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ForewordbyAleksanderBursche
amongscholars–historians,numismatistsandarchaeologists.Insomewhat
simplifiedterms,someofthemgavecredencetothewordsofTacitusandaccepted
theexistenceoftwodistinctzonesoftheinfluxanduseofRomancoinage,oneof
themclosertotheRomanborders,theotherdeeperintheheartlandofGermania,
and,mostimportantly,acceptedtheinformationaboutthepreferenceshownby
superioresbarbariforoldercoins–serratiibigatiquaenummi–whichpresumablywere
aconventionaldescriptionofRepublicandenarii.Theothergroupofscholarstreated
thisrecord,toagreateroralesserextent,asatopos,challenginginparticularthe
reliabilityoftheinformationabouttheacceptanceofonlytheolder,Republican
denariibytheGermansinhabitingthemoreremotereachesoftheBarbaricumin
thesecondhalfofthe1stcenturyAD.Inthelasthalfcenturythissecondgroup
ofscholarshadgainedanupperhand,representedbyoutstandinghistoriansand
numismatistsasthelateJ.KolendoorR.Wolters.
FindsofRepublicancoinsrecordedwithintheFMRDprojectinGermany,
similarlytothosediscoveredinPoland,bynomeansconfirmedthesupposed
preferenceforRepublicancoinage.Moreover,themeticuloushistoricaland
philologicalanalysisoftheGermaniabyJ.Kolendoindeedsuggestedthattherelevant
passagecontainsatypicaltoposstatingtheexistenceofarelationshipbetweenthe
modeofgovernment,dress,lifestyle,orthedegreeofmoraldegenerationonthe
onehand,andthedistancefromthebordersoftheRomanEmpireontheother.
Theclosertothelimes,themoretheyresembledthesituationwithintheEmpire;
thegreaterthedistance–themoredistant,oroutrightantitheticaltheybecame.
Thishighlyeruditeandconvincinglineofargumentationwascompletely
deconstructedwheninearly2015welearnedthatinthehoardofRomanRepublican
coinsfoundatNowaWieśGłubczyckainsouthernPoland(inSilesia)therewas
aRepublicandenariusofMarcusAemilusLepidusfrom61BCwiththecountermark
IMP·VES,attributedconclusivelytoVespasianandthe70sAD.
Nowmaybeagoodtimetomakeanembarrassingconfession:theAuthorof
thisbookandmyself,usedtotheestablishednormandtotrustingthefindings
ofexperts,neededalongtimetoacceptthispieceofstaggeringevidence.Welooked
aboutforadifferentpossibleinterpretationofthelettersofthecountermark,we
evenquestionedtheactualprovenanceofthecoin.Wearguedoverthismatter
foralongtimewithourfellowcolleagues,MarcinRudnickiandTomaszWięcek.
Wealsoaskedtheopinionoftheleadingworldauthoritiesonthismatter,among
themCh.HowgegoandR.Wolters.
Nothingdoing.Ouropponentswerecorrect.Moreover,wefoundoutthat
infactthereweremorefindsofthissort,butthatbecauseofthetime-honoured
interpretationtheyhadnotbeengivencredence.Andsowehadtoreconcile
ourselveswiththeevidence.AsJerzyKolendousedtosay:Kdonotbeoffended
bytheevidence”(i.e.whenitupsetsyourinterpretation).FortheAuthorofthe
presentworkthishasbeenquiteachallenge–hisbasicconceptandtheoutlineof
hisstudywerealreadyatquiteanadvancedstage.Andhehadalreadypresented
hisideasatanumberofconferencesandinprint.
