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001 - Philip II - AR Tetradrachm, Antioch, Syria - Frontal bust, armored; RARE Bust.Ancient Roman Empire
Philip II ( 244 - 249 AD ). Silver Tetradrachm, from Antioch, Syria.
( titles in Greek )
obv: Laureate bust facing left, rare cuirassed/armored portrait, seen from the front.
rev: Eagle facing left, wreath in beak, standing above city name over " S C ", wings open.
11.3 Grams, 28mmrexesq
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Coriosolite Bi "boar" stater, region: Armorica (Brittany and Channel Islands), c. 56 BCSlightly oval shape, obverse convex, reverse a bit concave. 19-20+mm, 2+mm thick, 5.05g, die axis 6h (coin alignment), material: billon of unknown silver and other metal content.
Obverse: stylized head of a god right (Celtic "Apollo", most probably a Sun or sky god) with three plaits of curly hair forming the triskelion-like spiral pattern, reverse: stylized charioteer driving a chariot right with a boar right under the horse and a curl and leaf device in front of it.
The design is loosely based on golden staters of Philip II of Macedon with laureate head of Apollo right on obverse and a charioteer driving a biga (Mediterranean two-horse chariot) right on reverse.
ID: since the obverse is worn off, it is impossible to determine exactly the variety of this coin. but the reverse features such as no reins, chariot driver's head has no long "nose" and even the weak obverse and strong clear reverse all point to series Y. The pellet eye of the pony, no ears, characteristic shape of the pony's head, "weird" driver and the leaf and curl rather than the quadrilateral banner all point to class I (roman numeral), most probably its middle group I (letter), but earlier group H or later transitional groups J or even K of class III are also possible (only the shape of the eye and nose on the obverse would have allowed to tell definitely). This is a well-developed middle chronological type, minted somewhere west of the river Rance.
Mythological and symbolic connotations of this design are very complex. The spirals (here present in the god's hair and as the device before the horse) were one of the most important Celtic symbols, with its main meaning related to the Sun and life (e. g. the Sun's "growing" from winter to summer solstice and then dwindling back, growing from child to adult, leaves and vines unfolding etc.) The double spiral meant life and death or death and rebirth, the cycle of seasons, that sort of thing. The triple spiral or triskelion was probably of the biggest mystical significance, connected to the godhead, with meaning like past+present+future = eternity or morning + day + evening = time. It definitely had to do with the change of seasons, flow of time, power over life and death. Thus the god's hear all made out of spirals with three main spiral branches. The charioteer also probably represents a deity, probably the same deity representing light and life, hunting the boar representing darkness and death. The boar symbol (if one looks closely, there is a rising or setting sun symbol -- a pellet within a circle over a line -- between the boar's legs) is connected to the darkness because boars are dark and their tusks look like crescent moons. They are also parts of many myths, e. g. Greek darkish stories of the Calydonian Boar hunted by Meleager and his many hero comrades or the Erymanthian boar killed by Heracles as his fourth (by some counts) labor: Celts shared the Greek mythological tradition, but probably imbued it with many of their own mythological connotations. God hunting the boar probably symbolizes the same as the spirals in the obverse: changing of seasons, passing of time, life and rebirth etc.
Coriosolites were a Gallic tribe. In the 1st century BC they were living in the so called "Armorica" (ar mor = by the sea) -- a region of modern Brittany around the river Rance roughly to the south of Jersey. They probably migrated there from Rhineland, running away from the Germanic expansion, since they share some cultural features with the Celtic tribes of the Rhine. This tribe on its own was hardly of much significance compared to the other neighboring Gallic tribes (Unelli, Osismii, Veneti, Redones, Abrincatui etc.), but their coin making is among the best studied of all the Celts because several huge hoards of their coins were discovered in Brittany and Jersey, and studied in detail. When Romans led by Julius Caesar came to conquer Gaul, Coriosolites were actively resisting, first on their own, then as a part of the local tribal union and, finally, contributed to Vercingetorix's war effort. The minting of these coins and hoarding them was probably related to these war activities and subsequent defeat, so since series Y is in the middle of the chronology, it can probably be dated around the middle of the Gallic wars (58 - 50 BC), but since the main event in Armorica, the stand off with Viridovix, happened in 57-56 BC, that's probably the best guess.
In addition to Caesar himself, two other Roman generals who fought Coriosolites should be mentioned: Publius Licinius Crassus (86|82? - 53 BC), a son of Marcus Licinius Crassus, Caesar's co-triumvir, who led the initial assault on Armorica, and Quintus Titurius Sabinus, who defeated the union of three Gallic tribes (Unelli, Curiosolitae, and Lexovii) under the chieftain Viridovix in 56 BC. Ironically to our discussion, when Crassus went back to Rome, his first office there was a monetalis, i. e. a Republican official with authority to issue coins.
A lot more about this type of coins can be learned here:
http://www.writer2001.com/exp0002.htmYurii P
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Indo-Scythian - Azilises (57-35 BCE)Metal/Size: AE 23 x 24 mm; Weight: 7.15 grams; Denomination: Trichalkon; Mint: Uncertain Mint in the paropamisadai or Gandhara; Date: 57-35 BCE; Obverse: Armored Scythian king mounted on horse, right, carrying whip and holding spear - name of king surrounds (Great King Azilises) - symbol in front of horse's chest and one behind head of rider. Reverse: Humped bull (zebu) standing right. Kharosthi letters surround - box-like symbol above bull. References: Senior #58.2; Mitchiner Volume 6, Type 769 (Western Mint) or Type 807 (Eastern Mint), MIG #807.
museumguy
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Indo-Scythian - Azilises I (57-35 BCE)Metal/Size: AE 23.14 x 23.01 mm; Weight: 9.1 grams; Denomination: Unknown; Mint: Uncertain Mint in the Paropamisadai or Gandhara Region; Date: 57-35 BCE; Obverse: Armored Scythian king on horseback right with lowered spear. Kharoshthi letter to right - "King of Kings Azilises the Great". Reverse: Herakles seated left on rock; monograms to left. "Great King, King of Kings, Azilises the Great" in Kharoshthi script. References: Hoover #593?, p. 220; ISCH 2 #59.1, 59.2 and 59.5.museumguy
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Norwich Halfpenny 1792Norwich Halfpenny 1792 -
Obverse - The Armorial bearings of the City of Norwich. (A castle triple-towered, in base a lion passant gardant.)
Legend: MAY NORWICH FLOURISH. PRO BONO PUBLICO
Reverse - Arms: (Gules, on a bend between six crosses crosslets fitchée argent, an escutcheon or, charged with a demi-lion [a lion on the token], rampant pierced through the mouth with an arrow, within a double tressure flory, counter-flory gules.) [The tressure is not so shown, and the tincture would be impossible to engrave at this minute scale] of the Howard Family — the Duke of Norfolk's. Behind the shield are two truncheons or Marshal's staves, in saltire or, enamelled at each end sable. [This tincture is omitted on the token.]
Legend: NORFOLK AND NORWICH HALFPENNY. 1792
Edge: PAYABLE AT N. BOLINGBROKES HABERDASHER &C NORWICH .X. Aarmale
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VI - Gallienus Antoninianus - Trophy/Captives - GERMANICUS MAX V - #03Gallienus - GERMANICUS MAX V - AR/BI Antoninianus #03
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Roman Empire
Emperor Gallienus (253 - 268 AD)
Silver Antoninianus. Minted in AD 258 - 259 in Lyons.
obv: GALLIENUS P F AUG - Radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right. Seen from the front.
rev: GERMANICUS MAX V - Two German captives bound and seated at the foot of a trophy.
Weight: 4.30 grams, 21mm.
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*Commemorating Emperor Gallienus' Victory over the Germans.rexesq
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VI - Gallienus Antoninianus - Virtus Rev - Great frontal Bust!Roman Empire
Gallienus
Antoninianus
obverse: IMP CP LIC GALLIENUS AUG - Radiate bust right, cuirassed, seen from the front.
reverse: VIRTUS AUGG - Virtus standing.
rexesq
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VI - Gallienus Antoninianus - Virtus Rev - Great frontal Bust! - 002Roman Empire
Gallienus
Antoninianus
obverse: IMP CP LIC GALLIENUS AUG - Radiate bust right, cuirassed, seen from the front.
reverse: VIRTUS AUGG - Virtus standing.rexesq
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VirtusSeptimius Severus Denarius
Obv:– SEVERVS AVG PART MAX, Laureate head right
Rev:– VIRT AVGG. Virtus standing left, holding Victory, spear and shield.
Minted in Rome in A.D. 200
References:– RCV88 1796, VM 172, RIC 171a, RCV02 6387, RSC 761
'Courage' is depicted as a helmeted soldier in armor holding a spear, victory or shield. Virtus and Mars can be distinguished since Mars is usually shown nude and Virtus is always shown clothes. Some coins appear to show Virtus as a female figure.maridvnvm
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