Non-official Roman Denarii in Thuringia. The Finds from the Germanic Settlement of Frienstedt

This article deals with the Roman denarii from Frienstedt that have been identified as forgeries or imitations. Twenty-six pieces, and thus more than 25 per cent of the 102 Roman denarii recorded so far, are plated, cast (mostly in non-ferrous metal but also in silver), or have visibly barbarous designs. Thus, imitative pieces form a large and significant proportion among the denarii from this important Germanic settlement of the first to at least the fourth centuries ad in Thuringia. Official and non-official denarii seem to have been used together here, demonstrating a phenomenon that has also been observed and studied at other sites in the Central European Barbaricum.