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Roman
Republican
Naevia 80 b.C. -ag/ denarius
Roman Republic
ag/ denarius
Crw. 382/1a Syd. 769
gr. 3,80paul1888
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#L. Thorius Balbus. 105 BC. AR DenariusRome mint. ISMR behind, head of Juno Sospita right, wearing goat skin headdress / L THORIVS below, BALBVS in exergue, bull charging right.
"The obverse refers to the the cult of Juno Sospita at Lanuvium, the moneyer's birthplace. The reverse is likely a play on the moneyer's name (Taurus sounds like Thorius). Cicero described L. Thorius Balbus as a man who lived in such a manner that there was not a single pleasure, however refined or rare, that he did not enjoy. This is one of the most common republican denarii." -- Roman Silver Coins edited by David Sear and Robert Loosleyancientone
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"As de Nîmes" or "crocodile" Ӕ dupondius of Nemausus (9 - 3 BC), honoring Augustus and AgrippaIMP DIVI F , Heads of Agrippa (left) and Augustus (right) back to back, Agrippa wearing rostral crown and Augustus the oak-wreath / COL NEM, crocodile right chained to palm-shoot with short dense fronds and tip right; two short palm offshoots left and right below, above on left a wreath with two long ties streaming right.
Ó”, 24.5 x 3+ mm, 13.23g, die axis 3h; on both sides there are remains of what appears to be gold plating, perhaps it was a votive offering? Rough edges and slight scrapes on flan typical for this kind of coin, due to primitive technology (filing) of flan preparation.
IMPerator DIVI Filius. Mint of COLonia NEMausus (currently Nîmes, France). Known as "As de Nîmes", it is actually a dupontius (lit. "two-pounder") = 2 ases (sometimes cut in halves to get change). Dupondii were often made out of a golden-colored copper alloy (type of brass) "orichalcum" and this appears to be such case.
Key ID points: oak-wreath (microphotography shows that at least one leaf has a complicated shape, although distinguishing oak from laurel is very difficult) – earlier versions have Augustus bareheaded, no PP on obverse as in later versions, no NE ligature, palm with short fronds with tip right (later versions have tip left and sometimes long fronds). Not typical: no clear laurel wreath together with the rostral crown, gold (?) plating (!), both features really baffling.
But still clearly a "middle" kind of the croc dupondius, known as "type III": RIC I 158, RPC I 524, Sear 1730. It is often conservatively dated to 10 BC - 10 AD, but these days it is usually narrowed to 9/8 - 3 BC.
It is a commemorative issue, honoring the victory over Mark Antony and conquest of Egypt in 30 BC. The heads of Augustus and Agrippa were probably positioned to remind familiar obverses of Roman republican coins with two-faced Janus. Palm branch was a common symbol of victory, in this case grown into a tree, like the victories of Augustus and Agrippa grown into the empire. The two offshoots at the bottom may mean two sons of Agrippa, Gaius and Lucius, who were supposed to be Augustus' heirs and were patrons of the colony. Palm may also be a symbol of the local Nemausian deity, which was probably worshiped in a sacred grove. When these coins were minted, the colony was mostly populated by the settled veterans of Augustus' campaigns, hence the reminiscence of the most famous victory, but some of the original Celtic culture probably survived and was assimilated by Romans. The crocodile is not only the symbol of Egypt, like in the famous Octavian's coins AEGYPTO CAPTA. It is also a representation of Mark Antony, powerful and scary both in water and on land, but a bit slow and stupid. The shape of the crocodile with tail up was specifically chosen to remind of the shape of ship on very common "legionary" denarius series, which Mark Antony minted to pay his armies just before Actium. It is probably also related to the popular contemporary caricature of Cleopatra, riding on and simultaneously copulating with a crocodile, holding a palm branch in her hand as if in triumph. There the crocodile also symbolized Mark Antony.
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was born c. 64-62 BC somewhere in rural Italy. His family was of humble and plebeian origins, but rich, of equestrian rank. Agrippa was about the same age as Octavian, and the two were educated together and became close friends. He probably first served in Caesar's Spanish campaign of 46–45 BC. Caesar regarded him highly enough to send him with Octavius in 45 BC to train in Illyria. When Octavian returned to Rome after Caesar's assassination, Agrippa became his close lieutenant, performing many tasks. He probably started his political career in 43 BC as a tribune of the people and then a member of the Senate. Then he was one of the leading Octavian's generals, finally becoming THE leading general and admiral in the civil wars of the subsequent years.
In 38 as a governor of Transalpine Gaul Agrippa undertook an expedition to Germania, thus becoming the first Roman general since Julius Caesar to cross the Rhine. During this foray he helped the Germanic tribe of Ubii (who previously allied themselves with Caesar in 55 BC) to resettle on the west bank of the Rhine. A shrine was dedicated there, possibly to Divus Caesar whom Ubii fondly remembered, and the village became known as Ara Ubiorum, "Altar of Ubians". This quickly would become an important Roman settlement. Agrippina the Younger, Agrippa's granddaughter, wife of Emperor Claudius and mother of Emperor Nero, would be born there in 15 AD. In 50 AD she would sponsor this village to be upgraded to a colonia, and it would be renamed Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (colony of Claudius [at] the Altar of Agrippinians – Ubii renamed themselves as Agrippinians to honor the augusta!), abbreviated as CCAA, later to become the capital of new Roman province, Germania Inferior.
In 37 BC Octavian recalled Agrippa back to Rome and arranged for him to win the consular elections, he desperately needed help in naval warfare with Sextus Pompey, the youngest son of Pompey the Great, who styled himself as the last supporter of the republican cause, but in reality became a pirate king, an irony since his father was the one who virtually exterminated piracy in all the Roman waters. He forced humiliating armistice on the triumvirs in 39 BC and when Octavian renewed the hostilities a year later, defeated him in a decisive naval battle of Messina. New fleet had to be built and trained, and Agrippa was the man for the job. Agrippa's solution was creating a huge secret naval base he called Portus Iulius by connecting together lakes Avernus, Avernus and the natural inner and outer harbors behind Cape Misenum at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples. He also created a larger type of ship and developed a new naval weapon: harpax – a ballista-launched grapnel shot with mechanisms that allowed pulling enemy ships close for easy boarding. It replaced the previous boarding device that Romans used since the First Punic War, corvus – effective, but extremely cumbersome. A later defence against it were scythe blades on long poles for cutting ropes, but since this invention was developed in secret, the enemy had no chance to prepare anything like it. It all has proved extremely effective: in a series of naval engagements Agrippa annihilated the fleet of Sextus, forced him to abandon his bases and run away. For this Agrippa was awarded an unprecedented honour that no Roman before or after him received: a rostral crown, "corona rostrata", a wreath decorated in front by a prow and beak of a ship.
That's why Virgil (Aeneid VIII, 683-684), describing Agrippa at Actium, says: "…belli insigne superbum, tempora navali fulgent rostrata corona." "…the proud military decoration, gleams on his brow the naval rostral crown". Actium, the decisive battle between forces of Octavian and Mark Antony, may appear boring compared to the war with Sextus, but it probably turned out this way due to Agrippa's victories in preliminary naval engagements and taking over all the strategy from Octavian.
In between the wars Agrippa has shown an unusual talent in city planning, not only constructing many new public buildings etc., but also greatly improving Rome's sanitation by doing a complete overhaul of all the aqueducts and sewers. Typically, it was Augustus who later would boast that "he had found the city of brick but left it of marble", forgetting that, just like in his naval successes, it was Agrippa who did most of the work. Agrippa had building programs in other Roman cities as well, a magnificent temple (currently known as Maison Carrée) survives in Nîmes itself, which was probably built by Agrippa.
Later relationship between Augustus and Agrippa seemed colder for a while, Agrippa seemed to even go into "exile", but modern historians agree that it was just a ploy: Augustus wanted others to think that Agrippa was his "rival" while in truth he was keeping a significant army far away from Rome, ready to come to the rescue in case Augustus' political machinations fail. It is confirmed by the fact that later Agrippa was recalled and given authority almost equal to Augustus himself, not to mention that he married Augustus' only biological child. The last years of Agrippa's life were spent governing the eastern provinces, were he won respect even of the Jews. He also restored Crimea to Roman Empire. His last service was starting the conquest of the upper Danube, were later the province of Pannonia would be. He suddenly died of illness in 12 BC, aged ~51.
Agrippa had several children through his three marriages. Through some of his children, Agrippa would become ancestor to many subsequent members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He has numerous other legacies.Yurii P
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"C" Denarius, Crawford 107/1a - My favorite CoinDenomination: Denarius
Era: c. 209-208 BC
Metal: AR
Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma r. with splayed visor; “X” behind; Border of dots
Reverse: Dioscuri r.; Above, “C”; in linear frame, “ROMA”.
Mint: Etruia(?)
Weight: 4.44 gm.
Reference: Crawford 107/1a
Provenance: NAC 61; 25-OCT-2011, Privately purchased by RBW from CNG in 1989
Comments: This is one of my favorite coins. It is not high grade, neither the obverse nor the reverse is well centered. The dioscuri are really just blobs, and this coin would be overlooked in any sale but the NAC 61 sale of RBW’s finest and rarest coins, perhaps the greatest Roman Republican auction of our generation. Nevertheless, the coin has a lovely tone and a style that is very characteristic of this issue which is quite rare.
Unique to this variety and the related staff issue, are the braided locks extending from the helmet to the hair binding. The stars are simple dots above the dioscuri, and ROMA is cut into the die with very large letters with a very fine line tool. There has been much speculation on the significance of the “C” insignia, but few with any real merit.
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(500a) Roman Republic, 119 BC, M. Furius Philius - Furia 18Roman Republic, 119 BC, M. Furius Philius - Furia 18. Crawford 281/1, Sydenham 529; 19mm, 3.23 grams. aVF, Rome; Obverse: laureate head of Janus, M FORVRI L F around; Reverse: Roma standing left erecting trophy, Galic arms around, PHLI in exergue. Ex Ephesus Numismatics.
Gauis Marius
As a novus homo, or new man, Marius found the rise in the Roman cursus honorum ( "course of honours"-- the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in the Roman Republic) a daunting challenge. It is certain that he used his old family client contacts and his military relations as a source of support. Among these contacts were the powerful Metelli family, and their early support was to prove to be a disaster for them. Just a few short years after his service as Quaestor, Marius was elected Tribune of the Plebes in 119 BC. In this position so soon after the political turmoil and murder of the Gracchi brothers (Gaius murdered 123 BC), Marius chose to follow the populares path, making a name for himself under similar auspices. As Tribune, he would ensure the animosity of the conservative faction of the Senate, and the Metelli, by passing popular laws forbidding the inspection of ballot boxes. In do doing, he directly opposed the powerful elite, who used ballot inspection as a way to intimidate voters in the citizen assembly elections.
Marius would go on to be elected Consul seven times and figure prominantly in the civil unrest of the early eighties as Lucius Cornelius Sulla's opponent. In 88 BC, Sulla had been elected Consul. There was now a choice before the Senate about which general to send to Asia (a potentially lucrative command): either Marius or Sulla. The Senate chose Sulla, but soon the Assembly appointed Marius. In this unsavory episode of low politics, Marius had been helped by the unscrupulous actions of Publius Sulpicius Rufus, whose debts Marius had promised to erase. Sulla refused to acknowledge the validity of the Assembly's action.
Sulla left Rome and traveled to "his"army waiting in Nola, the army the Senate had asked him to lead to Asia. Sulla urged his legions to defy the Assembly's orders and accept him as their rightful leader. Sulla was successful, and the legions murdered the representatives from the Assembly. Sulla then commanded six legions to march with him opon Rome and institute a civil war.
This was a momentous event, and was unforeseen by Marius, as no Roman army had ever marched upon Rome—it was forbidden by law and ancient tradition.
Sulla was to eventually rule Rome as Dictator. In his book Rubicon, historian Tom Holland argues that Sulla's actions had no lasting negative effect upon the health of the Republic, that Sulla was at heart a Republican. However, once a Roman general has defied Republican tradition, once a Roman general has used his command to combat fellow Romans, once a Roman general has set-up himself as Dictator--it follows that the decision to replicate these decsions (think: Caesar and Rubicon) is that much more easiely taken.
J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
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(503f) Cn. Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus Silver DenariusCn. Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus Silver Denarius, Sear-323, Cr-393/1a, Syd-752, RSC-Cornelia 54, struck 76-75 BC at Spanish Mint, 3.94 grams, 18 mm. EF. Obverse: GPR above Diademed, draped and bearded bust of the Genius of the Roman People facing right, sceptre over shoulder; Reverse: EX in left field, SC in right field; CN LEN Q in exergue, Sceptre with wreath, terrestrial globe and rudder. An exceptional example that is especially well centered and struck on a slightly larger flan than normally encountered with fully lustrous surfaces and a most attractive irridescent antique toning. Held back from the Superb EF/FDC by a small banker's mark in the right obverse field, but still worthy of the finest collection of Roman Republican denarii. Ex Glenn Woods.
Re: CORNELIA 54:
“Cn. Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus may be the same moneyer whose issues have been already described (no.s 702-704). Mommsen suggested that these coins were struck in 74 B.C. as a special issue, authorized by the Senate, to defray the cost of armaments against Mithridates of Pontus and the Mediterranean pirates. But Grueber’s view that they were struck in 76 B.C. by Cn. Cornelius Lentulus acting in the capacity of quaestor of Pompey, seems more in accordance with the evidence of finds" (see: G. ii, p. 359n and The Coinage of the Roman Republic, by Edward A. Sydenham, 1976, pgs. 1).
H. A. Seaby shows the coin with the smaller head (Roman Silver Coins Vol. I, Republic to Augustus pg. 33) while David R Sear shows a coin sporting a larger version (Roman Coins and Their Values, pg. 132).
“Cn. Lentulus strikes in Spain in his capacity as quaestor to the proconsul Pompey, who had been sent to the peninsula to assist Q. Caecillus Metellus Piusagainst sertorius”(Roman Coins and Their Values, by David Sear, Vol.1, 2000, pg. 132).
This is not an imperatorial minted coin for Pompey. At the time these coins were minted the Procounsel Pompey was sent to Spain to aid in the war against Sertorius. The moneyer Cn Lentulus served as his Quaestor where he continued to mint coins for Rome.
CN = Cneaus; LEN = Lentulus
Cneaus was his first name. His last, or family name is Lentulus and this clan is a lesser clan within the Cornelii, which is what his middle name of Cornelius implies.
Q = This tells us that he was a Quaestor, or Roman magistrate with judicial powers at the time when the coin was issued, with the responsibility for the treasury. Had this been a position that he once held it would be noted on the coin as PROQ or pro [past] Questor.
For Further Reading on the Cornelia 54 & 55:
Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum, by H. A. Grueber. London, 1910, Vol. II, pgs. 358, 359, 52, 57
Roman Silver Coins Vol. I, Republic to Augustus, by H.A.Seaby 1952, pgs. 32-33
The Coinage of the Roman Republic, by Edward A. Sydenham, 1976, pgs. 122, 241
Roman Coins and Their Values, by David Sear, Vol.1, 2000, pg. 132, 133
Roman Republican Coinage Volume I by Michael H. Crawford 2001, pg. 407
by Jerry Edward Cornelius, April 2006, THE 81 ROMAN COINS OF THE CORNELIA
http://www.cornelius93.com/Cornelia54.htmlCleisthenes
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001f. CatoMarcus Porcius Cato, known as Cato Minor or Cato Uticensis was a senator and tribune, famed for his oratory. He was the major political foe of Julius Caesar, supporting Pompey and continuing his political opposition after Pompey's death. After a string of defeats by the republican forces, he committed suicide in April 46 BC.
Coin: AR Quinarius. 13mm, 1.79 g. 47-46 BC, mint at Utica. Obv: M • CATO • PRO • PR, wreathed head of Liber right. Rev: VICTRIX, Victory seated right, holding patera. Cr462/2, Syd 1054, Porcia 11.lawrence c
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056/4 Subgroup 85 & 86A AE TriensAnonymous. Ae Triens. Apulia. 212-208 BC. (9.08 g, 23.72 g) Obv: Helmeted head of Minerva right, four pellets above. Rev: ROMA, prow right, four pellets below.
Originally defined as Crawford 56/4, this type of Triens have been assigned to subgroup 85 & 86A. This is a Q or H triens, that is missing the Q or H. Andrew McCabe gives the subgroup the number F1 which has the following characteristics:
"Mint: Apulia. Second Punic war. Related to RRC 85 H, and RRC 86 anchor and Q. Obverses are in high relief. The general style, for examples Janus, or Hercules’ truncation, or the regular reverse prow, is like RRC 86 anchor and Q. Reverses of Sextans and Quadrans have either regular, or Luceria style, prows with a club in an elevated fighting platform. On regular reverses, the top and central keel lines join half way across prow. Flans are thin and broad akin to late issues of Luceria. All denominations As through Sextans are known."
"The regular reverse prow is tall (height/width) with a fighting platform and deck structure elevated more than usual, and there is always a line extending either side of the deck structure. The keel-lines are also distinctive, with the middle of the three lines always converging with the top line half way across the prow... These specific design features – especially the middle keel line converging with the upper line half way across the prow – are identical with and typical of the RRC 86A Q series from Apulia58... The obverses of all denominations are in high relief, and show high quality engraving."
"So a close geographic and timing link between the Anchor Q, H, L, L-T, CA and P coins can be posited. These coins are certainly a second Punic war issue from Apulia. It remains open for discussion which city minted these group F1 coins, presumably alongside the RRC 85 and RRC 86 issues."
This is one out of six specimens: "F1 Triens: 6 coins, mean 9.4 grams, heaviest 10.5 grams".
All quotes are from the work of Andrew McCabe.
Link to thread at Forvm Ancient Coins: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=90604.0
On this topic at Andrew McCabe's homepage: http://andrewmccabe.ancients.info/RRC056.html
I would strongly recommend anyone who wants to learn more about Roman Republican coins to give Andrew McCabe's homepage a visit.
Paddy
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1.21 L. Scribonius LiboAR Republican Denarius
Rome, 62 BC
obv. LIB - BON-EVENT
Bonus Eventus (diademed), deity of good fortune and eventsEcgþeow
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1893 Columbian Exposition Republican Presidential Nominees MedalObv: View of the north elevation of the White House, above are portraits of Benjamin Harrison and Levi Morton within ovals, FOR PRESIDENT and VICE PRESIDENT below them. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEES / 1892 above.
Rev: A depiction of Christopher Columbus setting foot in the new world within a map of the western hemisphere; LANDING OF COLUMBUS IN AMERICA / OCTOBER 12TH, 1492 below. PAT'D DEC. 1, 1891 in bottom of outer border.Matt Inglima
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1954 Official Republican Centennial MedalObv: REPUBLICAN CENTENNIAL 1854 - 1954, Conjoined busts of Abraham Lincoln and Dwight Eisenhower facing left.
Rev: Two lighted torches, quotes between: "WITH MALICE TOWARD NONE, WITH CHARITY FOR ALL, WITH FIRMNESS IN THE RIGHT, AS GOD GIVES US TO SEE THE RIGHT, LET US STRIVE ON TO FINISH THE WORK WE ARE IN" -Abraham Lincoln. "IN ALL THOSE THINGS WHICH DEAL WITH PEOPLE, BE LIBERAL, BE HUMAN. IN ALL THOSE THINGS WHICH DEAL WITH THE PEOPLE'S MONEY OR THEIR ECONOMY, OR THEIR FORM OF GOVERNMENT, BE CONSERVATIVE." Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Engraver: Gilroy Roberts
Mint: Medallic Art Company, Date: 1954, Bronze, Diameter: 63.6 mm
Note: Gilroy Roberts was already the chief engraver of the United States Mint when he designed this medal. He would go on to design the portrait on the John F. Kennedy half dollar.Matt Inglima
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196/1 AE AsAnonymous [Star]. Æ As. Rome Mint. c 169-158 BC. (32 mm, 17.95 g, 4 h) Rev: Laureate head of Janus; above, I. Obv: Prow of galley right; above, star; before, I; below, ROMA.
BMCRR 461; Syd 264; Crawford 196/1
Reddish-brown patina with some black spots. Nearly very fine.
A duplicate from the RBW Collection of Roman Republican Coins. Purchased privately from Frank Kovacs in 1988
Ex: Triskles Paddy
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20 Francs From France, NAPOLEONAU, 21mm. , Paris, France, 1803/1804
Obv:BONAPARTE PREMIER CONSUL
REV: REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE, 20 Francs, AN 12
AN 12 means the 12th year from republican calendar= from september 24th 1803 to september 22 nd 1804Jean Paul D
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28 Anonymous issues. Time of Hadrian to Antoninus Pius. Rome Quadrans 117-161 ADReference.
RIC 28; C. 38
Obv.
Griffin seated left
Rev. S-C
Tripod.
2.43 gr
15 mm
6h
Note.
The series of Imperial-era anonymous quadrantes portrays eleven deities: Jupiter, Minerva, Roma, Neptune, Tiber, Mars, Venus, Apollo, Mercury, Bacchus/Liber, and Hercules, as well as the Four Seasons. They invariably depict either a portrait on the obverse and an attribute of the deity on the reverse, or otherwise an attribute on either side. These designs appear to be influenced, but not directly copied from, earlier designs of the Republican period.okidoki
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291Mn Aemilio Lep c.114/3 BC
AR denarius
Obv "ROMA"
Female bust (Roma?) right
Rev "MN AEMILIO LEP"
Equestrian statue on three arches (aqueduct?, the Aqua Marcia)
Rome mint
Crawford 291mauseus
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323/1. Julia - denarius (101 BC)AR Denarius (Rome, 101 BC)
O/ Helmeted head of Roma right; corn-ear behind.
R/ Victory in biga right, holding reins in both hands; L IVLI below.
3.84g; 19mm
Crawford 323/1 (47 obverse dies/59 reverse dies)
* Lucius Julius:
Although our moneyer belonged to the very famous gens Julia, his life is completely unknown. The Julii had been among the important patrician gentes of the early Republic, but fell in obscurity in the fourth century. In the second century, a new branch emerged, the Julii Caesares, but Crawford notes that our moneyer cannot be a Caesar because he did not use this cognomen and his coins lack a reference to Venus (cf. RRC 258 and 320).
The corn ear on the obverse refers to grain distributions, which often featured on Republican coins (RRC 242, 243, 245, 260, 261, 306, 330).Joss
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4) Antony fouree muleMark Antony
Fouree Denarius
Mule, combining Republican Reverse with Antony Bust
Bust of Antony, ~41BC / Reverse from Marius-Capito, ~81BC
Update May 2013: Now in JayGT4's collection
RM0013Sosius
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47-46 BC Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius ScipioQ METEL SCIPIO IMP
head of Africa right, laur. and clad in elephant's skin, corn-ear before, plough below
EPPIVS LEG F C
Naked Hercules standing facing right, hand on hip resting on club set on rock
North Africa
47-46 BC
Sear 1380/1
Born Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica. He was adopted by his uncle by marriage and father's second cousin Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius. He married Aemilia Lepida, daughter of Mamercus Aemilius Lepidus Livianus (son of the Censor Marcus Livius Drusus and wife Cornelia Scipio and adopted by Mamercus Aemilius Lepidus) and wife Claudia (sister of Appius Claudius Pulcher (Senior)), and was the father in law of Pompey the Great, married to his daughter Cornelia Metella, called Quinta Pompeia for being his fifth wife.
He was Tribune in 59 BC and became Consul with Pompey the Great in 52 BC. During Caesar's civil war, he served the party of Pompey and fought against Caesar and Marcus Antonius. In 49 BC he was sent as Proconsul to Syria and the following year he took part in the Battle of Pharsalus, where he commanded the center of the Republican battleline. After Pharsalus he fled to Africa were he commanded an army with Cato the Younger, losing in the Battle of Thapsus. After the defeat he tried to escape but was cornered by the fleet of Publius Sittius when he wrecked the ship as he tried to escape to the Iberian Peninsula, to continue to fight from there. He committed suicide by stabbing himself so he would not fall at the hands of his enemies.
SOLD to Calgary Coin June 2017Jay GT4
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5728 EGYPT, Alexandria. Hadrian Tetradrachm 128-29 AD Hands ClaspedReference.
Emmett 848.13; Dattari 1525; Milne 1274; RPC III, 5728
Issue L IΓ = year 13
Obv. AVT KAI TPAI AΔPIA CEB
Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right, seen from back, with Paludamentum.
Rev. PATHR PATRIDOC (nobele vader)
Hands clasped, L IΓ
13.08 gr
25 mm
6h
note.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bust of Septimius Severus wearing a paludamentum
In Republican and Imperial Rome, the paludamentum was a cloak or cape fastened at one shoulder, worn by military commanders (e.g. the legionary Legatus) and rather less often by their troops. As supreme commander of the whole Roman army, Roman emperors were often portrayed wearing it in their statues (e.g. the Prima Porta Augustus) and on their coinage. After the reign of Augustus, the paludamentum was restricted to the Emperor.[citation needed] Children would also wear it sometimes, when there was bad weather and they needed protection.
The paludamentum was generally crimson, scarlet, or purple in colour, or sometimes white. It was fastened at the shoulder with a clasp, called a fibula, whose form and size varied through time. Putting on the paludamentum was a ceremonial act on setting out for war.okidoki
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702a, Augustus, 16 January 27 B.C. - 19 August 14 A.D.Augustus, 27 BC - 14 AD. AE 19mm (5.98 gm). Lydia, Sardeis. Diodoros Hermophilou. Obverse: head right. Reverse: Zeus Lydios standing facing holding scepter and eagle. RPC I, 489, 2986; SNG von Aulock 3142. aVF. Fine portrait. Ex Tom Vossen.
De Imperatoribus Romanis:
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers
AUGUSTUS (31 B.C. - 14 A.D.)
Garrett G. Fagan
Pennsylvania State University
In the course of his long and spectacular career, he put an end to the advancing decay of the Republic and established a new basis for Roman government that was to stand for three centuries. This system, termed the "Principate," was far from flawless, but it provided the Roman Empire with a series of rulers who presided over the longest period of unity, peace, and prosperity that Western Europe, the Middle East and the North African seaboard have known in their entire recorded history. Even if the rulers themselves on occasion left much to be desired, the scale of Augustus's achievement in establishing the system cannot be overstated. Aside from the immense importance of Augustus's reign from the broad historical perspective, he himself is an intriguing figure: at once tolerant and implacable, ruthless and forgiving, brazen and tactful. Clearly a man of many facets, he underwent three major political reinventions in his lifetime and negotiated the stormy and dangerous seas of the last phase of the Roman Revolution with skill and foresight. With Augustus established in power and with the Principate firmly rooted, the internal machinations of the imperial household provide a fascinating glimpse into the one issue that painted this otherwise gifted organizer and politician into a corner from which he could find no easy exit: the problem of the succession.
(For a very detailed and interesting account of the Age of Augustus see: http://www.roman-emperors.org/auggie.htm)
Death and Retrospective
In his later years, Augustus withdrew more and more from the public eye, although he continued to transact public business. He was getting older, and old age in ancient times must have been considerably more debilitating than it is today. In any case, Tiberius had been installed as his successor and, by AD 13, was virtually emperor already. In AD 4 he had received grants of both proconsular and tribunician power, which had been renewed as a matter of course whenever they needed to be; in AD 13, Tiberius's imperium had been made co-extensive with that of Augustus. While traveling in Campania, Augustus died peacefully at Nola on 19 August, AD 14. Tiberius, who was en route to Illyricum, hurried to the scene and, depending on the source, arrived too late or spent a day in consultation with the dying princes. The tradition that Livia poisoned her husband is scurrilous in the extreme and most unlikely to be true. Whatever the case about these details, Imperator Caesar Augustus, Son of a God, Father of his Country, the man who had ruled the Roman world alone for almost 45 years, or over half a century if the triumviral period is included, was dead. He was accorded a magnificent funeral, buried in the mausoleum he had built in Rome, and entered the Roman pantheon as Divus Augustus. In his will, he left 1,000 sesterces apiece to the men of the Praetorian guard, 500 to the urban cohorts, and 300 to each of the legionaries. In death, as in life, Augustus acknowledged the true source of his power.
The inscription entitled "The Achievements of the Divine Augustus" (Res Gestae Divi Augustae; usually abbreviated RG) remains a remarkable piece of evidence deriving from Augustus's reign. The fullest copy of it is the bilingual Greek and Latin version carved into the walls of the Temple of Rome and Augustus at Ancyra in Galatia (for this reason the RG used to be commonly referred to as the Monumentum Ancyranum). Other evidence, however, demonstrates that the original was inscribed on two bronze pillars that flanked the entrance to the Mausoleum of Augustus in Rome. The inscription remains the only first-person summary of any Roman emperor's political career and, as such, offers invaluable insights into the Augustan regime's public presentation of itself.
In looking back on the reign of Augustus and its legacy to the Roman world, its longevity ought not to be overlooked as a key factor in its success. People had been born and reached middle age without knowing any form of government other than the Principate. Had Augustus died earlier (in 23 BC, for instance), matters may have turned out very differently. The attrition of the civil wars on the old Republican aristocracy and the longevity of Augustus, therefore, must be seen as major contributing factors in the transformation of the Roman state into a monarchy in these years. Augustus's own experience, his patience, his tact, and his great political acumen also played their part. All of these factors allowed him to put an end to the chaos of the Late Republic and re-establish the Roman state on a firm footing. He directed the future of the empire down many lasting paths, from the existence of a standing professional army stationed at or near the frontiers, to the dynastic principle so often employed in the imperial succession, to the embellishment of the capital at the emperor's expense. Augustus's ultimate legacy, however, was the peace and prosperity the empire was to enjoy for the next two centuries under the system he initiated. His memory was enshrined in the political ethos of the Imperial age as a paradigm of the good emperor; although every emperor adopted his name, Caesar Augustus, only a handful earned genuine comparison with him.
Copyright © 1999, Garrett G. Fagan.
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.
Augustus (the first Roman emperor, in whose reign Jesus Christ was born) is without any doubt one of the most important figures in Roman history.
It is reported that when he was near death, Augustus addressed those in attendance with these words, "If I have played my part well, applaud!"
Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr Cleisthenes
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707a, Galba, 3 April 68 - 15 January 69 A.D.Galba AE As, 68-69 AD; cf. SRC 727, 729ff; 27.85mm, 12g; Rome: Obverse: GALBA IMP CAESAR…, Laureate head right; Reverse: S P Q R OB CIV SER in oak wreath; gF+/F Ex. Ancient Imports.
De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families
Galba (68-69 A.D.)
John Donahue
College of William and Mary
Introduction
The evidence for the principate of Galba is unsatisfactory. The sources either concentrate on the personality of the man, thereby failing to offer a balanced account of his policies and a firm chronological base for his actions; or, they focus on the final two weeks of his life at the expense of the earlier part of his reign. As a result, a detailed account of his principate is difficult to write. Even so, Galba is noteworthy because he was neither related to nor adopted by his predecessor Nero. Thus, his accession marked the end of the nearly century-long control of the Principate by the Julio-Claudians. Additionally, Galba's declaration as emperor by his troops abroad set a precedent for the further political upheavals of 68-69. Although these events worked to Galba's favor initially, they soon came back to haunt him, ending his tumultuous rule after only seven months.
Early Life and Rise to Power
Born 24 December 3 BC in Tarracina, a town on the Appian Way, 65 miles south of Rome, Servius Galba was the son of C. Sulpicius Galba and Mummia Achaica. Galba's connection with the noble house of the Servii gave him great prestige and assured his acceptance among the highest levels of Julio-Claudian society. Adopted in his youth by Livia, the mother of the emperor Tiberius, he is said to have owed much of his early advancement to her. Upon her death, Livia made Galba her chief legatee, bequeathing him some 50 million sesterces. Tiberius, Livia's heir, reduced the amount, however, and then never paid it. Galba's marriage proved to be a further source of disappointment, as he outlived both his wife Lepida and their two sons. Nothing else is known of Galba's immediate family, other than that he remained a widower for the rest of his life.
Although the details of Galba's early political career are incomplete, the surviving record is one of an ambitious Roman making his way in the Emperor's service. Suetonius records that as praetor Galba put on a new kind of exhibition for the people - elephants walking on a rope. Later, he served as governor of the province of Aquitania, followed by a six-month term as consul at the beginning of 33. Ironically, as consul he was succeeded by Salvius Otho, whose own son would succeed Galba as emperor. Over the years three more governorships followed - Upper Germany (date unknown), North Africa (45) and Hispania Tarraconensis, the largest of Spain's three provinces (61). He was selected as a proconsul of Africa by the emperor Claudius himself instead of by the usual method of drawing lots. During his two-year tenure in the province he successfully restored internal order and quelled a revolt by the barbarians. As an imperial legate he was a governor in Spain for eight years under Nero, even though he was already in his early sixties when he assumed his duties. The appointment showed that Galba was still considered efficient and loyal. In all of these posts Galba generally displayed an enthusiasm for old-fashioned disciplina, a trait consistent with the traditional characterization of the man as a hard-bitten aristocrat of the old Republican type. Such service did not go unnoticed, as he was honored with triumphal insignia and three priesthoods during his career.
On the basis of his ancestry, family tradition and service to the state Galba was the most distinguished Roman alive (with the exception of the houses of the Julii and Claudii) at the time of Nero's demise in 68. The complex chain of events that would lead him to the Principate later that year began in March with the rebellion of Gaius Iulius Vindex, the governor of Gallia Lugdunensis. Vindex had begun to sound out provincial governors about support for a rebellion perhaps in late 67 or early 68. Galba did not respond but, because of his displeasure with Neronian misgovernment, neither did he inform the emperor of these treasonous solicitations. This, of course, left him dangerously exposed; moreover, he was already aware that Nero, anxious to remove anyone of distinguished birth and noble achievements, had ordered his death. Given these circumstances, Galba likely felt that he had no choice but to rebel.
In April, 68, while still in Spain, Galba "went public," positioning himself as a vir militaris, a military representative of the senate and people of Rome. For the moment, he refused the title of Emperor, but it is clear that the Principate was his goal. To this end, he organized a concilium of advisors in order to make it known that any decisions were not made by him alone but only after consultation with a group. The arrangement was meant to recall the Augustan Age relationship between the emperor and senate in Rome. Even more revealing of his imperial ambitions were legends like LIBERTAS RESTITUTA (Liberty Restored), ROM RENASC (Rome Reborn) and SALUS GENERIS HUMANI (Salvation of Mankind), preserved on his coinage from the period. Such evidence has brought into question the traditional assessment of Galba as nothing more than an ineffectual representative of a bygone antiquus rigor in favor of a more balanced portrait of a traditional constitutionalist eager to publicize the virtues of an Augustan-style Principate.
Events now began to move quickly. In May, 68 Lucius Clodius Macer, legate of the III legio Augusta in Africa, revolted from Nero and cut off the grain supply to Rome. Choosing not to recognize Galba, he called himself propraetor, issued his own coinage, and raised a new legion, the I Macriana liberatrix. Galba later had him executed. At the same time, 68, Lucius Verginius Rufus, legionary commander in Upper Germany, led a combined force of soldiers from Upper and Lower Germany in defeating Vindex at Vesontio in Gallia Lugdunensis. Verginius refused to accept a call to the emperorship by his own troops and by those from the Danube, however, thereby creating at Rome an opportunity for Galba's agents to win over Gaius Nymphidius Sabinus, the corrupt praetorian prefect since 65. Sabinus was able to turn the imperial guard against Nero on the promise that they would be rewarded financially by Galba upon his arrival. That was the end for Nero. Deposed by the senate and abandoned by his supporters, he committed suicide in June. At this point, encouraged to march on Rome by the praetorians and especially by Sabinus, who had his own designs on the throne, Galba hurriedly established broad-based political and financial support and assembled his own legion (subsequently known as the legio VII Gemina). As he departed from Spain, he abandoned the title of governor in favor of "Caesar," apparently in an attempt to lay claim to the entire inheritance of the Julio-Claudian house. Even so, he continued to proceed cautiously, and did not actually adopt the name of Caesar (and with it the emperorship) until sometime after he had left Spain.
The Principate of Galba
Meanwhile, Rome was anything but serene. An unusual force of soldiers, many of whom had been mustered by Nero to crush the attempt of Vindex, remained idle and restless. In addition, there was the matter concerning Nymphidius Sabinus. Intent on being the power behind the throne, Nymphidius had orchestrated a demand from the praetorians that Galba appoint him sole praetorian prefect for life. The senate capitulated to his pretensions and he began to have designs on the throne himself. In an attempt to rattle Galba, Nymphidius then sent messages of alarm to the emperor telling of unrest in both the city and abroad. When Galba ignored these reports, Nymphidius decided to launch a coup by presenting himself to the praetorians. The plan misfired, and the praetorians killed him when he appeared at their camp. Upon learning of the incident, Galba ordered the executions of Nymphidius' followers. To make matters worse, Galba's arrival was preceded by a confrontation with a boisterous band of soldiers who had been formed into a legion by Nero and were now demanding legionary standards and regular quarters. When they persisted, Galba's forces attacked, with the result that many of them were killed.
Thus it was amid carnage and fear that Galba arrived at the capital in October, 68, accompanied by Otho, the governor of Lusitania, who had joined the cause. Once Galba was within Rome, miscalculations and missteps seemed to multiply. First, he relied upon the advice of a corrupt circle of advisors, most notably: Titus Vinius, a general from Spain; Cornelius Laco, praetorian prefect; and his own freedman, Icelus. Second, he zealously attempted to recover some of Nero's more excessive expenditures by seizing the property of many citizens, a measure that seems to have gone too far and to have caused real hardship and resentment. Third, he created further ill-will by disbanding the imperial corps of German bodyguards, effectively abolishing a tradition that originated with Marius and had been endorsed by Augustus. Finally, he seriously alienated the military by refusing cash rewards for both the praetorians and for the soldiers in Upper Germany who had fought against Vindex.
This last act proved to be the beginning of the end for Galba. On 1 January 69 ("The Year of the Four Emperors"), the troops in Upper Germany refused to declare allegiance to him and instead followed the men stationed in Lower Germany in proclaiming their commander, Aulus Vitellius, as the new ruler. In response, Galba adopted Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi Licinianus to show that he was still in charge and that his successor would not be chosen for him. Piso, although an aristocrat, was a man completely without administrative or military experience. The choice meant little to the remote armies, the praetorians or the senate, and it especially angered Otho, who had hoped to succeed Galba. Otho quickly organized a conspiracy among the praetorians with the now-familiar promise of a material reward, and on 15 January 69 they declared him emperor and publicly killed Galba; Piso, dragged from hiding in the temple of Vesta, was also butchered.
Assessment
In sum, Galba had displayed talent and ambition during his lengthy career. He enjoyed distinguished ancestry, moved easily among the Julio-Claudian emperors (with the exception of Nero towards the end of his principate), and had been awarded the highest military and religious honors of ancient Rome. His qualifications for the principate cannot be questioned. Even so, history has been unkind to him. Tacitus characterized Galba as "weak and old," a man "equal to the imperial office, if he had never held it." Modern historians of the Roman world have been no less critical. To be sure, Galba's greatest mistake lay in his general handling of the military. His treatment of the army in Upper Germany was heedless, his policy towards the praetorians short sighted. Given the climate in 68-69, Galba was unrealistic in expecting disciplina without paying the promised rewards. He was also guilty of relying on poor advisors, who shielded him from reality and ultimately allowed Otho's conspiracy to succeed. Additionally, the excessive power of his henchmen brought the regime into disfavor and made Galba himself the principal target of the hatred that his aides had incited. Finally, the appointment of Piso, a young man in no way equal to the challenges placed before him, further underscored the emperor's isolation and lack of judgment. In the end, the instability of the post-Julio-Claudian political landscape offered challenges more formidable than a tired, septuagenarian aristocrat could hope to overcome. Ironically, his regime proved no more successful than the Neronian government he was so eager to replace. Another year of bloodshed would be necessary before the Principate could once again stand firm.
Copyright (C) 1999, John Donahue.
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.
Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
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A. Postumius A.f. Sp.n. - Postumia-8A. Postumius A.f. Sp.n. Denarius (3.93 gm) 81 BC. HISPAN, veiled head of Hispania / A ALBIN S N, togate figure standing left between legionary eagle and fasces, POST A F in ex. Sydenham 746, Crawford 372/2, RCV 297Bud Stewart
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A. Stannard Gouge (Al Marco Adjustment): L. Marcius Philippus Denarius, 56 BCEPhoto Source: Naville Numismatics
Roman Republican. L. Marcius Philippus AR Denarius (20mm, 3.92g, 6h), 57/56 BCE.
Obv: ANCVS. Diademed head of Ancus Marcius r.; behind, lituus..
Rev: PHILIPPVS. Equestrian statue, raising right hand, set to right on aqueduct; below horse, a flower; within the arches of the aqueduct, AQVA MARC.
Ref: Babelon Marcia 28. Sydenham 919. RBW 1524. Crawford 425/1.
Prov: Ex Naville Numismatics Auction 56 (22 Mar 2020), Lot 436.
Notes: Al marco weight adjustment (“Stannard gouge”) on obverse. These gouges were sometimes made on Roman Republican denarii before striking in order to reduce the total weight of the batch, bringing it within the desired range (the meaning of “al marco,” as opposed to individual adjustment, “al peso”). According to Stannard (1993: p. 46), these gouges were found on 2.53% of museum specimens he examined. A PDF of his chapter, “The adjustment al marco of the weight of Roman Republican denarii blanks by gouging,” is available on his website: http://www.stannard.info/website/Publications.htmlCurtis JJ
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AE asRepublican anonymous issue
211-206 B.C.
30.7 grams, 32 mm.
Tibsi
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AE As JanusRoman Republican. Sex. Atilius Saranus. As, ca 155.
Obv.: Laureate head of Janus, above mark of value I.
Rev.: Prow right; above SAR, before I. Below, ROMA.
B. Atilia 3. Syd 378. Cr. 199/2.Tanit
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Amman - Forum - Temple at top of TheatreA photo of me (from fifteen years ago) looking at the remains of the small temple at the back of the Roman Theatre in Amman. Though the appearance of a temple was no longer required at this time - unlike during the late Republican era when they were included to avoid the legal prohibition against building permanent temples - the tradition of including a small temple at the top rear of Roman theatres prevailed in many cases. SC
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Ancient imitative, Saturn/ProwRoman Republican, 1st Century B.C., Ancient Imitative. Bronze semis, cf. Crawford 339/2 (official, Rome mint), VF, porous dark patina, 3.598g, 16.7mm, 0o, obverse head of Saturn right; reverse , prow right. An unofficial imitative of a late anonymous issue. ex FORVMPodiceps
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AnonymousAnonymous. After 211 BC. Æ Semis (23mm, 9.69 g, 7h). Uncertain mint. Laureate head of Saturn right; S behind / Prow of galley right; S above. Crawford 56/3; Sydenham 143a. VF, green patina, minor roughness.
Ex-CNG 219 lot 390 62/100
The semis (literally meaning half) was a small Roman bronze coin that was valued at half an as. During the Roman Republic, the semis was distinguished by an 'S' (indicating semis) or 6 dots (indicating a theoretical weight of 6 unciae). Some of the coins featured a bust of Saturn on the obverse, and the prow of a ship on the reverse.
Initially a cast coin, like the rest of Roman Republican bronzes, it began to be struck from shortly before the Second Punic War (218-204 BC). The coin was issued infrequently during the Roman Empire, and ceased to be issued by the time of Hadrian (117-138 AD).ecoli
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Anonymous AE ASA Janiform Roman Republican bronze (31.3g)
JayAg47
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Anonymous AE QuadransAnonymous. 169-158 BC. Æ Quadrans, 28mm. Obv: Head of Hercules right. Rev: Prow right, ROMA below.Molinari
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Anonymous AR Quinarius; Bust of Apollo r./ Victory crowning trophy, D between, ROMA in exRoman Republican Anonymous AR Quinarius, 14mm, 1.73g, minted at Rome, 81 BC. Laureate bust of Apollo right. Victory standing right crowning trophy, "D" between and "ROMA" in exergue. RSC 227a, Syd 609a, Crawford 373/1b. Podiceps
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Anonymous PAE As 169-158 B.C. Crawford 176/1, Sydenham 358, BMCRR 635Laureate head of Janus; above, I / PAE monogram above, ROMA in exergue, prow of galley right; before, I before. Rome mint.
Maximum Diameter: 33.0 mm
Weight: 34.11 g
A duplicate from the RBW Collection of Roman Republican Coins. Ex SCMB (April 1989), 162TheEmpireNeverEnded
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ANONYMOUS REPUBLICAN BARBAROUS SEMIS, HISPANIA after 211 BC
AE 16 mm, 2.11 g
O: Laureate head of Saturn right, inverted S behind.
R: Prow of galley right, S above, ROMA in exerguelaney
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Anonymous Republican denarius 157-155 B.C.Silver denarius, SRCV I 76, RSC I 6, Sydenham 376, gVF, Rome mint, obverse head of Roma right wearing winged helmet, X behind; reverse Victory in biga right, whip in right, ROMA in ex. Gorgeous dark toning.Philoromaos
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ANONYMOUS REPUBLICAN SEMIS, HISPANIA after 211 BC
AE 20 mm, 3.78 g
O: Laureate head of Saturn right, S behind.
R: Prow of galley right, S above, ROMA in exerguelaney
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ANONYMOUS ROMAN REPUBLIC AR DidrachmOBVERSE: Helmeted head of Mars left, oak-sprig behind
REVERSE: ROMANO on tablet below head of bridled horse right, ear of wheat behind
Struck at Metapontum, 280-276 BC
19 mm, 6.55g
Cr13/1, Syd 1Legatus
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Anonymous Roman Republican Denari. 157 BCE.Anonymous Roman Republican Denari.
From Date: 157 BCE.
To Date: 156 BCE.
Obverse: Roma in helmet with a peaked visor.
Reverse: Victory in a galloping biga, holding reigns in l. and goad in r. Legend ROMA in three sided border, with lines at left, top, and right. The right and left lines are diagonal. The rear horse in the biga is almost completely concealed by the near horse.
RRC 197/1a and 1b represent the only fully anonymous issues for the type of Victory in a biga with goad (197/1a) and whip (197/1b). No siblings can be found of RRC 197/1a with goad, and Crawford suggests it is a transitional issue from the earlier Luna in biga with goad to the Victory in biga with Whip type. The fabric of this and subsequent anonymous issues tend to be somewhat more compact and high relief.
Roma, 3,8 g, 19,85 mm, RRC 197/1a.Flamur H
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Anonymous Wheel Cr.79/1Crawford 79/1 Wheel (209-8BC) Sicily?
Denarius Serratus
Ob: helmeted head of Roma right, behind X
Rev: Dioscuri riding right with lances, below wheel, in exergue ROMA; line border
BMCRR II 308 (217-197BC)
Sydenham 519 (113BC) Narbo
Iridescent highlights, 4.4gr.
Grueber: The wheel maybe a symbol of the moneyer rather than of a mint, although it does occur on aes grave of Campania and central Italy, and the early coins of Luceria and Tartentum. This is the earliest occurrence of the serratus on republican denarii and the only anonymous. Only serratus attributed to a mint other than Rome by Count de Salis.
Sydenham classifies this serratus with Porcia 8 at the colony of Narbo. The serrated edge may have been suggested by the Gaulish custom of using serrated rings or wheels as currency. Tacitus stated that the Gaulish tribes showed a marked preference for coins that were serrati bigatique (Germania 5) Sydenham wrote an article entitled “Origin of the Roman Serrati” NC 1935 209 ff.
Crawford writes that Mattingly’s view that serrati were Marian coins was demolished by Sydenham’s article, but his view that they were struck at non-Italian mints for Trans-alpine circulation does not hold either. Grueber’s view that they are probably merely decorative best remaining theory. Crawford Vol 2 p. 581
Tacitus Germania 5 pecuniam probant veterem et diu notam, serratos bigatosque. They approve the old and long known money, those that are serrated and biga depicting.
rennrad12020
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Anonymous; Imitative; Saturn/ Prow, SC aboveI am by no means sure about the identification, but this appears similar to some Spanish? imitatives of Late Roman Republic Semis, c. 100 B.C. - 50 A.D.
The use of SC may suggest a muddling of late Republican types with those of Augustus or a later Emperor. Laureate head of Saturn right; reverse SC above, Prow right, ROMA below.
-Those who know better, please, leave a commentPodiceps
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Antestius Denarius, 146 BCE, Dog Running (Water Spaniel w/ "Lion Cut"?)Roman Republic. C. Antestius AR Denarius (3.81g, 19mm). Rome, 146 BCE.
Obv: C•ANTESTI (ANTE ligate) to l. Head of Roma right, X below.
Rev: ROMA in ex. Dioscuri, each holding spear, riding r.; dog running r., both fore-feet raised.
Ref: Antestia 1; Crawford 219/1e; BMCRR Rome 859.
See also: Giulio DeFlorio's page on this type, hosted by FORVM: [LINK].
Prov: Ex-Artemide Aste srl e-Auction 11 (26 Jan 2020), Lot 236
Notes: Although hounds were also popular on Greek coinage, Roman Republican denarii provide more varied depictions of the breeds and contexts of dogs in their society. This issue is notable for illustrating what might be described today as a “lion cut,” popular for poodles and other water dogs.
This dog has been identified as a proto-poodle, or water spaniel of some sort – a working dog. The “lion cut” permits buoyancy and warmth as the dog retrieves fowl from water. A similar breed, similarly groomed, is portrayed by Caesius (Cr. 298/1), but in a distinctly domestic setting, hinting that, already in antiquity, canine coiffure may have been as much about fashion as function.Curtis JJ
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Appius Claudius Pulcher, T. Manlius Mancinus and Q. Urbinius denariusSilver denarius, SRCV I 176, RSC I Mallia 2, BMC 1293, Sydenham 570a, Crawford 299/1b, VF, dark toning, Rome mint, obverse head of Rome right, circle in square behind; reverse Victory in triga, T MAL AP CL Q VR in exergue.Philoromaos
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Appius Claudius Pulcher, T. Manlius Mancius, and Q. Urbinius (moneyers, 111-110 BCE) denarius (AR)Obv.: Helemeted head of Roma right Rev.: Victory in triga right, one horse looking back Exergue: T . MA . AP . CL . Q . VR Diameter: 18,25 mm Weight: 3,85 g Crawford 211/1a
Bigas, trigas and quadrigas are a common sight on the reverse of Republican denarii.Nick.vdw
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AugustusAugustus, 16 January 27 B.C. - 19 August 14 A.D.
Obverse:
Augustus with his bare head right
CAESAR AVGVST PONT MAX TRIBVNIC POT
CAESAR: Ceasar, emperor
AVGVST: Agustus
PONT MAX: Pontifix Maximus,
TRIBVNIC: Tribunicia, tribunal
POT: POTESTAS, the people
Reverse:
M MAECILIVS TVLLVS III VIR A A A F F
M: Marcus
MAECILLIS: Maelcilius
TVLLVS: Tullus
IIIVIR: Triumviri
AAAFF: Auro, Argento, Aeri, Flando, Feriundo,
S . C, Senatus Consultum
I think the dots were used as centering devices, one see them sometimes on Soldiers/Standards coins although on this coin it is certainly a large dot.
Domination: AS, Copper
Mint: Rome
The Roman Moneyers (or you may prefer the title of Mint Magistrates) were also responsible for the minting of gold, silver and bronze coinage and they reported to the Senate. They were known as the Triumviri Monetales or Triumviri Auro, Argento, Aeri, Flando, Feriundo which is abbreviated as III VIR. A.A.A. F.F. which may be translated as 'Commision (or college) of three men under whom gold, silver and bronze coins were struck'. (Note that the order of the metals varies according to different references.) The title 'III VIR. A.A.A. F.F.' occurs rarely on Republic coins and when it is present it is usually seen in an abbreviated form such as 'III VIR'. It is interesting to note that the full title occurs frequently on the reverses of Augustan Aes
The College of the Three Moneyers was a revived republican tradition. This coin was struck under the supervision of Marcus Salvius Otho, an ancestor of the future emperor Otho. Later, the number of members was increased to four, and their names were not included on the coins.
TRP = This is short for tribunicia potestate - "with the power of the Tribune of the Plebs." The government of Rome was split into the Patricians (who were Senators) and the Plebians. Nine Tribunes of the Plebs were elected by both Plebs and Patricians every year to be in charge of the Plebian assembly. These Tribunes could not be injured because it could be punishable by death. They had veto powers, and they could prevent a law from being passed or an election. An emperor cannot technically rule on the Plebian assembly since he is a Patrician, but by taking the title he could be free from injury. On a coin, if this symbol is followed by a number, it depicts how many times he has been elected Tribune of the Plebs.
Peter Wissing
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Augustus Victory over BrutusAugustus, Philippi, (Macedon Northern Greece) 27 BC - 10 BC, 20mm, 5.64g, BMC 23, Sear 32
OBV: VIC AVG, Victory standing on globe left.
REV: COHOR PRAEPHIL, 3 legionary standards
Commemorates the battle of Philippi, 42 B.C., in which Octavian and Antony defeated the Republican tyrannicides Brutus and Cassius, who subsequently committed suicide. Augustus later settled the veterans of a Praetorian Cohort at Philippi, and he conferred upon them the right to mint coins, of which this is an example. The images on this coin presumably refer to the Emperor's above described victory in 42 BC.
The winged victory standing on a globe representing the cosmos.
Such a coin is delivering, without words but in clear images that everyone would have understood, the message that Augustus now rules the world.
All the old political institutions were reestablished and the "dignity" of the Senate was restored, but actual power was now in the hands of one man alone.
SRukke
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B. Brockage: Thorius Denarius, 105 BCE, ex Alba Longa Coll.Roman Republic. L. Thorius Balbus AR Denarius (19 mm, 3.87 g, 12 h), 105 BCE.
Obv: I•S•M•R Head of Juno Sospita to right, wearing goat-skin headdress. Rev: Incuse of obverse.
Refs: Cf. Babelon (Thoria) 1, Crawford 316/1, RBW 1168 and Sydenham 598.
Prov: Ex- ANE-Calicó (15 Dec 1981), Lot 508 [Schaefer Binder #22, p. 2]; Aureo 89 (4 Mar 1998), Lot 1345 [Schaefer Binder #22, p. 2]; Colleción Alba Longa (J. F. Molina), vol. II, Aureo y Calicó 339 (14 Nov 2019), Lot 1398. Images of this coin included twice in ANS RRDP "Schaefer Binder" No. 22, p. 2 (first two sales above): [LINK].
Notes: An obverse brockage occurs when a coin becomes stuck in the reverse die (traditionally the upper/"hammer" side). As the next coin(s) are struck, an incuse impression of the "stuck" coin is left in place of a reverse. Obverse brockages are more common than reverse brockages; the reason is presumably that a coin stuck in the lower/"anvil" side, where the reverse die is held, would be more obvious and more likely to be removed. During the Roman Republican period it appears that brockages were tolerated and circulated normally.
(See also Nupetlian [NC, 2008] on ancient "Brockage Coins": https://www.jstor.org/stable/45176685.)Curtis JJ
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Barbarians: Gallic Hero Vencingetorix as Pavor?Roman Republic. L. Hostilius Saserna AR Denarius (3.57g, 19mm, 12h), Rome, 48 BCE.
Obv: Bearded bust of captive Gallic warrior with wild, corded hair (Vercingetorix as Pavor?) and chain around neck, facing right; to left, a Gallic shield.
Rev: L•HOSTILIVS / SASERNA. Two naked Gallic warriors in galloping biga right, one driving, holding whip in right hand and reins in left, and the other facing backward, holding shield in left hand and brandishing spear in right.
Ref: Crawford 448/2a; Hostilia 2; Sydenham 952.
Prov: Tauler y Fau 65 (Madrid, 6 Oct 2020), 1276.
Notes: This coin forms a pair with the other Hostilius Saserna Denarius in my Gallery -- and a trio with the Caesar "captives" Denarius. Two years later, Julius Caesar struck his Gallic captives & trophy series denarii, depicting the same two figures on the reverse (full-bodied, rather than just the head).
Reluctant as I am to disagree with Crawford (he does NOT believe it's Vercingetorix!), I do find it quite plausible that Vercingetorix is depicted here (possibly "as Pavor," or Dread). During the Republican & Early Empire the Romans were fond of building up the legends of their enemies, especially once defeated. Gallic warriors seem to hold a special fascination on Roman Republican coinage, so it might be even more surprising if they hadn't used the opportunity to boast of the most magnificent of their "trophy captives."Curtis JJ
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Barbarians: The "Dreadlocked Gallia," Hostilius Saserna AR Denarius, 48 BCERoman Republic. L. Hostilius Saserna AR Denarius (4,03g, 19mm, 8h), Rome, 48 BCE.
Obv: Head of Gallia (as Pallor) w/ corded hair, grimacing, facing r.; Gallic trumpet (carnyx) behind.
Rev: L•HOSTILIVS / SASERNA. Diana / Artemis of Massalia (after Ephesos) standing facing, holding spear & stag by antler.
Ref: Crawford 448/3; Hostilia 4; Syd 953; Fitzwilliam CM 1459-1963 (ill. on CRRO).
Prov: Bertolami Fine Arts Web Auction 92 (3 Oct 2020), Lot 987.
Notes: A classic of Republican "captives" coinage, the obverse depicts the same female captive shown on Julius Caesar's famous denarius (Craw 468/1); my specimen: [FAC Gallery LINK]. A second denarius was issued depicting the head of the male (Vercingetorix?).
The obverse dies for this type (Crawford observed 126 of them!) fall into two groups: those presenting an "idealized" Gallia (much more common), and those attempting greater "realism" (including this one). (Some dies in the latter group are dreadful.)
This particular die presents a uniquely vivacious portrait in highly realistic style. Was this a "master die" for the issue, based on an actual living Gallic captive as the model? Who was she? If one accepts Vercingetorix as the male captive on Caesar's & Saserna's denarii, could "Gallia" have been a member of his family?
More notes, references linked, coin-in-hand video: [website LINK]Curtis JJ
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Battle of Thapsus - P. Licinius Crassus (47-46 BC)Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio and P. Licinius Crassus, 47-46 BC. AR Denarius. North Africa.
Obv: Q·METEL· PIVS – SCIPIO·IMP Lion-headed Genius Terrae Africae standing facing, holding ankh in her right hand; to left and right of her head, G.T. - A.
Rev: P·CRASSVS·IVN – LEG PRO·PR Victory standing to left, holding caduceus and shield.
This coin has aroused great interest among numismatists, especially the lioness-headed goddess depicted on the obverse, numismatists have two different views about her identiy, one of which believes that she is Sekhmet, the lioness goddess of war in ancient Egyptian mythology, and that in her right hand is 'ankh', the symbol of life in Egyptian culture; while the other view, which arouses in recent years, believes that she was the Carthaginian goddess Tanit, with 'symbol of Tanit' in her right hand. Considering the coin was minted near Thapsus in North Africa, which was the formal land of Carthage Republic, the second view makes more sense. In fact Tanit was still venerated in North Africa after the destruction of Carthage, and was sometimes depicted with a lion's head to express her warrior quality.
Either way, the coinage shows a dramatic break with Roman Republican tradition, no local or city goddess had previously been portrayed on the obverse of Roman coinage other than Roma herself, and certainly never a foreign one, not to mention an enemy one. In this case it was made all the more objectionable by either being or holding the symbol of Tanit - a god whose people had slain hundreds of thousands of Roman soldiers and nearly vanquished Rome entirely. Scipio’s coinage might have been designed to curry favour with the populace of North Africa, Caesar must not have been able to believe his luck, as nothing could better demonstrate to the rank and file the justness of his military actions than the thoroughly un-Roman depths to which Scipio had lowered himself.YuenTsin C
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Bronze Republican As 180-80 BCObverse : Heads of Janus
Reverse : Prow of Galley, ROMA below, PT or TP above
Weight 29.83 gms,
Crawford 177/1. Sydenham -353 (r4)
ex Harlan Berk, inventory # cc19828daverino
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C Naevius Balba RepublicC. Naevius Balba, one of only 2 Republican Trigas, 79 BC, Rome, 19mm, 3.78g, Crawford 382/1a, RSC Naevia 6, axis 4o
OBV: Head of Venus right, wearing diadem, S•C behind, L before.
REV: Victory in triga right, holding reins in both hands, C NAE BALB in exergue.
EX: CNG
SRukke
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C. Marcius Censorinus Denarius, 88 BCE (Craw. 346/2b)Roman Republic. C. Marcius Censorinus AR Denarius, 88 BCE
Obv: Diademed head of Apollo right. Rev: Horse galloping right, C•CENSORI below, CX above; serpent entwined staff in exergue.
References: Crawford 346/2b; RSC Marcia 19; Sydenham 714; ANS 1947.2.85 (same dies; LINK); British Museum 1843,0116.775 (same dies; LINK).
Provenance/Publication: Internet purchase (c. 2001-15?) by CSJ for JJ Collection; this coin illustrated in ANS RRDP Richard Schaefer Binder 11 (300-399), p. 358, Col. 4, Row 2 (Die-pair 64?): LINK, with note, "LONG ISLAND NOV10."
Coin-in-hand video: LINK
Hist Notes: Censorinus was among the “last men standing” in Sulla's Civil War, captured after the decisive Battle of the Colline Gate (Kalends of Nov. 82). Sulla sent his severed head to the remaining Marian army, which promptly deserted Marius the Younger, who then committed suicide.Curtis JJ
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C. Poblicius Malleolus, Crawford 282/3C. Poblicius Malleolus, gens Poblicia
AR - denarius serratus, 19.5mm, 3.8g
Narbo 118 BC (Crawford)
obv. C.MA - L - L - E.C.F
Head of Roma, with decorated and winged helmet, r.
X behind
rev. Nude Gallic warrior (Bituitus?), driving biga r., hurling spear and holding shield and carnyx.
below L.LIC.CN.DOM.
Crawford 282/3; Sydenham 524; RCV 158; Poblicia 1
about VF
Lucius Licinius Crassus, & Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus
The reverse commemorates the victory of L. Licinius Crassus and Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus over the Allobroges and their ally Bituitus, king of the Averni. It is one of the very few issues of the Roman Republic struck outside of Rome, this issue was struck in the newly founded city of Narbo in Gaul. These coins, minted by a number of moneyers at this time (and bearing their names) were important in establishing the republican chronology.
Jochen
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C. Titinius, DenariusC. Titinius. AR Denarius
RRC 226/1b
141 bc
Av: Helmeted head of Roma right; behind, XVI.
Rv: Rev. Victory in biga right; below horses, C. TITINI; in exergue, ROMA.
I love these horses. In the context of the traditional depiction of biga on the republican denarii this must have been quite a revolution.
--
Ex ArtemideAste, Antiquities 4, 19/20.03.2016Norbert
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Captives & Captors: "Rape of the Sabines," Founding Myth of Rome, on Titurius Sabinus DenariusRoman Republican. L. Titurius L.f. Sabinus AR Denarius (19mm, 3.89 g, 6 h), Rome 89 BCE.
Obv: SABIN Bare-headed and bearded head of King Titus Tatius to right; in field to right, TA monogram.
Rev: L•TITVRI Rape of the Sabine women.
Ref: Babelon (Tituria) 1; Crawford 344/1a.
Prov: Ex JP Righetti Collection, w/ his handwritten tag (Leu WA 20 [16 Jul 2022], 2263) & J.M.A.L. Collection (formed 1970-2000) (Chaponnière & Firmenich 13 [16 May 2021], 254 [part]).
[If JMAL sees this & wishes to share more about the provenance & the collection, I would love to hear!]
Notes: It is often emphasized that the “Rape of the Sabines,” one of Rome’s founding myths, refers to "rape" in an older sense of the word, meaning "abduction." Nonetheless, the purpose of the abduction was to compel marriage and reproduction. Even if the Sabine women (at least some) eventually accepted the marriages in Livy's version, it is difficult to remove the modern reading of "sexual assault" from the myth.
It is quite revealing that Romans publicly took great pride in the myth of their founding fathers kidnapping and forcing the mothers of the first Romans into relationships we’d call slavery today. Two thousand years ago, though, such coercive social relations were far less objectionable (at least to those in power).Curtis JJ
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CELTIC, Celtic Imitation of Roman Republican SemisObverse-Bust of Saturn
Reverse-Galley prow, S above, OMA below.
I think the R in the exergue may be off center. The A is about 30 degrees tilted left.
Holding_History
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Cloelius, Roma, Biga, denarDenarius, Rome, 128 BC, 3.71g. Cr-260/1, Syd-516, Cloulia 1. Obv: Head of Roma r., wreath behind, ROMA below, Rx: Victory in biga r., ear of wheat below horses, [T] CLOVLI in exergue. . Fine
ex HJBareich
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Cn. Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus - Cornelia-55ROMAN REPUBLICAN, Cn. Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus. 76-75 B.C. AR denarius (3.80 g, 17.7 mm). Spanish (?) mint. G. P. R - Diademed and draped bust of Genius right, scepter over shoulder / LENT CVR ӿ F Scepter with wreath, globe, and rudder; EX to left; S.C to right. Crawford 393/1b; Sydenham 752a; RSC Cornelia 55; SRCV 324. banker's mark on cheek.Bud Stewart
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Constantine I MARTI CONSERVATORI from TrierConstantine I
AD 316
22x23mm 5.1gm
CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust seen from the rear.
MARTI CON-SERVATORI; Mars, helmeted, stg. r. leaning on reversed spear, l. resting shield on ground; T/F across fields.
In ex. PTR
RIC VI Trier 864
ex- Elberling 1867
Dr. Elberling (1797- 1873) had a very large collection of Roman coins with many rarities. He published ten articles about the rarest coins in his collection, and material from these articles was used in Henri Cohen's Roman Imperial catalogues - Description historique des monnaies frappées sous l'empire romain
"Dr. Elberling was a German army doctor who was born in 1797 in Silesia, and retired to Luxembourg. He began collecting coins in 1842, after his retirement, and he published ten articles on "The most important Roman Coins in my Collection" in a Luxembourg scientific journal, 1862-1874 (the last posthumous, and with an obituary, whence I derive these facts). He died in Dec. 1873, and his collection, comprising 775 gold coins, over 1000 Republican denarii, c. 2700 Roman imperial denarii, c. 5500 bronze coins, and c. 100 medallions in the various metals, was acquired by the Paris coin dealer Rollin & Feuardent. He particularly sought rare and unpublished coins, and it was 547 coins of this sort that he published in his articles, with 24 plates of quite accurate line drawings. Cohen, and after Cohen's death Feuardent, of course drew on Elberling's ten articles when compiling the second edition of Cohen's famous Roman imperial catalogue."
thanks to Curtis Clay for the above quote
This coin (along with many others) was donated to the Academic coin cabinet of Leiden in 1867, by Dr. Elberling. The academic cabinet merged with the National coin cabinet, but the gifts and donations remained at the university; until recently, when they were reincorporated into the National Numismatic Collection in the NetherlandsVictor C
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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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Cornucopia, Denarius, Crawford 58/2/1Denomination: Denarius
Era: c. 207 BC
Metal: AR
Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma r. with peaked visor. Behind, “X”. Border of dots
Reverse: Dioscuri r.; Corucopia below riders; in linear frame. “ROMA”.
Mint: Rome
Weight: 4.12 gm.
Reference: Crawford 58/2
Provenance: LHS Numismatik purchased 16-AUG-2006
Comments: Anonymous denarius with cornucopia symbol below dioscuri. This issue is of usually of very pleasing style and is quite common in high grade. This example coin is Good EF.
This coin was part of the Ritter-Leu “S” hoard. For more on this hoard, see P. Debernardi and S. Brinkman “An Early Roman Republican Denarius Hoard”, Numismatic Chronicle, 2016.
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Cr 39/3 Anonymous (Semilibral) Æ Sextans217-215 b.c.e. Rome
o: She-wolf sucking twins; two pellets (value = 2/12ths) in exergue
r: Eagle standing right, holding flower in beak; two pellets behind, ROMA before
23.94 gm, 29 mm, 3h
Sydenham 95
The mysterious "Anomalous Anonymous" series, which is unlike any other segment of the Republican bronze coins. (I believe I have posted all but the "difficult" Triens of the series.) The sextans is particularly notable, with the enigmatic eagle with a flower (not the usual behavior of Roman eagles) and the iconic Wolf and Twins, who are seen far less often on the early coinage than one might expect (the spectacular didrachm reverse being the other large scale representation -- Cr. 20/1).
I posted this specimen for the clarity of the visible ribs and lean body of this hungry wolf, who nonetheless skips lunch/knows who the Dad is/senses kindred spirits of the foundational twins. (I have another specimen with a fine eagle; together, they would make a great coin...)
PMah
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Cr 39/4 Æ Uncia Anonymousc. 217-215 B.C.E. Rome
Radiate and draped facing bust of Sol; • (value) to left
Crescent; two stars and • (value) above; ROMA below
24mm 12.47 gm
ex. McCabe; ex RBW
This large "unit" of the semilibral standard comes from the series sometimes also described as "collateral", "anomalous", and, painfully, "anomalous anonymous". Crawford identified only struck bronzes from Triens to Semuncia for this issue. There are no clearly-associated cast bronze larger denominations, with the nearest-dated such cast types having more directly-related struck smaller denominations.
Yet, this series demonstrates the last great gasp of creativity in Republican bronze, no Prows in sight and without standardized presentations of the soon-to-be-rigid obverse gods.
Although not rare, these interesting types do not show up in every sale. This specimen has a bit of roughness but also a wonderful strike.PMah
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Cr 231/1 AR Denarius C. Renius138 BCE Rome mint
o: Helmeted head of Roma right, X behind
r: Juno (Caprotina?) in biga of goats right, C. RENI below goats, ROMA in exergue.
Renia 1. 3.73 gm 18.00 mm
What can one say about a type that prominently features goats pulling a cart? Apparently a great deal if you are one of the great Republican numismatists and historians, who have a wide variety of explanations for why one of the more serious goddesses is being pulled around in a goat chariot on a fairly common coin. Crawford spends half a page saying why his predecessors are wrong to say the reverse depicts "Juno Caprotina" or other variations on the type. However, all he concludes is that it has something to do with Juno and and something to do with a goat, but not apparently "Juno of the Goat". This is one of those explanations in Crawford that leave something to be desired, such as clarity.
However, clarity is not a problem with this coin, which is nearly perfect except for the awkward chip in the flan from separation from the strip. I feel that the worker who separated the coins really tried to get the best out of this one.PMah
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Cr 264/2 Æ Semis C. Servilius Vatia Rome, c. 127 b.c.e.
Laureate head of Saturn r.; behind, S
Prow r., inscribed C·SERVEILI; above, lion running r.; S before, ROMA below
One of the unusual types with the moneyer's name inscribed along the galley side rather than in the field.
A. McCabe points out that the lion is quite unusual on Republican bronze coins.
22.2mm., 4.90gm This specimen is more than a bit worn. However, the semis in this series is quite rare.
Servilia 8PMah
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Cr 352/1 AR Denarius L. Iulius Bursio85 bce; 3.83 gms; 20.50 mm
o: Male head right, with attributes of Apollo (youthful head), Mercury (winged headress) and Neptune (trident); behind, rudder.
r: Victory in quadriga right; above, numeral [xv??]; in exergue, L. IVLI. BVRSIO
This is an odd type, combining attributes of three gods on the obverse with an extremely mundane reverse. The rudder die mark is fairly rare, and I have not seen another published example. Any Republican type with a wide variety of die marks and numbers will end up representlng a large issue. I will update this posting soon, when I retrieve my Crawford set.
This coin, despite the deposits, is in excellent condition.
PMah
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Cr 453/1a AR Denarius L. Plautius Plancus 47 BCE
o: Facing head of Medusa with coiled snake on either side; below, L. PLAVTIVS
r: Aurora flying right, head facing slightly left, holding palm branch and reins in each hand and conducing four horses of the Sun; below, PLANCVS Cr. 453/1a. Plautia 15
(g. 3.82 mm. 18.50)
Several very nice specimens on these galleries, see JayT4 and Carausius for example.
Reasonable minds can differ, slightly, but this reverse is possibly the most artistic of the Republican series. This coin is decent, but some examples are breathtaking. Obviously, an infusion of Greek engravers that year. Perhaps from Alexandria or the aftermath of Pharsalus (speculating a bit here).PMah
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Cr 467/1 AR Denarius J. Caesaro: COS.TERT.DICT.ITER. Head of Ceres right
r: AVGVR above, PONT.MAX. below. Simpulum, sprinkler, capis and lituus; M in right field
Minted in Africa, c 46 b.c.
3.37 gms; 19.00 mm
This coin is not a beauty and may have been a pendant at some point. Yet it is one of those intensely historical coins, minted on either side of the Battle of Thapsus, which ended the old Republican resistance to Julius Caesar. This type, with "M" ligate in reverse field right, has been said to indicate "Munus" (gift in the sense of obligation); the other variation has "D", presumably "Donativum" (gift in the sense of "here you go, poorer person"). I personally find the distinction between M and D somewhat odd and perhaps there was a more sophisticated distinction being made. As the marks appear on coins of equal value, it seems a very obscure way of distinguishing among soldiers and mere beneficiaries.PMah
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Crawford 039/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Collateral Semilibral Struck AE TriensRome. The Republic.
Semilibral Reduction, 217-215 BCE
Æ Triens (54 grams; 37 mm).
Uncertain Italian Mint.
Obverse: Head of Juno (?) right, wearing double-crested diadem, her hair tied in three ringlets down neck; scepter or sword over left shoulder (?); ●●●● (mark of value) behind.
Reverse: Hercules, naked but for lion skin, grasping centaur by hair and preparing to strike him with club; ●●●● (mark of value) before; ROMA in exergue.
References: Crawford 39/1; Sydenham 93 (R6); BMCRR (Romano-Campanian) 113-115.
Provenance: Ex Munzen und Medaillen 47 (1972), Lot 74.
Crawford dates his 39 series of collateral, semilibral struck bronzes to the early years of the Second Punic War, 217-215 BC. The economic hardship on Rome imposed by Hannibal’s invasion led to a rapid decline in the weight of Roman bronze coins, resulting in the adoption of a semi-libral bronze standard (AE As of ½ Roman pound) and eventual elimination of cast coins. Crawford deduces that Hannibal’s defeat of Rome at Trasimene in 217 B.C. likely tipped the financial scales to the semilibral reduction. He notes that Capua overstruck Roman coinage of the late semi-libral period when Capua joined with Hannibal in 216-215. Further, in Roman Republican Coin Hoards, Crawford reports that hoard #56, found at Capua in 1909, contained three trientes and four sextantes of the “collateral” series; thus the series must have circulated in Capua for a time before the town switched sides to Hannibal in 216-215. It appears that the standard, prow-type semilibral coins (Crawford 38) came first, because hoards containing the Crawford 39 coins almost always contain semilibral prow types as well.
The obverse of this Triens is particularly enigmatic. Both before, during and after production of this series, the goddess depicted on trientes was typically Minerva. In Roman iconography, Minerva’s attributes are the Corinthian helmet, aegis and spear. The goddess on this triens lacks the Corinthian helmet that was used to depict Minerva in previous Aes Grave series of libral and semilibral weight standard (See Crawford 35 and 38 Aes Grave) and on the subsequent, prow-type, struck trientes (Crawford 41 and 56). Some authors are non-committal as to the goddess’ identity (Crawford, for one, in his catalogue; though elsewhere in his text he refers to “Juno”); others attribute the goddess as Juno who, as Jupiter’s consort, is typically rendered with a diadem crown and scepter; and others believe the goddess is Bellona, a war goddess who is typically rendered with helmet and weapon. Firm identification depends, in part, on proper understanding of the headgear. I think attempts to call the headgear a “helmet” or “partial helmet” are misguided efforts to explain the crest. In my opinion, the headgear is a crested diadem. The odd crest attached to the end of the diadem is possibly a misinterpreted element borrowed from portraits of Tanit on Punic coinage, which always show Tanit with a stylized wheat leaf in this location (Tanit’s depiction was likely borrowed by the Carthaginians from Syracusan tetradrachms). There is also some confusion as to what the goddess holds over her left shoulder. Condition issues and poor strikes on some examples often eliminate this aspect of the design. Fortunately, my example is quite clear and one can see the shadowy image on the left shoulder which extends in straight-line behind the left side of the goddess’ head ending in a visible, rounded point above her head. Crawford may have thought the lower part of this element represented the goddess’ far-side curls (“hair falls in tight rolls onto BOTH shoulders” emphasis added), but this interpretation does not explain the point above her head. The point is not likely to represent the opposite crest, as the crest on the visible side does not extend above head-top level. A more plausible theory, proposed by both Grueber and Sydenham, is that the goddess is holding a scepter over her left shoulder, which is consistent with Juno’s attributes. Other possibilities are that she bears a spear, which is an attribute of Minerva, or a sword, which is an attribute of Bellona.
The Series 39 types and their relationship to contemporaneous Second Punic War events are interesting to ponder. Hercules is an important figure, appearing on two of the 10 available sides of the series. Likely this is a paradigm of Roman heroism during the War. In the myth depicted on this Triens, Hercules kills a centaur for assaulting his wife – is this an allegorical reference to Hannibal’s assault on Italy (and the likely response from Rome)?
Despite its beauty, this type would never again be repeated on a Roman coin. However, related imagery can be found on quincunxes of Capua and quadrantes of Larinum, Apulia, immediately following the defection of those towns to Hannibal’s side of the Second Punic War.
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Crawford 039/3, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Collateral Semilibral Struck AE SextansRome. The Republic.
Semilibral Reduction, 217-215 BCE.
Æ Sextans (24.15 grams; 30 mm).
Uncertain Italian Mint.
She-wolf facing right, head turned left, suckling the twins, Romulus & Remus; ●● (mark-of-value) below.
Reverse: Eagle facing right with flower in beak; ROMA to right; ●● (mark-of-value) behind.
References: Crawford 39/3; Sydenham 95; BMCRR (Romano-Campanian) 120-124.
Provenance: Ex Goldberg 87 (15 Sep 2015), Lot 2084; Sternberg XXII (20-21 Nov 1989), Lot 173.
Crawford attributes the 39 series to the Rome Mint, circa 217-215 BCE. While I agree with the dating, I question the mint attribution. They are among the earliest Roman struck bronze coins intended for use in central Italy. Previously, Roman struck bronzes were generally intended for use in Magna Graecia, while the cast bronze Aes Grave were used in Rome and central Italy.
The types in this series are beautiful, bold and unusual, and, excluding the Hercules/bull Quadrans type, were never wholly repeated in subsequent Roman Republican bronze series. The types are entirely pro-Roman, at a time that the Republic was in dire straits under threat of Hannibal’s invasion. This Sextans depicts the favorable founding of Rome, with the She-wolf suckling the City’s mythical founders, Romulus and Remus, on one side, and a powerful eagle bringing them additional nourishment or good omen on the other. This is the first depiction of the Wolf and Twins on a Roman bronze coin, the scene previously being depicted on a silver didrachm circa 269 BCE (Crawford 20/1).
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Crawford 042/2, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Overstruck "Anonymous" Corn Ear AE QuadransRome, The Republic.
Corn Ear Series (No Corn Ear), 214-212 BCE.
AE Quadrans (16.76g; 29mm).
Obv: Head of Hercules right in boarskin; three pellets (mark of value = 3 unciae) behind.
Rev: Bull leaping over snake; three pellets (mark of value) above; ROMA below.
Reference: Crawford 42/2var (no corn ear): See Russo, Essays Hersh (1998) p. 141.
Provenance: ex Agora Auction 70 (21 Nov 2017) Lot 194; ex RBW Collection duplicate (not in prior sales); ex P. Vecchi Auction 6 (14 Sep 1981) Lot 245.
In "Roman Republican Coinage", Michael Crawford recognized many silver “symbol” Republican series for which there were parallel “anonymous” types omitting the symbols. This coin is an anonymous version (missing symbol) of the Corn Ear Quadrans of the Crawford 42 series, produced in Sicily. It is identical in style to the Sicilian Corn Ear coins and only misses the symbol. Roberto Russo wrote about these anonymous coins in his article “Unpublished Roman Republican Bronze Coins” (Essays Hersh, 1998), where he notes that the parallel issue of anonymous silver coins to series with symbols applies equally to the bronze coins. Andrew McCabe takes this approach much further in his article “The Anonymous Struck Bronze Coinage of the Roman Republic” (Essays Russo, 2013) in which he links many of the anonymous Republican bronzes to symbol series based on precise style considerations. The takeaway from all this is that for many of the Roman Republican symbol series of the late Second Punic War and early 2nd Century BCE, there are parallel anonymous series identifiable by style. The rationale for these parallel issues is unclear, though possibly related to (a) governmental approvals for the issue or (b) mint control of the precious metal source from which the issue was struck or (c) workshop identification.
This particular example is overstruck, showing particular evidence of the under-type on the reverse. Based on that evidence and weight of the coin, I’ve concluded the under-type a Hieron II AE Obol imitative of Ptolemy II. The edge of the reverse shows the hairline of Zeus as depicted on this Hieron II issue.
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Crawford 043 (unlisted) and 97/5b, ROMAN REPUBLIC, L Series, AE Quadrans - EXTREMELY RARE!Rome, The Republic.
L Series, 214-212 BCE.
AE Quadrans (22.56g; 29mm).
Luceria Mint.
Obverse: Hercules facing r wearing lion skin; ●●● (mark-of-value=3 unciae), behind and below.
Reverse: Prow right; ROMA above; L●●● (mark-of-value=3 unciae), below.
References: Crawford 43 (unlisted) and 97/5b; Syd --; BMCRR --; RBW 400 (see discussion at 399); see Russo, “Unpublished Roman Republican Bronze Coins” (Essays Hersh, 1998), #37 discussion.
Provenance: Ex Kölner Münzkabinett Auction 109 (16 Nov 2018); ex Prof. Hildebrecht Hommel Collection; purchased from Cahn (Basel), 13 Mar 1973.
This type is extremely rare, with no examples appearing in the Paris collection as of 1974, none in Berger’s Kestner-Museum Hannover catalogue, and only 4 examples in addition to my coin on ACSEARCH as of 31 December 2018. Crawford cites an example in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, collection. Both Roberto Russo and Andrew McCabe have persuasively argued that Crawford 97/5b should be reassigned to the Crawford 43 L series, which otherwise lacks a quadrans. Both the weight and style of this coin are consistent with the earlier Crawford 43 series, which is based on an As of about 83 grams. McCabe notes that the Oxford example, on which Crawford based 97/5b, was badly corroded and probably lightweight. Subsequent examples of the type in trade have weighed 22+ grams, consistent with an As of about 85-90 grams.
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Crawford 043/3, ROMAN REPUBLIC, L Series, AE TriensRome, The Republic.
L Series, 214-212 BCE.
AE Triens (24.79g; 30mm).
Luceria Mint.
Obverse: Helmeted head of Minerva facing right; ●●●● above (mark-of-value=4 unciae); L behind
Reverse: Prow right with two mariners on deck and club within deck structure, star symbol on flank of prow and small wing on keel; ROMA above; ●●●● (mark-of-value=4 unciae) below.
References: Crawford 43/3a; Sydenham 125; BMCRR (Italy) 5; RBW 152-153.
Provenance: Ex A.J. Scammell Collection [Dix Noonan Webb (3 Jun 2020) Lot 103].
The Luceria series of Roman Republican bronzes are complex, and there are likely more series than those identified in Crawford. The thick flan fabric of this coin has a pronounced conical cross-section. The die planes were quite flat and the devices in low relief. The star symbol and bulbous prow stem are common style items among heavier weight, thick-flan examples of the early Luceria series. Andrew McCabe’s website identifies coins with these characteristics as from “Luceria Mint A”. There are other probable series with different flan characteristics, style and lacking the star symbol.
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Crawford 069/6, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Corn-ear and KA Series Sextans overstruck on Heiron II bronzeRome. The Republic.
Corn Ear and KA Series (211-208 BCE), overstruck on bronze of Hieron II (275-215 BCE)
AE Sextans (5.87g; 20mm).
Sicilian Mint.
Obverse: (overtype) Mercury head right, wearing petastos, two pellets above; (undertype) Poseidon head left.
Reverse: (overtype) Prow right, corn-ear above, IC before, ROMA below; (undertype) Trident; dolphin on either side; IEPÑ NOΣ below
Overtype References: Crawford 69/6b; Sydenham 310d.
Undertype References: SNG Copenhagen (Sicily) 844-856
Overstrike References: Crawford Table XVIII, No. 65.
Provenance: Ex Forum Ancient Coins.
During the Second Punic War, Roman military mints often overstruck war booty bronzes into Roman types. Weights of the bronze undertypes were of little consequence since the coins were fiduciary anyway; thus we often see a wide-range of weights on these overstruck coins. Module was perhaps more important for visual differentiation. Sometimes, the undertype is barely noticeable. Other times, the result is a clear melding of the devices of overtype and undertype, as on this coin. Here we clearly see Poseidon’s remaining profile from 6-9h on the obverse. The reverse shows signs of the trident base at 8h to the left of the prow. The Mercury/Prow overtype is remarkably crisp and complete. Crawford contains a table of known overstrikes in the Roman Republican series which includes the types combined on this coin.
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Crawford 106/5, ROMAN REPUBLIC, "Anonymous" Staff and Club Series, AE SemisRome, The Republic.
Anonymous Staff and Club Series, 208 BCE.
AE Semis (16.22g; 28mm).
Etrurian Mint.
Obverse: Laureate head of Saturn, facing right; S (mark-of-value) behind
Reverse: Prow right; S (mark-of-value) above; ROMA below.
References: Crawford106/5 var (no symbol above prow); McCabe Group E1.
Provenance: Ex Naville 48 (7 Apr 2019) Lot 326; Otto Collection [Hess (Dec 1931), Lot 822]; Niklovitz Collection [L. Hamburger 76 (19 Oct 1925), Lot 240].
In "Roman Republican Coinage", Michael Crawford recognized many silver “symbol” Republican series for which there were parallel “anonymous” types omitting the symbols. In his article “Unpublished Roman Republican Bronze Coins” (Essays Hersh, 1998), Roberto Russo noted that the parallel issue of anonymous silver coins to series with symbols applies equally to the bronze coins. (Essays Hersh, 1998, p. 141). Andrew McCabe takes this approach much further in his article “The Anonymous Struck Bronze Coinage of the Roman Republic” (Essays Russo, 2013) in which he links many of the anonymous Republican bronzes to symbol series based on precise style considerations. The takeaway from all this is that for many of the Roman Republican symbol series of the late Second Punic War and early 2nd Century BCE, there are parallel anonymous series identifiable by style. The rationale for these parallel issues is unclear, though possibly related to (a) governmental approvals for the issue or (b) mint control of the metal source from which the issue was struck or (c) workshop identification.
This coin is an anonymous version (missing symbol) of the Staff and Club Semis of the Crawford 106 series, produced in Etruria. It is identical in style to the Etrurian Staff and Club coins and only misses the symbols. Not surprisingly, these coins are commonly misattributed as Crawford 56 anonymous bronzes.
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Crawford 122/3, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Dog Series, AE AsRome, The Republic.
Dog Series, 206-195 BCE.
AE As (35.91g; 34mm).
Rome Mint.
Obverse: Laureate head of Janus; I (mark-of-value) above.
Reverse: Prow right; dog symbol above; I (mark-of-value) to right; ROMA below.
References: Crawford 122/3; Sydenham 251; BMCRR 489-90.
Provenance: Ex A.J. Scammell Collection [DNW (3 Jun 2020) Lot 119].
Shortly after the introduction of the denarius coinage, the Romans began adding symbols and letters to their coins. In many cases both anonymous coins and coins with symbols/letters can be linked by identical styles, suggesting they were near-contemporaneous issues by the same mint. Symbols were frequently re-used on subsequent series; see, for example the three separate Anchor Series of coins produced in the late third century and second century BCE.
This particular bronze As bears a dog symbol above the prow. The identity of the moneyer or persons responsible for producing these symbol coins is generally unknown. However, because some symbols are later repeated on certain named coins in the Republican series, family connections to the earlier symbol coins are sometimes proposed by researchers. In the case of the dog symbol, we see later silver and bronze coins of the Antestia gens bearing similar dog symbols. For an example, see the following coin in my gallery: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-145800 . It is possible, though unproven, that a member of the Antestia gens was responsible for production of this early bronze dog series as well.
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Crawford 13/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC - AR DidrachmRome, The Republic.
Anonymous, 310-300 (c. 295?) BCE.
AR Didrachm (7.13g; 21mm).
Mint in Central Italy (Neapolis?).
Obverse: Head of Mars, bearded, in crested Corinthian helmet, facing left; oak spray behind.
Reverse: Bridled horse head facing right; [ROMANO] on base below; wheat stalk behind.
References: Crawford 13/1; HNI 266; Sydenham 1; BMCRR (Romano-Campanian) 1-4.
Provenance: Ex vAuctions Sale 343 (6 Dec 2019) Lot 155; Pegasi Auction VI (8 April 2002), Lot 316.
This coin is part of the very first series of Didrachms produced in the name of Rome. It was a small issue, with only four obverse dies and fifteen reverse dies currently known. In 1974’s Roman Republican Coinage, Crawford assigned the issue to 280-276, however, subsequent evidence and scholarship caused him to reassign the coins to 310-300 BCE. Later scholars, including Rutter in Historia Numorum Italy (2001) have concurred with this revised dating. In a recent tweet, Professor Liv Yarrow announced that her forthcoming book will propose a more recent date of c. 295 BCE; we’ll have to wait for her book to see the evidence to support this re-dating.
While these didrachms bore the inscription ROMANO, they were not struck in Rome and didn’t really circulate in Rome! They were likely produced in Naples or some other nearby mint for a particular purpose. In Coinage & Money Under the Roman Republic (1985), Crawford proposed that the purpose for the issue was the construction of the Appian Way from Rome to Capua, begun in 312 BCE. If Professor Yarrow's proposed later dating is correct, the purpose would need to be reconsidered. The average weight and purity of these coins is consistent with contemporaneous Neapolitan standards, and the fabric of the coins is also consistent with Neapolitan silver issues.
The ROMANO inscription may have been either an abbreviation of the genitive plural ROMANORVM (“of the Romans”) or dative ROMANO (“by the Romans”) either of which would be similar grammar to Greek coin inscriptions.
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Crawford 145/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Victory & Spearhead Series, AE AsRome. The Republic.
Victory and Spearhead
Series, 189-180 BCE.
AE As (31.14g; 33mm; 5h).
Rome Mint.
Obverse: Laureate head of Janus; I (mark-of-value) above.
Reverse: Prow facing right; Victory crowning spearhead above; I (mark-of-value) to right; ROMA below.
References: Crawford 145/1; Sydenham 293; BMCRR 497
Provenance: Ex Barone Dr. Pompeo Bonazzi di Sannicandro (1876-1956) Collection [R. Ratto (23 January 1924), Lot 264].
Grueber surmises that the symbols on this type may allude to a military victory by an ancestor of the anonymous moneyer. He mentions the use of Victory as a symbol on later denarii by C. Terrentius Lucanus (Crawford 217/1 – see my example in this gallery), suggesting this coin may have been produced by a member of the Terrentia gens; but this is pure conjecture.
This coin is a strong example of a type that generally comes either poorly struck or poorly preserved. The coin was part of the important Bonazzi Collection, which was sold anonymously in two parts by Rodolfo Ratto in the mid-1920s. Bonazzi began collecting about 1910 and quickly assembled a broad collection of Roman Republican coins in a very short time. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he favored bronze coins that were un-tooled, and this coin boasts excellent, natural surfaces.
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Crawford 174/3, ROMAN REPUBLIC, A. Caecilius, AE TriensRome, The Republic.
A Caecilius, 169-158 BCE.
AE Triens (6.88g; 21mm).
Rome Mint.
Obverse: Helmeted head of Minerva facing right; ●●●● (mark-of-value) above.
Reverse: Prow facing right; ●●●● (mark-of-value) before; A·CAE above.
References: Crawford 174/3; Sydenham 355b; BMCRR 820; Caecilia 10.
Provenance: Ex Gemini XII (11 Jan 2015), Lot 276; RBW Collection [NAC Auction 61 (5-6 October 2011), Lot 735]; privately purchased from Kurt Spanier on 12 Dec 1990.
The moneyer may be the son of the A. Caecilius that is mentioned in Livy as an Aedile in 189 BCE. While asses of A. Caecilius are common (30 specimens in the Paris collection), trientes are scarce (only 4 examples in the Paris collection). This is the case with many second century Republican bronze series; the fractions are often considerably scarcer than the As of the same series, but are frequently overlooked by collectors in favor of the larger denomination.
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Crawford 178/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Lucius Cornelius Cinna, AE AsRome, The Republic.
Lucius Cornelius Cinna, 169-158 BCE.
AE As (32.53g).
Rome Mint.
Obv: Laureate, bearded head of Janus.
Rev: Prow facing right; CINA above; [ROMA] below; I (mark-of-value) before.
References: Crawford 178/1; BMCRR 804-6; Sydenham 368; RBW 752 (this coin illustrated); Cornelia 11.
Provenance: Ex Kuenker eLive Auction 46 (25 Jul 2017) Lot 53; ex RBW Collection [NAC 61 (2011), Lot 748]; ex Aes Rude 56 (1994), Lot 150.
Crawford surmises that the moneyer is L. Cornelius Cinna who become consul in 127 BCE. The significant passage of time from his moneyership when this coin was struck and consulship 27 years later is attributed to him being the first in his family to reach the office, and thus he failed to get elected to the intervening, required office at the earliest possible time. These prescribed political offices, their order and timing, are referred to as the "Cursus Honorum." When considered with available prosopographical evidence, the Cursus Honorum is a critical clue for dating and attributing Roman Republican coins.Carausius
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Crawford 195/2, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Ass Series, AE SemisRome, The Republic.
Ass Series, 169-158 BCE.
AE Semis (11.72g; 25mm).
Rome Mint.
Obverse: Laureate head of Saturn facing right; S (mark-of-value) behind.
Reverse: Prow, with prow stem decorated by female head, facing right; Ass symbol above; S (mark-of-value) to right; ROMA below.
References: Crawford 195/2; Sydenham 298a; BMCRR ---; RBW 838.
Provenance: Ex Naville Numismatics Auction 10 (26 Oct 2014) Lot 87.
Crawford reported only two Roman Republican bronze series in which the reverse prow stem was decorated with a female head: Crawford 205 (P.SULLA); and Crawford 213 (Mast and Sail). The Ass Series should be a third such series, and there are likely others to be discovered. The top of the prow stem is a high-point and quick to wear, thus any ornamentation on this point is often undiscernible or missed. There is no missing the female head decorating the prow stem on this coin; it is even better seen in hand with a steeper light angle. Having reviewed multiple die examples of the Ass series in various print and online sources, I find the As and Semis of this series typically have a female head decorating the prow stem; while prow stems on the smaller denominations (triens, quadrans and sextans) do not appear ornamented. On those denominations with the ornamentation on the prow stem, the ornamentation is often poorly preserved, which is likely why is was previously missed in the standard catalogues.
The ass symbol may identify the otherwise anonymous moneyer as a member of the Junia gens. Grueber and Crawford both noted that the ass was the symbol of M. Junius Silanus and was used on Silanus’ coins as a naming pun (being the ass of “Silenus” the companion of Bacchus) (Crawford 220/1).
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Crawford 20/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC - AR DidrachmRome, The Republic.
Anonymous, 269-266 BCE.
AR Didrachm (7.28g; 21mm).
Uncertain mint.
Obv: Diademed head of youthful Hercules facing right, with lion skin and club over shoulder.
Rev: She-Wolf suckling the twins, Romulus & Remus; ROMANO in exergue.
References: Crawford 20/1; Sydenham 6; BMCRR (Romano-Campanian) 28-33.
Provenance: Ex Dr. Walter F. Stoeklin Collection [Nomos AG eSale 9 (25 Mar 2018) Lot 2]; Adolph Hess Auction (19 Dec 1933), Lot 3.
The earliest Roman Didrachm coinage commenced in the late fourth century BCE. While earliest didrachms bore the inscription ROMANO, they were not struck in Rome and didn’t really circulate in Rome! The earliest didrachms were likely produced in Naples or some other nearby mint. Kenneth Harl, in "Coinage in the Roman Economy" theorizes that Roman didrachms were likely valued at 10 asses and were possibly called “denarii” in their day.
This coin is from the large, third issue of didrachms produced around the time of the Pyrrhic War, circa 269 BCE. In "Natural History", Pliny wrote that the Romans first struck silver coins “in the 485th year of the city, when Q. Ogulnius and C. Fabius were consuls, five years before the First Punic War [=269 BC].” (NH 33.42-44) Some surmise that Pliny’s now infamous text refers to the above coin type. Pliny’s text confounded for generations the determination by Roman numismatists of the introduction date for the denarius, with many scholars interpreting his statement as evidence for an early introduction; that “literal” theory having been disproven by Thomsen’s analysis in “Early Roman Coinage” and the indisputable evidence of the destruction level finds at Morgantina.
In "Roman Republican Coinage", Michael Crawford assigned this type to the Rome mint, but Crawford turned non-committal regarding the mint in his later book, Coinage and Money Under the Roman Republic. Previous scholars (Babelon, Grueber, Sydenham) had attributed this series to Campania. The reverse bears the first depiction of the she-wolf and suckling twins on a Roman coin, representing the mythical founding of Rome. The emblematic nature of this scene likely influenced the mint assignment by some researchers. Indeed, subsequent coins bearing this scene have similarly been assigned to Rome by some authors, perhaps without justification, based on the “Roman” character of the scene – notably the Eagle/Wolf and Twins AE Sextans (Crawford 39/3) of the semi-libral reduction in 217-215 BCE, which I believe is likely a Campanian product. There would be countless more such depictions of the wolf and twins on Roman coins during the ensuing centuries [Crawford 183; Crawford 235/1; Antoninus Pius; Maxentius; Constantine “commemoratives”, etc.]. According to Pliny, Q. Ogulnius was a consul when this coin was likely first produced, and the reverse may allude to the wolf and twins statue erected in Rome by Ogulnius’ grandfather and great uncle, the brothers Quintus and Gnaeus Ogulnius, in 296 BCE.
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Crawford 210/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Caius Junius, AR DenariusRome. The Republic.
Caius Junius C.f., 149 BCE.
AR Denarius (3.70g; 18mm).
Rome Mint.
Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma, facing right; X (mark-of-value = 10 asses), behind.
Reverse: Dioscuri galloping right with couched spears; C·IVNI· C· F, below; ROMA in linear frame in exergue.
References: Crawford 210/1; BMCRR 660-3; Sydenham 392; Junia 1.
Provenance: Roma Numismatics Auction VIII (28 Sep 2014), lot 832; Roma Numismatics Auction V (23 Mar 2013), Lot 504; NAC Auction 54 (24 Mar 2010), Lot 166.
This moneyer is unknown except for his coins. His coins have the distinction of being the first in the Republican series to bear patronymic initials, specifically identifying the moneyer versus other family members. In this case, the letters “C· F” represent Caii Filius (son of Caius). Thus, the moneyer is clearly identified as Caius Junius, the son of Caius Junius. In the later decades of the second century, this practice of individual identification, combined with type selections that highlighted ancestral deeds, was employed for political messaging campaigns by young moneyers on the path to consulship. The practice appears to have accelerated following the adoption of secret ballots circa 139 BCE (See, H.B. Mattingly, “Roman Republican Coinage c. 150-90 BC”: Essays Hersh, 1998).
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Crawford 24/4, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Roma/Wheel Series, Aes Grave SemisRome, The Republic.
Roma/Wheel Series, c. 230 BCE.
AE Aes Grave Semis (103g; 49mm).
Rome Mint.
Obverse: Bull leaping to left; S (mark of value) below.
Reverse: Wheel with six spokes; S (mark of value) between two spokes.
References: Crawford 24/4; ICC 67; Sydenham 60.
Provenance: Ex H.D. Rauch Auction 95 (30 Sep 2014), Lot 272; Tkalec 2006, Lot 93.
The Roma/Wheel Series of aes grave is an interesting series for its types. This Semis depicts a leaping bull, a device that would be used on later Republican struck bronzes with a snake below the bull (see Crawford 39/2 and 42/2). The wheel on the reverse of this series is previously unseen on Roman coinage. There were several series of Etrurian aes grave bearing spoked wheels produced in the 3rd century BCE (see HN Italy 56-67; ICC 145-190). It is unclear whether these Etrurian aes grave were inspired by or inspiration for the Roman wheel series.
This example is on the light side of reported weights in Haeberlin; however, as museums and collectors tend to favor heavier examples of Aes Grave, Haeberlin’s reported weight range (based on museum and major private collections) is likely “overweight” in heavier specimens. Carausius
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Crawford 24/6, ROMAN REPUBLIC, AE Aes Grave QuadransRome, The Republic.
Roma/Wheel Series, c. 230 BCE.
AE Aes Grave Quadrans (65.83g; 40mm).
Rome Mint.
Obverse: Hound prancing to left; ••• (mark of value) in exergue.
Reverse: Wheel with six spokes; ••• (mark of value) between spokes.
References: Crawford 24/6a; ICC 69; Haeberlin pg 61, pl. 25, n 12-14.
Provenance: Ex Dr. Erwin Hartmann (†1979) Collection [Dorotheum Auction (27 May 2021) lot 758]; Karl Hollschek (†1941) Collection [Dorotheum 1108 (Oct 1960) Lot 1017].
The Roma/Wheel Series of aes grave is an interesting series for its types. This Quadrans depicts a prancing hound, a device also used on roughly contemporaneous Republican struck half-litrae (see Crawford 26/4 – two examples in my gallery). The wheel on the reverse of this series is previously unseen on Roman coinage. There were several series of Etrurian aes grave bearing spoked wheels produced in the 3rd century BCE (see HN Italy 56-67; ICC 145-190). It is unclear whether these Etrurian aes grave were inspired by or inspiration for the Roman wheel series.
Haeberlin reported 88 specimens of the quadrans, with an average weight of 65.73 grams.
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Crawford 244/3, ROMAN REPUBLIC, C. Aburi Gem, AE QuadransRome, The Republic.
C. Aburi Gem, 134 BCE.
AE Quadrans (5.95g; 21mm; 12h).
Rome Mint.
Obverse: Head of youthful Hercules wearing lion-skin headdress; ••• (mark-of-value) behind.
Reverse: Prow facing right; C•ABVRI|GEM above; ••• (mark-of-value) before; ROMA below.
References: Crawford 244/3; Sydenham 491a; BMCRR 1002; Aburia 3.
Provenance: Ex Professor Dr. Prix Collection [Otto Helbing Auction 63 (29 Apr 1931), Lot 60].
In Essays Hersh, Mattingly dates this issue to 133 BCE. This example is special for its 1931 provenance. It is quite rare to find fairly common Republican bronzes illustrated in pre-War auction catalogues.
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Crawford 251/2, ROMAN REPUBLIC, M. Fabrinius, AE TriensRome, The Republic.
M. Fabrinius, 132 BCE.
AE Triens (4.77g; 20mm).
Rome Mint.
Obverse: Helmeted head of Minerva, facing right; ●●●● value mark, behind.
Reverse: Ship’s prow facing right; M· FABRI-NI above; ●●●● value mark to before; ROMA below.
References: Crawford 251/2; Sydenham 453a; BMCRR Rome 982; Fabrinia 2.
Provenance: Ex Hessian Vordertaunus Collection [Peus 419 (27 Apr 2017), Lot 144]; ex Italo Vecchi FPL (1976), Lot 104.
According to Crawford, the moneyer is known only from his coins. According to Stevenson’s Dictionary of Roman Coins, the entire Fabrinia gens is known only from Roman Republican coins. M. Fabrinius produced bronze coins, but no silver coins.
Carausius
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Crawford 26/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC - AR DidrachmRome, The Republic.
Anonymous, 234-231 BCE.
AR Didrachm (6.74g; 20mm).
Obv: Laureate head of Apollo facing right.
Rev: Horse rearing left; ROMA above.
Reference: Crawford 26/1; Sydenham 27.
Provenance: Ex Kuenker (25 Sep 2017) Lot 508; ex Bernhard Terletzkli Collection; ex Dr. Hagen Tronnier Collection; ex Kunker Auction 94 (2004), Lot 1650; ex Auctiones 10 (1979), Lot 303.
By about 240 BCE, the inscription on struck Roman Republican coins had changed from ROMANO to ROMA. This coin is part of the second series to include the ROMA legend.
Carausius
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Crawford 26/3, ROMAN REPUBLIC, AE LitraRome, The Republic
Anonymous, c. 235 BCE.
AE Litra (2.36g; 14mm).
Rome Mint.
Obv: Laureate head of Apollo facing right.
Rev: Horse rearing left; ROMA below.
References: Crawford 26/3; Sydenham 29; BMCRR (Romano-Campanian) 70-74.
Provenance: Ex CNG Classical Numismatic Review XLII.3 (2017), Lot 460942; ex RBW Collection (not in prior sales); Aes Rude (19 Sep 1987), Lot 86.
By about 240 BCE, the inscription on struck Roman Republican coins had changed from ROMANO to ROMA. This coin is part of the second series to include the ROMA legend. Carausius
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Crawford 322/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC, C. Fabius C.f. Hadrianus, AR DenariusRome. The Republic.
C. Fabius C. f. Hadrianus, 102 BCE.
AR Denarius (4.01g; 20mm).
Rome Mint.
Obverse: Veiled and turreted head of Cybele, facing right; EX· A· PV, behind.
Reverse: Victory in fast biga galloping right; A· and heron/stork below; C· FABI· C· F in exergue.
References: Crawford 322/1b; Sydenham 590; BMCRR 1592; Fabia 14.
Provenance: Ex Heritage Europe Auction 44 (26 Nov 2014), Lot 35.
While not certain, the moneyer may be Caius Fabius Hadrianus, who was praetor in 84 BCE, propraetor in 83–82 BCE and who was burned alive in his official residence during a Sullan uprising in 82. He struck two distinct series of this denarius: one, without an obverse inscription but with Greek letter control marks behind the obverse head; the other with Latin letter control marks on the reverse and the EX· A· PV obverse inscription. The obverse inscription is an abbreviation for EX A[RGENTO] PV[BLICO] meaning “from the public silver”. Only eight issues of Roman Republican coins reference the public silver, and it is not abundantly clear why this reference is needed since official silver coinage should always be struck from state silver. Fabius’s issue is the first of four issues struck circa 102-100 to bear a “public silver” inscription, which Crawford attributes as a sign of the populist times. Given that Hadrianus may have been killed in 82 by Sulla supporters because of his populist sympathies, Crawford’s attribution of the inscription as a populist message may be correct.
The bird on the reverse of the coin deserves some comment. According to Pliny, some members of the Fabia gens took the cognomen Buteones (a Buteo is a type of hawk or bird), after a bird settled on a Fabian’s ship and was taken as a good omen in advance of a victory. Both Grueber and Crawford interpret the heron/stork on the reverse of this coin as further evidence of Pliny’s story, and as likely proof that Pliny got the type of bird wrong in his retelling of the story. The bird is certainly important to the moneyer, as he also included the symbol on his AE Asses.
Carausius
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