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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Roman Coins| ▸ |Roman Provincial| ▸ |Roman Thrace & Black Sea||View Options:  |  |  |   

Roman Provincial Coins of Thrace and the Black Sea Area
Maximus, Caesar, 235 or 236 - 24 June 238 A.D., Deultum, Thrace

|Deultum|, |Maximus,| |Caesar,| |235| |or| |236| |-| |24| |June| |238| |A.D.,| |Deultum,| |Thrace||tetrassarion|NEW
The Roman Colony of Deultum (Debelt, Bulgaria today) was founded during the reign of Vespasian on the west shore of Lake Mandren between Anchialus and Apollonia, and settled with veterans of Legio VIII Augusta. The town followed the usual Roman plan, with a very good water supply, sewers, and impressive baths with floor heating. It became one of the richest towns in the province. During the reign Mark Aurelius, Deultum was protected by large fortified walls and for centuries it served as an important communication point and a bulwark against barbarian raids. In 812 Khan Krum conquered Develt (its medieval name), banished the local residents to the north of Danube River, and resettled the town with Bulgarians.

Oiskos (Oescus), modern Iskar, is a tributary of the Danube river.
RP113330. Bronze tetrassarion, Draganov Deultum 822-24 (O94/R635); SNG Bobokov 822; Jurukova Deultum 228; RPC Online VI T835; BMC Thrace p. 112, 15; MPR II-4 1976; Varbanov II 2490, VF, red-brown surfaces resembling embossed leather, light roughness, slightly off center obverse, central mint dimples, weight 7.729 g, maximum diameter 24.1 mm, die axis 45o, Deultum (Debelt, Bulgaria) mint, c. 235/236 - 24 Jun 238 A.D.; obverse C IVL VER MAXIMVS CAES, Bareheaded, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from the front; reverse COL F-L PAC DE,VLT (ending in exergue), River-god (ancient personification of the Sredetska River) reclining left, reed in raised right hand, cornucopia in left hand and arm, left elbow resting on overturned urn from which water flows; ex CNG E-sale 537 (26 Apr 2023), lot 291; ex Dr. Michael Slavin Collection; $130.00 (€122.20)
 


Gordian III, 29 July 238 - 25 February 244 A.D., Deultum, Thrace

|Deultum|, |Gordian| |III,| |29| |July| |238| |-| |25| |February| |244| |A.D.,| |Deultum,| |Thrace||tetrassarion|NEW
On RPC Online and elsewhere, we sometimes find our river god labeled Istrus (Danube) or its Bulgarian tributary, Oiskus (modern Iskar). Both waterways, however, never flowed close to ancient Deultum. As a Roman colony, it was founded under Vespasian near the mouth of the Sredetska (srai-DETS-kah) River (ancient name unknown), which empties into Lake Mandra. The presence of galleys on the city’s coinage suggests the colony was supported by maritime trade and fishing, at a time when the lake was suitably connected to the Black Sea. Coins depicting our river god must therefore refer to a local river, as in Sredetska, the closest to Deultum of several rivers that flow into the lake.

The magnificent Gordian III coin type featuring two river gods and a galley (RPC Online VII-2 823) grants even further certainty in linking Deultum's fortunes to Lake Mandra and beyond, via the Sredetska. The overturned urn of the older, bearded river god flows into a large bowl rather than forming a river, clearly symbolizing a standing body of water. His beardless counterpart grasping the ship's rudder has long been assumed to be Thalassa, the primordial goddess of the sea. However, the figure doesn’t appear very feminine on high grade coins and lacks Thalassa's important crab claw headgear. On RPC Online VI T772, we find probably the same deity reclining left with a flowing urn and holding a reed and the prow of a ship—all very river god like except for the missing beard. In reference to this puzzle in his 1695 work, Numismata Aerea Imperatorum, Vaillant wrote, "Rivers emptying themselves into the sea, are depicted on ancient medals under the figures of old men, with flowing beards, as though they were the fathers of other streams. But the personifications of those rivers which discharge their waters into other rivers, are represented without beards." Perhaps our spurt off the old river may also personify the short, heavily navigated inlet from Lake Mandra to the sea.
RP113331. Bronze tetrassarion, Draganov Deultum 1255–1257 (O113/R638) = SNG Bobokov 1255–1257; Jurukova Deultum 250; RPC Online VII.2 956; BM Acquisitions 1921 p. 159, 33, gVF, dark green patina, good detail, minor pitting, cleaning scratches, rev. off center, small edge splits, central mint dimples, weight 6.434 g, maximum diameter 22.9 mm, die axis 225o, Deultum (Debelt, Bulgaria) mint, c. 241 - 242 A.D.; obverse IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG (AV ligate), laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse COL FL PAC DEVL,T (final letter in exergue), River-god (ancient personification of the Sredetska River) reclining left, holding cornucopia in raised right hand, resting elbow on urn from which water flows; ex CNG e-sale 537 (26 Apr 2023), lot 293; ex Dr. Michael Slavin Collection, ex Herakles Numismatics (Apr 2003); $130.00 (€122.20) ON RESERVE


Tomis, Moesia Inferior, c. 138 - 192 A.D.

|Tomis|, |Tomis,| |Moesia| |Inferior,| |c.| |138| |-| |192| |A.D.||AE| |18|
Tomis (Constanta, Romania today) was founded by Greek colonists around 600 B.C. on the Black Sea shore for trade with the local Getic population. The Roman poet Ovid was banished by Augustus to Tomis in 8 A.D. and died there eight years later. By his account, Tomis was "a town located in a war-stricken cultural wasteland on the remotest margins of the empire."
RP113334. Bronze AE 18, RPC Online IV.1 T4474 (3 spec.), SNG Stancomb 889, AMNG I/II 2540, aVF, broad flan, attractive style, uneven strike with weak areas, reverse off center, corrosion, flan crack, weight 3.340 g, maximum diameter 17.9 mm, die axis 0o, Tomis (Constanta, Romania) mint, c. 138 - 192 A.D.; obverse veiled and draped bust of Demeter right, torch, poppy and grain ears before her; reverse Dionysos standing left half left, kantharos in right hand, thyrsus vertical in left hand, TO-MI/TW-N in two divided lines across field; ex Dr. Michael Slavin Collection, ex FORVM (2019); rare; $125.00 (€117.50)
 


SNG Bulgaria, Bobokov Bros Collection, Thrace and Moesia Interior, Volume 1: Deultum

|Greek| |Books|, |SNG| |Bulgaria,| |Bobokov| |Bros| |Collection,| |Thrace| |and| |Moesia| |Interior,| |Volume| |1:| |Deultum|
Please note that for orders shipped outside the USA, the shopping cart shipping charges may be too low if you order larger heavy books. We may ask for additional payment to cover the actual cost of postage. If the actual cost of postage is too high, we will understand if you cancel the order.
BK23835. Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Bulgaria, Bobokov Bros Collection, Thrace and Moesia Interior, Volume 1: Deultum by Dimitar Draganov, Bulgaria, 2005; 303 pages, 134 plates, A4 format, green laminated hardback; new, small nick in the edge of the cover, international shipping at the actual cost of postage, priced below our cost!; $100.00 (€94.00)
 


Greek Imperial Coins, Volume 2, Thrace (from Abdera to Pautalia)

|Greek| |Books|, |Greek| |Imperial| |Coins,| |Volume| |2,| |Thrace| |(from| |Abdera| |to| |Pautalia)|
 
BK23914. Greek Imperial Coins, volume 2, Thrace (from Abdera to Pautalia) by Ivan Varbanov, hardback, English edition, 5492 Coins, 471 pages, international shipping at actual cost of shipping; $100.00 (€94.00)
 


Gordian III, 29 July 238 - 25 February 244 A.D., Tomis, Moesia Inferior

|Tomis|, |Gordian| |III,| |29| |July| |238| |-| |25| |February| |244| |A.D.,| |Tomis,| |Moesia| |Inferior||tetrassaria|
Tomis was founded by Greek colonists on the shore of the Black Sea around 600 B.C. for trade with the local Getic population. The Roman poet Ovid was banished by Augustus to Tomis in 8 A.D. and died there eight years later. By his account, Tomis was "a town located in a war-stricken cultural wasteland on the remotest margins of the empire." Constanta Romania today, the city was renamed to honor Constantine the Great.
RP112136. Bronze tetrassaria, AMNG I/II 3423 (same leg. breaks), Varbanov I 5555 (R3), RPC Online VII.2 1735, Sutzu I 671 var. (Δ left), SNG Cop 300 var. (same), VF, well centered, full legends, green patina, porosity, edge crack, central depressions, weight 12.028 g, maximum diameter 25.7 mm, die axis 0o, Tomis (Constanta, Romania) mint, obverse AVT K M ANTΩN ΓOPΔIANOC (OC ligate, Imperator Caesar Marcus Antonius Gordianus), laureate and draped bust right, seen from behind; reverse MHTPO ΠONTOY TOMEΩC, Athena standing slightly left, head left., right hand resting on grounded shield, spear vertical in right hand, Δ (mark of value) right; from Shawn Caza former diplomat, author of A Handbook of Late Roman Coins (Spink, 2021), collection assembled during postings and international travel; ex Dorotheum Vienna; $100.00 (€94.00)
 


Gordian III, 29 July 238 - 25 February 244 A.D., Nikopolis ad Istrum, Moesia Inferior

|Nikopolis|, |Gordian| |III,| |29| |July| |238| |-| |25| |February| |244| |A.D.,| |Nikopolis| |ad| |Istrum,| |Moesia| |Inferior||tetrassarion|
Struck under Sabinus Modestus, legatus Augusti pro praetore at Nikopolis, 241 - 244 A.D.
RP113327. Bronze tetrassarion, H-H-J Nikopolis 8.36.32.1 (R5); RPC Online VII.2 1297; SNG Budapest III 489; AMNG I 2069; Varbanov 4220, aVF, struck on a broad flan, green-brown patina, deposits, minor roughness, flan crack, central depressions, weight 13.375 g, maximum diameter 29.8 mm, die axis 180o, Nicopolis ad Istrum (Nikyup, Bulgaria) mint, 241 - 244 A.D.; obverse AVT K M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC AVG (VΓ ligate), laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse VΠ CAB MOΔECTOV NIKOΠOΛEITΩN (ΩN ΠP ligate), River-god Istros reclining left, bearded, nude to waist, himation around hips and legs, reed in right hand, resting elbow on urn behind from which water flows, ΠPOC ICTPO/N (ΠP ligate, N in second line) in exergue; ex CNG e-sale 537 (26 Apr 2023), lot 276; ex Dr. Michael Slavin Collection; $90.00 (€84.60)
 


Gordian III, 29 July 238 - 25 February 244 A.D., Hadrianopolis, Thrace

|Hadrianopolis|, |Gordian| |III,| |29| |July| |238| |-| |25| |February| |244| |A.D.,| |Hadrianopolis,| |Thrace||tetrassarion|NEW
Hadrian refounded a Thracian tribal capital, changed its name to Hadrianopolis, developed it, adorned it with monuments, and made it the capital of the Roman province. The city is Edirne, Turkey today. From ancient times, the area around Edirne has been the site of no fewer than 16 major battles or sieges. Military historian John Keegan identifies it as "the most contested spot on the globe" and attributes this to its geographical location. Licinius was defeated there by Constantine I in 323, and Valens was killed by the Goths during the Battle of Adrianople in 378.
RP113332. Bronze tetrassarion, Jurukova Hadrianopolis 470 (V230/R456); RPC Online VII.2 733; Varbanov II 3837 var. (obv. legend); BMC Thrace p. 121, 36; SNG Hunterian 916, aVF, brown patina, small flan crack, area of weakness, central mint dimples, weight 8.913 g, maximum diameter 26.1 mm, die axis 180o, Hadrianopolis (Edirne, Turkey) mint, 29 Jul 238 - 25 Feb 244 A.D.; obverse AVT K M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC AVΓ (Imperator Caesar Marcus Antonius Gordianus Augustus, AVΓ ligate), laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse AΔPIANOΠO,ΛEITΩN (ending in exergue, ΩN ligate), river-god Tonzus or Hebros reclining left, reeds in raised right hand, rudder in left hand and crook of left arm, resting left elbow on overturned urn behind from which water flows; ex CNG e-sale 537 (26 Apr 2023), lot 297; From the Dr. Michael Slavin Collection; $90.00 (€84.60)
 


Caracalla, 28 January 198 - 8 April 217 A.D., Nicopolis ad Istrum, Moesia Inferior

|Nikopolis|, |Caracalla,| |28| |January| |198| |-| |8| |April| |217| |A.D.,| |Nicopolis| |ad| |Istrum,| |Moesia| |Inferior||assarion|
Nicopolis ad Istrum was founded by Trajan around 101 - 106, at the junction of the Iatrus (Yantra) and the Rositsa rivers, in memory of his victory over the Dacians. Its ruins are located at the village of Nikyup, 20 km north of Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria. The town reached its peak during the reigns of Trajan, Hadrian, the Antonines and the Severan dynasty.
RP113338. Bronze assarion, H-H-J Nikopolis 8.18.47.19 (R3), AMNG I/I 1506, Varbanov I 3002 (R4) var. (obv. leg.), VF, dark patina, broad flan with full legends, edge ragged, weight 3.188 g, maximum diameter 18.1 mm, die axis 45o, Nicopolis ad Istrum (Nikyup, Bulgaria) mint, as caesar, 196 - 198 A.D.; obverse M AV KAI ANTONINOC, bare head right; reverse NIKOΠOΛ ΠPOC IC, tall narrow vase (or torch?) entwined by snake, fluted and ringed, stalks of grain hanging down on each side; ex Barry Murphy (Sep 2007); zero sales of this type recorded on Coin Archives in the last two decades; $90.00 (€84.60)
 


Kallatis, Moesia Inferior, 2nd - 3rd Century A.D.

|Kallatis|, |Kallatis,| |Moesia| |Inferior,| |2nd| |-| |3rd| |Century| |A.D.||AE| |20|NEW
Cybele was born a hermaphrodite, but castrated by the gods, she became female. Heeding the Sibylline oracle the senate brought her worship to Rome in 204 B.C. as the first officially sanctioned Eastern cult. After approval, they were dismayed to learn that the priesthood required voluntary self-castration, which was abhorrent to the Romans. Romans were barred from entering the priesthood or even entering the priest's sanctuary. The eunuch priests, recruited from outside Rome, were confined to their sanctuary, leaving only to parade in the streets during festivals in April. Claudius removed the bans on Roman participation, making worship of Cybele and her consort Attis part of the state religion."Cybele
RP113340. Bronze AE 20, Sutzu I 72; AMNG I/I p. 111, 295; SNG Cop -, SNG Stancomb -; SNG BM -, aVF, near centered, black patina, porous, weight 4.933 g, maximum diameter 19.8 mm, die axis 225o, Kallatis (Mangalia, Romania) mint, 2nd - 3rd century A.D.; obverse KTIC-THC (clockwise from upper right), laureate head of Herakles right; reverse KAΛΛA-TIANΩN (clockwise from upper right), Kybele seated left, turreted and draped, phiale in right hand, left arm resting on tympanon (drum) behind; ex V-auction Rohde (Apr 2007); $90.00 (€84.60)
 




  



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REFERENCES|

Burnett, A., M. Amandry, et al. Roman Provincial Coinage. (London, 1992 - ).
Corpus Nummorum Thracorum - http://www.corpus-nummorum.eu/
Imhoof-Blumer, F. ed. Die antiken Münzen Nord-Griechenlands. (Berlin, 1898 - 1913).
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Mionnet, T. Description de Médailles antiques grecques et romaines. (Paris, 1806-1837).
Mouchmov, N. Antichnitie Moneti na Balkanskitiia Poluostrov i Monetite Tsare. (1912).
Poole, R. ed. A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Thrace, etc. (London, 1877).
Roman Provincial Coinage Online - http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/
Sear, D. Greek Imperial Coins and Their Values. (London, 1982).
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Austria, Klagenfurt, Landesmuseum für Kärnten, Sammlung Dreer, Part 3: Thracien-Macedonien-Päonien. (Klagenfurt, 1990).
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Denmark, The Royal Collection of Coins and Medals, Danish National Museum, Vol. 2: Macedonia and Thrace. (West Milford, NJ, 1982).
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Deutschland, Münzsammlung Universität Tübingen, Part 2: Taurische Chersones-Korkyra. (Berlin, 1982).
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Great Britain VII, Manchester University Museum. (London, 1986).
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Great Britain IX, British Museum, Part 1: The Black Sea. (London, 1993).
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Great Britain XI, The William Stancomb Collection of Coins of the Black Sea Region. (Oxford, 2000).
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, United States, The Collection of the ANS, Part 7: Macedonia 1 (Cities, Thraco-Macedonian Tribes, Paeonian kings). (New York, 1997).
Varbanov, I. Greek Imperial Coins And Their Values, Volume II: Thrace (from Abdera to Pautalia). (Bourgas, Bulgaria, 2005).
Varbanov, I. Greek Imperial Coins And Their Values, Volume III: Thrace (from Perinthus to Trajanopolis), Chersonesos Thraciae, Insula Thraciae, Macedonia. (Bourgas, Bulgaria, 2007).

Catalog current as of Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
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