During the 4th-5th centuries the composition of the Western Roman army included barbarian people to an ever-greater extent. To offer an outline of barbarian presences in pre-Ostrogothic northern Italy, in addition to barbarian cultural identity elements and militaria (brooches, belt fittings, weapons, etc.), the study considers also coin finds, as in many cases they have been closely linked to the roman army and its movements. The evidence from the case study of Mezzocorona (Trentino, Italy) seems to reflect a strong and concentrated Danubian presence (Barbarians? Provincial Romans?). The perspective then broadens to northern Italy, comparing archaeological findings to solidi hoards, which may reveal close contacts with Barbaricum and the involvement of barbarian units in displacements and sea-fights during the 5th century. There remain some issues that can be solved only by a close partnership between archaeology and numismatics scholars.
