Magic of Aurichalcum: from the First Brass Coins of the Time of Mithridates VI to the Roman Military Belts

A study of the details of Roman military belts found in Tauric Chersonese by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy made it possible to determine that almost all of them were made of zinc-containing alloys, that is, two- or multi-component brasses (Cu-Zn, Cu-Zn-Sn, Cu-Zn-Pb, Cu-Zn-Sn-Pb). The steady use of brass (aurichalcum), even with a small zinc content, for manufacturing belt accessories suggests that this particular alloy was given a special, symbolic meaning. First widely used in the time of Mithridates VI for minting credit coins of certain denominations, aurichalcum in Roman times was transformed into a kind of “state” material, and there was a supreme monopoly for the use of brass exclusively in monetary and military affairs. The special, gold-like color of brass and the difficulty of obtaining it guaranteed protection against the counterfeiting of both coins and Roman military belts. Due to this, brass was perceived, if not as a semi-precious metal, then at least as a unique material of considerable value. The Roman military belt sets were deliberately made from special and rare alloys with high decorative qualities. The brilliance of the weapons of the Roman army served to intimidate the enemy. Several buckles and most of the minor details of the belt sets from Chersonese are made of four-component brass with a large proportion of lead. The authors advance a hypothesis about the local nature of this alloy.