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10 Nummi - Baduila Rome
| Issuer | Ostrogothic Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 549-552 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Helmeted and cuirassed bust of Baduila facing forward, rendered in a late antique provincial style with broad, flat features typical of Ostrogothic coinage. The effigy is depicted frontally, wearing a plumed helmet and military cuirass, occupying the central field. A retrograde or partial Latin legend encircles the bust, identifying the ruler as lord and king. The die work is characteristic of the Rome mint under Baduila, showing simplified but bold execution. The flan is irregular, as is common for hammered bronze issues of this period. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (549-552) |
| Additional information |
Baduila — also known as Totila — struck these bronzes during the final, desperate phase of the Gothic War, when Justinian's forces under Narses were systematically dismantling Ostrogothic control of Italy. Rome itself changed hands multiple times during this period; Baduila famously threatened to raze the city entirely in 546 before ultimately opting for occupation instead. That he maintained a mint operation in Rome at all during these years speaks to the administrative ambition of a king fighting a losing war with the discipline of a functioning state. He died at the Battle of Taginae in 552, and Ostrogothic coinage died with him.