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Author Topic: A question for the reverse of a denarius of Octavian  (Read 939 times)

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Offline Limes

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A question for the reverse of a denarius of Octavian
« on: September 06, 2020, 02:34:00 pm »
Hello there,

I've posted one of my latest purchases on another board, but have not found an answer to my question as of yet. I was hoping, therefore, someone on this board might help me. (What follows below is a extract of my post on another board.)

My question concerns this coin: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-165276

The coin was struck around 32/31 BC and was part of a wider series of coins bearing the legendCAESAR DIVI F’, which of course refers to Octavian’s heritage. This coin as well as the other coins send out a clear message that Octavian is not only Caesar’s heir, but also that Octavian is destined to fulfill Caesar’s promise for a stable, strong and unified empire. The various coins depict the bare head of Octavian to either left or right, and the various reverses show an equestrian statue of Octavian (refers to the battle of Philippi), Venus (gens Iulia), Victory, Pax and my coin, Mercury (for the restoration of commerce and the arts). The volume and date of these coins (35 BC - 30 BC) is such, that it coincides with the large volume of legionary coinage minted by Marcus Antonius. Although the date of the coinage of Octavian is debated, it however could provide a very interesting insight in the propaganda war between Octavian and Marcus Antonius and the money generated by these two triumvirs to pay for the armies that were destined to do battle at Actium.

A different description of the reverse of this coin is also present (I found this in a description of a coin offered by an auction house, in 2011, and the theory seems to be put forward by Prideaux). It revolves around the reverse. The general attribution holds that the figure on the reverse is Mercury. The other view claims that the reverse figure is not Mercury, but Apollo. Mercury was the Roman god of many things, amongst which were financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication. He is often depicted with a winged hat (petasos), the caduceus, and accompanied by a cockerel, ram or goat and a tortoise. The latter animal refers to his legendary invention of the lyre from a tortoise shell. Apollo has been recognized as a god of - amongst other things - music, poetry, healing and diseases, truth and prophecy. He is often shown with a lyre, or a kithara (lyre 2.0), a sword and the sacrificial tripod. The difference of interpretation concerns the question if the object carried on the back of the figure is either a winged hat (petasos) or a shield, and if the lyre is a lyre with a tortoise shell or a ‘standard lyre’. The consequence of this interpretation is that, if the reverse figure is Apollo, the coin probably would have been minted after the battle of Actium, instead of before. There are other Roman republic coins depicting Mercury. See for example the denarius of C. Mamilius Limetanus, 82 BC. This depiction (head of Mercury on the obverse) clearly shows the petasos and the caduceus. The attributes are generally known and clearly, one can imagine that if the engraver would have been ordered to engrave Mercury, he would have added these attributes. Denarii depicting Apollo are of course also known. For example the denarii of C. Piso L.f. Frugi (67 BC) and P. Clodius M.f. Turrinus (42 BC). On these coins, Apollo is shown with either longer hair and wearing a taenia, or accompanied by a ‘standard lyre’. If we were to follow the alternative theory, my coin would be post-Actium. Apollo could then also stand for the fullfilment of the legacy of Caesar and that Octavian was indeed the right person to do it.

Van Meter (The Handbook of Roman imperial coins) comes up with another date, and writes that the reverse figure is Mercury and ascribes the reverse to the battle of Naulochus, in which Octavian and Lepidus (mainly, Agrippa) destroyed the fleet of Sextus Pompeius. This took place in 36 BC. The victory re-opened sea trade with Italy, and Mercury is the patron of commerce. It isn’t mentioned in his work when the coin would have been struck, and if his attribution means that the coin would have been struck 4 or 5 years earlier then Sear notes in his book The history and coinage of the Roman imperators 49 - 26 BC, which is around 32/31 BC. Except for an intermediate issue (RIC 543a /b), Sear dates the series in 32/31 BC for the pre Actium issues, and 31/30 BC for the post Actium issues.

If you've read this far: thank you! So, the obvious question is: who is displayed on the reverse? I only possess a very, very limited amount of books, and heavily rely on whatever is posted online. If anyone has more info, please let me know!

Offline shanxi

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Re: A question for the reverse of a denarius of Octavian
« Reply #1 on: September 06, 2020, 02:56:28 pm »
The coin is also discussed here:

https://www.academia.edu/33891667/AUGUSTO_COMO_MERC%C3%9ARIO_ENFIM_Augustus_as_Mercury_at_last


The author cites Mattingly and Rostovtzeff, whereby Mercury is supposed to refer to the return of peace and the revival of trade, but he also has his own idea.

Offline Pharsalos

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Re: A question for the reverse of a denarius of Octavian
« Reply #2 on: September 07, 2020, 08:45:04 am »
An interesting topic and a lovely coin Limes. I find it incredible that Octavian’s large and historic coinage is still so hard to date.

I’m no expert, but personally I think the issue is pre-Actium and depicts Mercury.

I have an example of the Octavian quadriga/prow issue: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-164774

I believe there is no debate that the victory on prow motif commemorates victory at Actium, although whether the quadriga represents Octavian’s entry into Alexandria or his later triumph in Rome is not settled.

The reason I bring up my coin is that it represents the exact transition from the Caesar Divi F types to the Imp Caesar ones - the obverse die on my coin is shared with the earlier Caesar Divi F issue of the same type (I believe there is just one victory on prow die for the Caesar Divi F issue). I raised this topic in a thread here some time ago: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=103246.0

If we assume that this prow/quadriga type was minted immediately following Actium, then your Caesar Divi F type dates before Actium.

I also happen to think the reverse image is Mercury- I see winged feet in these examples, and yours.

Offline Meepzorp

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Re: A question for the reverse of a denarius of Octavian
« Reply #3 on: September 07, 2020, 12:16:46 pm »
HI Phars,

You present an excellent argument. And I never noticed that (the winged feet) before. Obviously, the Victory on prow type can more definitively be attributed to after Actium. But the "Mercury" type is more ambiguous and more difficult to date because the devices on the coin have no clear connection to Actium.

I have many Augustus coins, including the 2 types discussed in your post. It is one of my specialty areas of collecting.

Here are my examples:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/meepzorp/ri_aug_ar_pt03.htm

The reverse photo of my "Mercury" type is over-exposed, so I don't know how much detail is visible. I must swap it out with a better quality photo when I get back to working on my website again.

Meepzorp

Offline Limes

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Re: A question for the reverse of a denarius of Octavian
« Reply #4 on: September 07, 2020, 02:22:07 pm »
Thank you all for the replies. I really appreciate it. And great coins on your pages too! I will take the time to go through them more carefully.

Excellent images and argument Pharsalos. You have a great eye for detail, I would not have noticed the wings on the boots. On many examples it looks like part of the rock, or legs, but on your examples there cannot be any other conclusion drawn than that figure is indeed Mercury. Thank you!


Offline curtislclay

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Re: A question for the reverse of a denarius of Octavian
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2020, 04:40:12 pm »
The winged sandals in this denarius type are a detail that I too had not noticed before, and that is also overlooked in many standard references.

I have now added the following note to the Berk database description of this type: "The interesting detail that Mercury wears winged sandals in this type, though pointed out by Grueber, BMCRR-4335 (1910), was not mentioned by the earlier Cohen-61 (1880) and Babelon, Julia-116 (1886), nor by the four later standard catalogues BMCRE-596 (1923), Paris-73 (1976), RIC-257 (1984), and Sear, Imperators-401 (1998)."
Curtis Clay

Offline Limes

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Re: A question for the reverse of a denarius of Octavian
« Reply #6 on: September 09, 2020, 04:03:37 am »
Thank you for your reply CurtisClay! It's statisfying to see that this thread and the excellent input from Pharsalos gives rise to an update of the references :-)

 

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