In the Shadow of the Heathens’ Gate. The Black Book of the Gold Coins from Carnuntum

In Roman times Carnuntum was a famous metropolis beside the Danube River in the province of Pannonia. At the same time it was seat of the governor of Pannonia Superior. Carnuntum was a metropolis that received a large number of imperial visits (e. g. Tiberius, Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus, Diocletianus, Maximianus, Valentinianus I). In AD 308, Carnuntum hosted the Emperors’ Conference in attempt to solve the problems of succession during the time of the tetrarchy. During the Middle Ages the villages of Petronell and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg developed on the site of the former Roman metropolis. The inhabitants thus lived in the shadow of the Roman monuments – e. g. Heathens’ Gate = Heidentor or the ruins of the legionary fortress. Carnuntum once more became famous in the 19th century when the first “systematic” excavations started. From that time until the present day, with few interruptions, archaeological excavations have revealed the importance of Roman Carnuntum and it