Lubentus

[moonmoth]

Gallienus produced many interesting coins, including some which were unusual or unique. Here is one.

The reverse of this coin is sometimes LVBENTVS AVG and sometimes IVBENTVS AVG.  But what does this word mean, and what is it doing on a coin?  The nearest I can find for a meaning is "cheerfully," an odd and ungrammatical legend for a coin, and I doubt whether this is correct.  Perhaps "cheerfulness" is intended?

The type is a male figure holding Victory and a spear, which would suit such a positive legend.  The figure is laureate, and therefore is the emperor.

(I'll add a LVBENTVS to illustrate the variant:)

[Steve Minnoch]

I'd guess that it's an alternative spelling of IVVENTVS = Juventus, youth, still the name of one of the top football teams in Italy (that's soccer if you're in the US )

Steve

[moonmoth]

Ivventas exists as a reverse type, sure enough, but that legend doesn't seem to suit the type on Gallienus' coins.  On this denarius of Marcus Aurelius, the young prince is thought to be celebrating the sacrificing of the first shavings of his new beard.  It's also associated with the first wearing of the toga virilis.

[curtislclay]

I think that's Youth herself, not the Caesar, on Marcus' coin.  Of course you don't say that's the Caesar, just that the Caesar was celebrating!

More relevant to Gallienus, here is Caracalla's type, "The Youth of the Empire", on an aureus from CoinArchives.

Three emperors, three different spellings of "Youth":

IVVENTAS (Marcus)

IVVENTA IMPERII (Caracalla)

IVBENTVS AVG (Gallienus).

Caracalla also has an As, contemporaneous with the aureus shown below and the corresponding denarii, where the legend is spelled

IVBENTAS IMPERII !

Gallienus' LVBENTVS will just be a mint error, perpetrated by Eastern engravers not too familiar with Latin.

[moonmoth]

Very interesting, thanks, Curtis!  But that should be four different spellings, if LVBENTVS is included. 

"The youth of the empire" sounds much more reasonable in context than any suggestion that beardy Gallienus, then the sole emperor and in his 7th consulship, was young.  Though the spelling has drifted quite some way from the original.  Perhaps LVBENTVS is one of those peculiar errors that some coins were subject to - Gallienus also had a PAA AVGG coin, and I have a note (originally from you!) that that spelling appeared on at least 6 dies.

(I was careful to say that Marcus was "celebrating the sacrificing" rather than doing it himself - that does look like a female.)

Bill

[mauseus]

Hi,

I seem to recall there being some interchangeability with V and B an Latin orthography so that is explicable the L for the I probably is more of an engraver error, although as my example below is from different dies it obviously happened more than once.

Regards,

Mauseus

[moonmoth]

So, I think Curtis must be right in all respects (as usual!) even if the concept of the empire being youthful in Gallienus' time seems to be stretching it a little.

But it would be interesting if anyone has more LVBENTVS dies. We have two so far, mine and Mauseus'.  There are none on Coin Archives, or the useful site at http://mk.shahrazad.net/gallienus/.  Post them if you've got them!

Bill

[Steve Minnoch]

So, I think Curtis must be right in all respects (as usual!) even if the concept of the empire being youthful in Gallienus' time seems to be stretching it a little.

I would have read it as referring to youthful citizens of the empire, not the empire itself being young.

Steve

[curtislclay]

Yes, "Youth" means "young citizens", as in the Caesar's title Princeps Iuventutis, "Prince of the Youth."

[moonmoth]

According to the Latin tranlation program I use, it might also mean "knights,"  which I suppose refers to the class of Equites.

But if this legend refers to young men, would not the AVG part of the legend mean that it was specifically the Emperor's young men?  Perhaps those who assisted in whatever victory the coin's type referred to? Or perhaps the type meant that those young men would help Gallienus to achieve (future) victory.

[ROMA]

Here is an example that was from the Keith Emmett Collection(photo found on the beastcoins archive). It is quite worn, but its nice to have one more for comparison!