graves, up to seven pieces in inhumation and up to 15 pieces in cremation. Many coins were pierced to be turned into ornaments, with the images rotated. Perhaps their owners did not understand the initial purpose of coins. The composition of coin finds and their use make a striking difference with Germanic sites located to the north of the Crimea. By determining precise dating of the Roman coins, it is possible to identify the periods when the barbarians received different Greco-Roman imports, such as red slip pottery or glass vessels, but no coins. Statistic data and spatial distribution of coins suggest that they probably came to the barbarians not as means of trade. The coins could hardly be spoils of war.