Garam Éva szerk.: Between East and West - History of the peoples living in hungarian lands (Guide to the Archaeological Exhibition of the Hungarian National Museum; Budapest, 2005)

HALL 6 - Barbarians of the Roman Age (turn of the millennium-early 5th century A.D.) (Eszter Istvánovits, Valéria Kulcsár)

83. Articles of Germanic costume: gilt fibula from Szolnok-Szanda-Repülőtér (late 2nd century); bronze spur (2nd-3rd centuries); silver bracelets from Veresegyháza (Ist-2nd centuries) churning. It is also quite possible that the Sarmatians sold livestock. The extent and nature of the slave trade between Rome and the barbarian peoples is another unresolved issue in the research of this period. We know very little about the circulation of money in the Barbaricum. Roman coins are frequently found on sites in the Great Hungarian Plain (denarii with a high silver content minted in the late 2nd century were the most popular). At the same, the number of coins declined conspicuously during certain periods, such as the 3rd century, even though they circulated in great numbers elsewhere in the Roman Empire. The archaeological record indicates that the valuable silver coins of the 2nd century remained in use right up to the 5th century. In addition to the coins minted by Rome, Roman coins counterfeited by barbarian peoples also appear among the finds from this period. All in all, the evidence points to monetary circulation among the Sarmatians. The merchant and his customers are shown wearing their typical costume. The cut, the colour and the fabric of the clothes were reconstructed from the descriptions contained in the literary sources, from surviving depictions (stone carvings and gold and silverwork) and, not least, from the archaeological finds. Costume was considerably more conservative than in today's world with its rapidly changing fashion fads. Clothing indicated an individual's rank and status, as well as his ethnic background. The Pannonian merchant, dressed in the usual, everyday Roman garb offers his wares at a marketplace on the Danube. The Sarmatian woman wearing a dress embroidered with colourful beads immediately stands out from among the other customers. Many hundreds, often many thousands of beads are found in Sarmatian women's burials (Case 30; Fig. 82). Beadwork trimmed the neckline, the sleeves, the belt, the hemline of skirts and trousers and even the footwear. Necklaces and bracelets strung of colourful beads were also very popular. The Sarmatian woman's companion is dressed more modestly. His flaring trousers