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Description
After dating the coinage of Huneric (477-484), Gunthamund (484-496) and Thrasamund (496-523) this paper aims to question whether the imitations of the obverses which depict Honorius and Gunthamund respectively were indeed issued by Gunthamund and Thrasamund. The representation of Honorius on the “Anno K” issue (stuck under Huneric) is the same as that of Gunthamund on some of his denarii before his portrait became individualised. The bust of Thrasamund on his early denarii also looks like very much like the bust of Gunthamund (before a similar individualisation of the portrait of this ruler). However, these two imitations are not to be found on the coins of later kings. These results allow us to investigate the transmission of power in the Vandal kingdom and furnish new insights into the political and institutional crisis of 484. After this crisis, the new king Gunthamund decided to consolidate his power by adopting a new titulature: Dominus noster rex.
