CONTORNIATE. Roma

[Nikko]

After a courtship lasted several months, i finally decided to pick up this intruding an historical piece from a reputable italian dealer.

Contorniate, Minerva type, Rome, c. half IV - V century AD, AE, (g 25,95, mm 36, h 12). Helmeted bust of Minerva l., holding sceptre, Rv. Roma seated l. on cuirass, holding Victory on globe and reversed spear; in field, S - C. Alföldi, Kontorniat, pl. 24,1-7 (obv) and 214, 2 (rev); C 9 (obv).
Ex Tinia Numismatica, ex Artcoins Roma Auction 5, ex CNG eAuction 131.

It is apparently unpublished, with an unrecorded obverse/reverse die matching.

I would greatly appreciate  a reference and your opinions about the dating and the meaning of the S-C.

Regards,
N.

[curtislclay]

These dies occur towards the beginning of the first long continuous sequence of contorniate dies, so around 360 AD.

Contorniates copied many obverse types of old Roman sestertii, especially those of Nero and Trajan. They copied some reverse types too, including the letters S C that occurred on the original coins. Your ROMA die, with its S C, was copied from an old sestertius of Nero. So the S C had no current meaning, but was just copied from an old coin.

You have already supplied an attribution: Alfoeldi obv. die Roma 1, rev. die Roma seated 103, previously unrecorded die combination.

[Nikko]

Thank you very much.

My last doubt is about the iconography of the obverse.

According to Sabatier (plate XIII, 5), i was pretty sure that the female figure was Minerva; it would be very unusual to have Roma on the obverse and Roma on the reverse.

However, because this reverse is normally (and logically) paired with a Nero's obverse,  i'm now inclined to think it could be an erroneus die combination. In this case, the female figure could reasonably be also Rome.

Best regards,
N.

PS
Sabatier described Minerva with a shield on the left arm, was he wrong?

[SC]

It also leads me to think a bit of Constantinopolis.  On the coins of 330 - 341, and the much rarer associated medallions, Roma holds nothing while Constantinopolis holds a small sceptre with round tip like on your contorniate.  However, on those coins it is held behind Constantinopolis not in front.  Also Roma on your reverse appears to hold such a sceptre too so I am probably reading too much into it.

A main feature of your obverse lady is the gorgoneion on the armour pectoral.  That is clearly associated with Athena / Minerva though of course was used on parade armour by Emperors and others too.

Shawn

[Nikko]

Hi Shawn,
the portrait is quite similar to the Constantinopolis one, above all for the helmet.

I also noticed that it's the same model used fot the Olimpiade's portrait (mother of Alexander the Great) on another contorniate.

Your are perfeclty right about the gorgoneion. Minerva is often shown helmeted, holding a scepter/spear and with the the gorgoneion on the armour pectoral; rarely with a shield.

Thanks!
Nicola