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USTRINUM (PYRE), ANTONINUS PIUS
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AR Denarius of Rome, struck A.D.161 under Marcus Aurelius.
Obverse: DIVVS ANTONINVS. Bare headed and draped bust of Antoninus Pius facing right.
Reverse: CONSECRATIO. Building of four storeys surmounted by Antoninus Pius in a quadriga. Unbarred A in consecratio.
Diameter: 18mm | Weight: 3.3gms | Die Axis: 6
RIC III : 438
The reverse of this coin depicts the Ustrinum Antonini Pii, the building where the body of Antoninus Pius lay. Its remains were discovered near the Piazza Montecitorio. Located just south of the Column of Antoninus Pius, it consisted of three concentric rectangle enclosures. The innermost rectangle measured 13 meters wide, the second 23 meters and the outermost 30 meters. This monument, commonly misleadingly described as a pyre on his coinage, was the monumental building in which the body was placed. It was built prior to A.D.141 and was also used for the funerals of Faustina I, Lucius Verus and Faustina II. Antoninus Pius was ultimately buried in the Mausoleum of Hadrian (now the Castel St.Angelo).
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![USTRINUM (PYRE), ANTONINUS PIUS
AR Denarius of Rome, struck A.D.161 under Marcus Aurelius.
[i]Obverse[/i]: DIVVS ANTONINVS. Bare headed and draped bust of Antoninus Pius facing right.
[i]Reverse[/i]: CONSECRATIO. Building of four storeys surmounted by Antoninus Pius in a quadriga. Unbarred A in consecratio.
Diameter: 18mm | Weight: 3.3gms | Die Axis: 6
[b]RIC III : 438[/b]
The reverse of this coin depicts the Ustrinum Antonini Pii, the building where the body of Antoninus Pius lay. Its remains were discovered near the Piazza Montecitorio. Located just south of the Column of Antoninus Pius, it consisted of three concentric rectangle enclosures. The innermost rectangle measured 13 meters wide, the second 23 meters and the outermost 30 meters. This monument, commonly misleadingly described as a pyre on his coinage, was the monumental building in which the body was placed. It was built prior to A.D.141 and was also used for the funerals of Faustina I, Lucius Verus and Faustina II. Antoninus Pius was ultimately buried in the Mausoleum of Hadrian (now the Castel St.Angelo).](albums/userpics/10427/normal_ANTONINUS_PIUS_PYRE.JPG "Click to view full size image
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USTRINUM (PYRE), ANTONINUS PIUS
AR Denarius of Rome, struck A.D.161 under Marcus Aurelius.
[i]Obverse[/i]: DIVVS ANTONINVS. Bare headed and draped bust of Antoninus Pius facing right.
[i]Reverse[/i]: CONSECRATIO. Building of four storeys surmounted by Antoninus Pius in a quadriga. Unbarred A in consecratio.
Diameter: 18mm | Weight: 3.3gms | Die Axis: 6
[b]RIC III : 438[/b]
The reverse of this coin depicts the Ustrinum Antonini Pii, the building where the body of Antoninus Pius lay. Its remains were discovered near the Piazza Montecitorio. Located just south of the Column of Antoninus Pius, it consisted of three concentric rectangle enclosures. The innermost rectangle measured 13 meters wide, the second 23 meters and the outermost 30 meters. This monument, commonly misleadingly described as a pyre on his coinage, was the monumental building in which the body was placed. It was built prior to A.D.141 and was also used for the funerals of Faustina I, Lucius Verus and Faustina II. Antoninus Pius was ultimately buried in the Mausoleum of Hadrian (now the Castel St.Angelo).")
