Identification and significance of Roman coins found at Barbaric settlement in Gustorzyn, site 9, Włocławek district

Abstract

Archaeological research in Gustorzyn, Brześć Kujawski commune, was carried out in April 2023. The excavations were planned prior to the construction of a gas pipeline and were conducted as a rescue operation. The survey area covered a long, strip-shaped space totaling 2,900 m². Beneath the layer of fertile black soil, relics of a Przeworsk culture settlement were uncovered, including numerous dwellings, wells, and production structures dating to the Roman period. The settlement in this area has a long-standing tradition, with traces of earlier Bronze Age cultures also being recorded.

Exploration of the layers, including the search for metal artifacts, led to the discovery of nine Roman coins, primarily denarii but also some bronze specimens. These findings suggest that the local Barbarian groups were involved in intertribal economic relations that extended to the limes of the Roman Empire. This article identifies the coins and

connects them to ongoing discussions regarding the influx of Roman currency into Polish territories during antiquity. The finds are presented within the broader economic context of the Barbarian settlement, which also included structures such as a lime kiln and several bloomeries, indicating the potential of this settlement as an iron production center.

The coin analysis revealed that they were minted between 70 and 210 AD. Most of the coins were Antonine denarii, with a few examples of Flavian and Severan coinage, as well as one unidentified bronze coin discovered in a kiln. The composition of the collection aligns with the characteristics of imported coins found at Przeworsk and Wielbark culture sites. According to current interpretations, the influx of denarii into Central European Barbaricum should be linked to the broad political contacts between the Germanic tribes and the Roman Empire. Silver tributes were sent beyond the limes during the Marcomannic Wars as various types of payments, including ransom for prisoners.

Given the previously established chronology of the site in Gustorzyn, the arrival of coins through intertribal trade towards the north appears to have occurred relatively quickly. Although it is too early to definitively conclude whether iron production was the primary source of silver income in the settlement, it remains a strong possibility. The hostilities along the limes likely increased the demand for weapons, which could have led to iron shortages, with supplies being sourced from areas further north.