Home » Roman » Sri Lanka. Indo-Roman Imitations of Late Roman Bronzes (0)
A Collection of Sri Lankan Local bronzes imitating Late Roman Bronzes
Contemporary imitative bronzes of the late Roman period are not uncommon and are found over most of Europe, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Countless numbers of imitative bronzes of Tetricus, Claudius II Gothicus and Constantine and his sons are found from Britain to Antioch.
This group however is an animal of much different spots. These tiny, thin bronzes with an average size of 14mm and average weight of 1 gram imitate the coinages dating from approximately 330-423 AD or the reigns of Constantine I the great through Honorius and hail from the island of Sri Lanka off the southernmost tip of India. D.P.M. Weerakkody, in his book Taprobane: Ancient Sri Lanka as known to the Greeks and Romanshas as Reviewed by Nancy C. Wilkie, Carleton College, poses a theory for the appearance of these Indo-Roman in Sri Lanka in the 5th century AD. Weerakkody cites "the invasion from South India of a certain Pandu who, according to the Mahavamsa, ruled the island from AD 433-460. He further suggests that most of the coin hoards from Sri Lanka may represent temple donations and payments made to soldiers during Pandu's reign. The abandoning of these hoards may have been the result of disturbances that accompanied the Sinhala rebellion led by Dhatusena, which ended South Indian rule of the island in AD 460." Weerakkody also states that these imitative bronzes "have been found in great numbers on the island, often as part of large hoards. Many are in private collections, of unknown provenience, or inadequately published. In general, the coins are worn from heavy local circulation and when their context is known it is often a good deal later than the date that they were struck."
This collection was acquired by a German traveler, in Sri Lanka, early in the twentieth century. Many years later they passed through the hands of Dr. Francis Jarman in Germany. He put each coin in a paper entomology classification envelope. I bought the coins here in the US at a coin show and am now working though the collection in order to classify all of the types. Some of my reverse descriptions are presented as a 'best guess' in some situations.
An example from this collection would compliment any Roman collection. Historically, these coins are proof of Roman trade with India and are important to understanding the far reaching goals of the empire. There are many nice examples as well as many very affordable examples offering a coin and a price for any collector.
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