| Summary: | The unique pierced aureus of Faustina II comes from a pre-2016 find from the locality Stygajny in northern Poland. The region to the east of the Vistula delta is known for its remarkable concentration of Late Antique hoards, among them, the 5th century AD solidus deposits found at Trąbki Małe (German, Klein Tromp), the largest to be recorded so far in the Baltic area. This borderland zone of Germanic and Balt settlements evidently played a crucial political role during 3rd - 5th centuries AD. The aureus of Faustina II, presumably entered the region with a great mass of gold coin passing to the Gothic territory around AD 250 in a period of a mounting wave of Roman-Barbarian military conflicts. The hole pierced on the obverse above the head of the empress is commonly noticed on most aurei found on the territory identified with Gothic societies. Our coin belong to the relatively large group of unique Roman gold coins and medalions recorded in the Barbaricum, in contexts suggesting ritual practices, something that is rarely observed on the territory of the Roman Empire.
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