Ops hided something under throne

[timka]

Hi!

Looking through OPI denarii/RIC77 of Antoninus Pius on internet I noticed there is something interesting under throne on a denarius in Valencia museum/Llilia hoard (pic is below). Wikipedia suggested that goddess Ops can be portrayed with a corn/wheat spray! So I suppose this a  corn spray under the throne! Needless to say that RIC says nothing about such variety with a spray.  

It should be noted that OPI denarii are very rare and there are only few on internet, and only one in Valencia has this corn spray. I also have a Pius OPI denarius, but it does not have that spray. So, Valencia specimen is the only one with a spray known to me until now.

Notably, Pius bronzes with OPI are much commoner, and there is also some kind of spray seen under throne on some of them. RIC says it's a flower on bronzes. Could be. But I'm more inclined to see a spray, most probably a corn or wheat spray.

So, whenever you come across an OPI coin of Pius - check out under the throne - you may find something hidden and symbolic there!!!!    

Z.

[timka]

...this a picture of Ops on Pertinax denarius,where Ops holds corn ears or spays in hand

(it's not my coin either, it's from internet)

[curtislclay]

That flower on the throne cross-bar also occurs for Ops on some aurei and denarii of Pertinax, BMC pl. I.16-17.

Not exclusive to Ops, however: also on a Salus seated sestertius of Antoninus Pius, a PVDICITIA sestertius of Faustina II under Pius, and a FORTVNA REDVX aureus of Septimius Severus in 203: see Schmidt-Dick, Typenatlas I, pl. 46, 41, and 23 respectively.

I would interpret it as furniture decoration, not specific to the divinity seated, though the repeated appearance for Ops is interesting!

[77HK77]

Not corn - as corn is a new world plant.
Doesn't really look like a wheat spray either (Maybe as a very young plant)

Any suggestions?

[curtislclay]

I said a flower, but am open to better suggestions! Certainly earlier numismatists have noted and named that ornament, but I can't think offhand where to look to see what word they used.

I think Timka was following British English, in which "corn" is used to mean wheat or grain. For example grain shortages led to what were termed "corn riots" in Britain, among others the Rebecca Riots that took place between 1839 and 1843 in South and Mid Wales (Wikipedia).

[Randygeki(h2)]

Yeah, the other "corn" (or Maize) is a north american crop

edited

[SC]

As Curtis noted "corn" in UK English is usually used for the seeds of a grain plant.  Thus the Cambridge Ancient History says that the Romans shipped corn from Egypt and Africa - i.e. grain seeds not yet ground into flour.

The English use maize for what we North Americans call corn.

SC