The Barbarian-Hut Coin of the Constantinian Dynasty
Summary
This case study examines the barbarian-hut coin (RIC VIII Treveri 221), minted in Trier under the reign of Constans I circa 348 AD. Roman coins were more than currency and were often used as propaganda tools, conveying imperial values, identity, and political messages. The barbarian-hut coin depicts an emperor or soldier leading a barbarian from a hut under a tree, accompanied by the legend felicium temporum reparatio, which translates to “renewal of happy times”. Scholars have been divided about the possible meaning of this coin; some emphasize the cruelty towards barbarians typical of the Constantinian dynasty, while others believe it references the Romanization of barbarians. This study contributes to scholarship by offering a nuanced interpretation that fills a gap in the literature on the representation of barbarians on Constantinian coinage.
Using the Lasswell Formula to discover the political message of the barbarian-hut coin, the coin is analyzed in terms of its agency, medium, audience, and impact. This study analyses the coin’s agency, message, medium, audience, and impact, situating it within its historical and numismatic context. This study concludes that the barbarian-hut coin functions as a Janus symbol, meaning that the image embodies two contradictory meanings at once, like the Roman god Janus, who looks both forward and backward. Thus, the barbarian-hut coin foreshadows the assimilation of the barbarians into the Roman empire, as the emperor gently leads the barbarian away from the hut under a tree. However, the barbarian-hut coin also looks backward, containing a cruel or violent layer, as the image draws on notions of Roman identity and Othering in art: the small size of the barbarian figure signals his inferior status as a Barbarian other and as a captive. The dual meaning of the barbarian-hut coin reflects the emperor’s dual role as bringer of civilization and enforcer of Roman order.
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Bron omslagfoto: OCRE, ‘RIC VIII TREVERI 221’, British Museum. ANS 1944.100.20629. Image courtesy of the American Numismatic Society.
Rachel Bouw (2003) is completing her BA in Comparative European History at Radboud University, with a specialization in Ancient and Medieval history. During her elective minor, she discovered her passion for cultural history and wrote a paper attempting to interpret the possible meaning of an image depicting a Western barbarian on a Roman coin, in relation to the socio-cultural developments of the fourth century and the Roman artistic traditions concerning the depictions of the ‘Other’. Rachel is currently undertaking an internship at the Museum van Zuilen, where she works as an assistant curator.
