Image search results - "athlete" |
ROME
PB Tessera (18mm, 2.73 g, 12h)
Head of a young athlete right; (AV) to left, II to right
Apollo standing left, holding branch, resting left arm on tripod
Rostovtsev 843, pl. VIII, 53 corr. (obv. legend); Rostovtsev & Prou 532; Munich 179-80; Ruggerio 1408; BM 28-31, 33Ardatirion
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(0238) GORDIAN III238 – 244 AD
AE 28 mm, 13.4 g
O: ΑΥΤ Κ Μ ΑΝΤ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟⳞ ΑΥΓ Radiate, draped, cuirassed but right, seen from rear
R: ΟΥΛΠΙΑΝΩΝ ΑΓΧΙΑΛΕΩΝ, Ε Athlete standing left, holding wreath and palm branch
Thrace, Anchialus, ref. AMNG 631; Tachev, Anchialos 102–14b
laney
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(0253) VALERIAN I253 - 260 AD
Capitolene games issue
AE 26.5 mm, 19.34 g
O: IMP CAES P LIC VALERIANVS [PF AVG], laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right.
R: CER SACR CAP OEC ISEL HEL, COL-HEL across fields, male athlete standing facing, head right, holding palm branch, right hand in a selection urn.
Coele Syria, Heliopolis
Cohen 329 laney
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1bn Commodus177-192
Sestertius
Laureate head, right, M COMMOD ANT P FELIX AVG BRIT PP
Roma seated left, ROM FEL PM TR P XVI COS VI
RIC 224
The Historia Augusta reports: As for Commodus himself, he was born, with his twin brother Antoninus, at Laiiuvium where his mother's father was born, it is said on the day before the Kalends of September, while his father and uncle were consuls. . . . Marcus tried to educate Commodus by his own teaching and by that of the greatest and the best of men. . . . However, teachers in all these studies profited him not in the least such is the power, either of natural character, or of the tutors maintained in a palace. For even from his earliest years he was base and dis- honorable, and cruel and lewd, defiled of mouth, moreover, and debauched. . . . While yet a child he was given the name of Caesar, along with his brother Verus. . . .
[After Marcus died], He abandoned the war which his father had almost finished and submitted to the enemy's terms, and then he returned to Rome. . . . After he had come back to Rome, he led the triumphal procession with Saoterus, his partner in depravity, seated in his chariot, and from time to time he would turn around and kiss him openly, repeating this same performance even in the orchestra. And not only was he wont to drink until dawn and squander the resources of the Roman Empire, but in the evening he would ramble through taverns and brothels. 6 He sent out to rule the provinces men who were either his companions in crime or were recommended to him by criminals. He became so detested by the senate that he in his turn was moved with cruel passion for the destruction of that great order, and from having been despised he became bloodthirsty. . . . He was called also the Roman Hercules, on the ground that he had killed 192 wild beasts in the amphitheatre at Lanuvium. . . . He engaged in gladiatorial combats, and accepted
the names usually given to gladiators 5 with as much pleasure as if he had been granted triumphal decorations. . . .
Because of these things but all too late Quintus Aemilius Laetus, prefect of the guard, and Marcia, his concubine, were roused to action and entered into a conspiracy against his life. First they gave him poison; and when this proved ineffective they had him strangled by the athlete with whom he was accustomed to exercise.Blindado
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anazsnglevantexxxElagabalus
Anazarbos, Cilicia
Obv: AVT Κ Μ ΑVΡ ΑΝΤΩΝƐΙΝΟϹ CƐB, laureate draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear.
Rev: ΑΝΑΖΑΡΒΟΥ (ΜΗΤ)ΡΟΠΟ →ΑΜΚ, in left field, Β/Γ, athlete seated nude on basis, right, holding palm branch and crowning himself with wreath.
23 mm, 9.50 gms
RPC VI online 7297; Ziegler 391; SNG Levante---.
From Ares Numismatics Web Auction 3, lot 544.Charles M
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anazsnglevantexxx1Elagabalus
Anazarbos, Cilicia
Obv: AVT Κ Μ ΑVΡ ΑΝΤΩΝƐΙΝΟϹ CƐB, laureate draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear.
Rev: ΑΝΑΖΑΡΒΟΥ (ΜΗΤ)ΡΟΠΟ →ΑΜΚ, in left field, Β/Γ, athlete seated nude on basis, right, holding palm branch and crowning himself with wreath.
25 mm, 11.76 gms
RPC VI online 7297; Ziegler 391; SNG Levante---.
From Ares Numismatics Web Auction 7, lot 333.Charles M
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Aspendos, Pamphylia WrestlersObv: Two naked wrestlers grappling, the athlete on the left holds his opponent's wrist with his right hand and his forearm with his left; KI between their legs.
Rev: EΣTΦEΔIIYΣ on left, slinger standing in throwing stance right, wearing a short chiton, discharging sling; clockwise triskeles on right all within a beaded square.
Silver Stater, Aspendos mint, c. 370 - 333 BC
10.74 grams, 23.2 mm, 0°
GCV 5398 (var.), SNG Coppenhagen 226, SNG Von Aulock 4557
Ex: FORVMMatt Inglima
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Bruttium, Kroton (Circa 425-350 BC)AR Stater
7.73 g
Obverse: Eagle standing left, head right, on stag’s head
Reverse: Tripod; ivy leaf to left, QPO to right.
HN Italy 2146; SNG ANS 351-2
Obeying a directive of the oracle of Delphi, A group of Achaean settlers founded Kroton around 710 BC. Like its neighbor to the north, Sybaris, it soon became a city of power and wealth. Kroton was especially celebrated for its successes in the Olympic Games from 588 BC onward (Milo of Kroton being the most famous of its athletes).
The philosopher Pythagoras established himself there about 530 BC and formed a society of 300 disciples who were sympathetic toward aristocratic government. In 510 BC Kroton was strong enough to defeat the Sybarites and raze their city to the ground. However, shortly after the sack of Sybaris the disciples of Pythagoras were driven out, and a democracy established.
The obverse was comparable with similar types on probably contemporary coins from Elis (which put on the Olympic games at the nearby sanctuary of Olympia) The coins of both cities were thus likely issued for athletic festivals in honor of Zeus. In Kroton’s case the coins probably commemorated its citizens’ Olympic victories with the eagle representing Zeus who presided over Olympia and the games themselves. The tripod (reverse) represented the divine sanction for the town's founding from the Oracle of Delphi (who sat on a three legged stool when producing her oracles).
Nathan P
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Bruttium, Kroton (Circa 530-500 BC)AR Nomos
28 mm, 7.82 g
Obverse: Tripod, legs surmounted by wreaths and terminating in lion's feet, two serpents rising from the bowl, set on basis of three lines, the center dotted, koppa-P-O (KRO - short for Kroton) to left
Reverse: Incuse tripod as obverse, but wreaths and serpents in outline.
HN Italy 2075; SNG ANS 231; Bement 272.
The importance of the Delphic oracle to the founding of Kroton was celebrated on its coinage from the earliest days. Despite later myths ascribing the founding of Kroton to Herakles, the city's historical oikist is recorded as Myskellos of Rhypai who, on consulting the Delphic oracle about his lack of children was given the response that Apollo would grant children, but that first Myskellos should found the city of Kroton 'among fair fields'. After being given directions on how to locate the site, Myskellos travelled to southern Italy to explore the land that he had been assigned, but seeing the territory of the Sybarites and thinking it superior, he returned once more to the oracle to ask whether he would be allowed to change. The answer came back that he should accept the gifts that the god gave him. A further element of the story is that Myskellos was accompanied on his expedition by Archias of Corinth; the Delphic oracle gave the pair the choice between health and wealth. Archias elected wealth, and was assigned the site of Syracuse, while Myskellos chose health: the favourable climate of Kroton, the eminent skill of its physicians and the prowess of its athletes later earned its citizens this reputation for good health.Nathan P
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caesareagermanica001Elagabalus
Caesarea Germanica, Bithynia
Obv: Μ ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟϹ ΑΥΓΟΥ; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear.
Rev: ΚΑΙCΑΡΕΙΑC ΓƐΡΜΑΝΙΚΗC; nude athlete standing left, holding wreath and palm branch. (double struck reverse)
22 mm, 6.77 gms
RPC Online 10926.
From Zeus Numismatics Budget Auction 7, lot 295.Charles M
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Calabria, Tarentum (Circa 280 BC)AR Nomos
22.5mm, 7.58 g
Obverse: Youth on horseback right, crowning horse; [ΣA to left, APE/ΘΩN in two lines below]
Reverse: Phalanthos, holding tripod, riding dolphin left; TAΡAΣ above [CAΣ below]
Vlasto 666–7; HN Italy 957
280 BC was the last year the original Tarentine weight standard of 7.8 g remained in place before being reduced to about 6.6 grams, perhaps to match the Roman weight standard of 6 scruples. Likely not coincidentally, this was also the year that Tarentum enlisted the help of the famous general King Pyrrhus of Epirus to fight against the Romans. King Pyrrhus had long dreamed of emulating his cousin Alexander the Great's conquests and saw the conflict with Rome as an opportunity to do so. He arrived in Italy with his army and several war elephants and defeated the Romans twice, but the second victory at Asculum came at such a high cost that he famously said, "If we win one more victory against the Romans, we will be completely ruined." Hence the phrase, a "Pyrrhic victory." He eventually left Southern Italy for Sicily. In the end, Rome won the Pyrrhic War (280-272 B.C.) and forced Tarentum to accept a permanent Roman garrison on its acropolis.
Taras coins minted between 425 and 209 BC typically depict a horseman on the obverse and a young man riding a dolphin on the reverse (Phalanthos, the half-Spartan divine founder of Tarentum supposedly carried to shore by a dolphin after a shipwreck). The horseman designs are believed to represent the worship of the Dioscuri, the twin deities Castor and Pollux (deities of horsemanship, athletes, and soldiers) worshipped in Taras' mother city of Sparta. This particular didrachm features a peaceful scene of a young man crowning a horse, which may commemorate a victory in an athletic contest.
Nathan P
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Elagabalus - Philippopolis218-222 AD
laureate bust right, draped shoulder
AVT K M AVPH__ANTΩNEINO_C
athlete standing left, reaching into amphora for oil
ΦIΛIΠΠOΠOΛEITΩN NEΩKO / ΡΩN
Varbanov 1758, Moushmov 5400 var.
3,5g 19mm
ex AureaJ. B.
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Galatia, Ankyra, Caracalla, unpublished?Caracalla, AD 198-217
AE - AE 30, 15.72g, 29.83mm, 195°
obv. ANTWNINOC - AVGOVCTO - C
bearded head, laureate, r.
rev. MHTROPOLE - WC ANKYRAC
in l. field one below the other IE / RO / C
in r. field one below the other AG / W / N
athlete, nude, stg. frontal, head r., holding in l. arm long bended rod and with r. hand crowns himself with
price-crown; in l. field palmbranch
ref. not in BMC, SNG France 3, Klose, Stumpf, Sport Spiele Sieg; unpublished?
very rare, VF+, black-green patina
In the times of Caracalla the games called Asklepieia Sotereia Pythia, games in honour of Asklepios, took place in Ankyra. Because Caracalla suffered of serious sickness he visited these games. May be that this coin mentions games in honour of Asklepios too.
Jochen
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Marcus Aurelius - Corinth161-180 AD
laureate head right; countermark: laureate male head right
IM AVR ANTO_NINVS AVG
naked athlete advancing left holding racing torch and palm branch; Melikertes-Palaimon lying on dolphin left; behind pine-tree
C L I COR
Cop 327; RPC IV.1, 7586 (temporary)
10,6g 26mm
ex Gorny & Mosch
ex Ex Sammlung Shlomo MoussaieffJ. B.
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Pamphylia, Aspendos 385-370b.c. Ar StaterPamphylia, Aspendos 385-370b.c. Ar Stater
Two naked athletes, wrestling, grasping each other by the arms. Reverse. Slinger advancing right, wearing short chiton about to discharge his sling, triskales before and Pamphylian script ESTFEDIIUS behind, all in dotted square.
Struck with a rusty obverse die but still shows nice detail and toning.
Ex BaldwinsPhiloromaos
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Roman Provincial: Commodus as Augustus, AE16.Commodus as Augustus, AE16, Nicaea, Bithynia 177-192 A.D. 16mm - 2.50gr, Axis 12h.
Obv: A Κ Μ Α ΚΟ ΑΝΤΩΝΙ - Bare head right.
Rev: ΙEΡΟC ΑΓΩΝ ΝΙΚΑΙEΩΝ - Nude athlete standing half-left, looking right, crowning himself and holding wand or palm.
Ref: Rec Gen 318; RPC temp 7975; BMC 52.
Rated Rare.
Provenance: Chris Scarlioli Collection.
Christian Scarlioli
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RPC II 0126 DomitianusObv : IMP CAES DOMITI AVG GERM, Radiate head of Domitian right.
Rev : COL IVL F AVG COR, Athlete walking left, holding palm and torch
AE23 - 22.93 mm 8.48 g 5 h - Struck in Corinth (Greece)
RPC II 126FlaviusDomitianus
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Septimius Severus, Perinthos, Athlete, AE19AE19, 3.75g
obv: AY K L CEP - CEYHPOC P; laureate head right
rev: PERIN - QIWN, nude athlete standing facing, head right, crowning himself with right, palm frond in left
Schönert (Die Münzprägung von Perinthos) 453, rareareich
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The Olympians (not the modern athletes)These are the gods and goddesses found feasting in Mount Olympus. There were supposed to be Twelve of them (not counting Herakles). Guess who were late for dinner?
Present are (from left to right, top to bottom):
Apollo, Ares, Demeter
Athena, Zeus, Aphrodite (with Eros*)
Artemis, Herakles**, Dionysius
*Eros is obviously a gate-crasher!
**Herakles is not part of the 12 Olympians but invited at the banquet after his famous 12 Labors and by virtue that he is a son of Zeus
(Please click picture for better resolution)Jason T
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Thessaly, Larissa. Circa 420-400 BCAR Drachm (18mm, 6.18 g, 6h)
Obverse: The hero Thessalos, with petasos and chlamys hanging around neck, restraining bull left by band held around its head
Reverse: ΛΑΡI-[Σ]-ΙΑ (Larisia), horse prancing right within incuse circle.
Lorber, Thessalian 60 (same obv. die as illustration); BCD Thessaly II 370.3; HGC 4, 421 var. (horse left).
From the BCD Collection.
Thessaly was an agricultural and livestock region with large wild areas. She was famous for her horses and riders. Larissa, the most important city of Thessaly, takes its name from one of the daughters of the mythical king Pelasgos. The town was famous for its horse farms and Thessalos, the eponymous hero of the region, raised wild bulls there.
This coinage is characterized by the use of an iconography common to different Thessalian cities, namely: Thessalos taming the bull in a taurokathapsia (bull leaping) and on the reverse the horse of Poseidon, Hippios. The taurokathapsia was a contest in which the athlete passes a band around the bull’s head and pulls it tight in an attempt to bring the animal under control. This would have been not only a feat of great strength, but also of dexterity and agility to avoid being trampled or gored by the bull. Nathan P
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Thracia_Bizya_Philippus_II_Jurukova 159-160Philippus II.
AE, Thracia, Bizya
Struck: 244-247 / 18 mm / 3,03 g
Av: M IOYΛ ΦIΛIΠΠOC KAICΑΡ
Head right seen from behind
Rv: BI-Z-V-HN/ΩN
Athlete standing left in extended pose, dropping distance marker before his jump, left arm raised behind him
Reference: Jurukova 159-160Andicz
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varb001xvarb1600 xxElagabalus
Philippopolis, Thrace
Obv: AVT K M AVP ANTΩNEINOC, laureate draped and cuirassed bust left, holding shield, spear over right shoulder.
Rev: MHTPOΠOΛEΩC ΦIΛIΠΠOΠOΛEΩC (NE) →ΩKO; in left field, P; in right field, OV. Nude athlete standing front, throwing spear with his right hand and holding discus in his left.
31 mm, 17.27 gms
Varbanov ---; SNG Cop ---; Lanz Auction 117 (2003), lot 999.
From Leu Numismatik Auction 9, lot 657Charles M
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varb1690Elagabalus
Philippopolis, Thrace
Obv: AVT K M AVP ANTΩNEINOC, laureate draped and cuirassed bust left, holding shield and spear.
Rev: MHTPOΠOΛEΩC ΦIΛIΠΠOΠOΛEΩC →(NE)ΩKO, in left field, P, in right field, (OV), naked athlete advancing left, head right, holding wreath and palm branch.
27 mm, 14.02 gms
Varbanov GIC 1690; Varbanov Philippopolis XVII.18.1.4.5Charles M
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varb1690_2Elagabalus
Philippopolis, Thrace
Obv: AVT K M AVP ANTΩNEINOC, laureate draped and cuirassed bust left, holding shield and spear.
Rev: MHTPOΠOΛEΩC ΦIΛIΠΠOΠOΛEΩC →(NE)ΩKO, in left field, P, in right field, (OV), naked athlete advancing left, head right, holding wreath and palm branch.
31 mm, 16.56 gms
Varbanov GIC 1690; Varbanov Philoppopolis XVII.18.4
From Gorny & Mosch Online Auction 271, lot 345.Charles M
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varb1708Elagabalus
Philippopolis, Thrace
Obv: AVT K M AVP ANTΩNEINOC, laureate draped and cuirassed bust left (seen from front), holding shield, spear over right shoulder.
Rev: MHTPOΠOΛEΩC ΦIΛIΠΠOΠOΛEΩC(NE) →ΩKO, across fields P-OV; naked athlete standing facing holding discus and brandishing javelin.
29 mm, 14.62 gms
Varbanov GIC1708; Varbanov Phillopopolis XVII.18.6.1.
Ex Collection J.-P. Righetti, Part II, Auctiones AG Basel, Auction 29, 2003, Lot 248. From Gorny & Mosch auction 271, lot 344.Charles M
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varb1712Elagabalus
Philippopolis, Thrace
Obv: AVT K M AVPHΛ ANTΩNEINOC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust left.
Rev: MHTPOΠOΛεΩC ΦIΛIΠΠOΠOΛE →ΩC NEΩKO/POV, two athletes wrestling.
30 mm, 18.63 gms
Varbanov 1712Charles M
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varb1762Elagabalus
Philippopolis, Thrace
Obv: Laureate draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: ΦIΛIΠΠOΠOΛEIT[ΩN NEΩKOPΩN], naked athlete advancing right, arms up in boxing pose, fists clinched.
19 mm, 3.10 gms
Varbanov 1762Charles M
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varb1762_2Elagabalus
Philippopolis, Thrace
Obv: AVT K M AVPH ANTΩNЄINOC, Laureate draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: ΦIΛIΠΠOΠOΛEITΩN NEΩKOPΩN, naked athlete advancing right, arms up in boxing pose, fists clinched.
20 mm, 4.26 gms
Varbanov 1762
From Subastas Numismaticas Aureo & Calicó, Auction 335, lot 173Charles M
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varb1767Elagabalus
Philippopolis, Thrace
Obv: [AVT K M] AVP ANTΩ(NE)INOC, laureate head right
Rev: ΦIΛIΠΠOΠOΛEITΩN NEΩKO →PΩN, naked athlete advancing left holding wreath and palm branch.
18 mm, 4.11 gms
Varbanov 1767Charles M
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varb1767formerlyvarb1766Elagabalus
Philippopolis, Thrace
Obv: AVT K M AVP ANTΩNINOC, laureate head right
Rev: ΦIΛIΠΠOΠOΛEITΩN NEΩKOP(ΩN), naked athlete advancing left holding wreath and palm branch.
17 mm, 3.69 gms
Varbanov 1767
Charles M
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varb351varElagabalus
Perinthus, Thrace
Obv: AVT K M AVPHΛI ANTΩNEINOC A(VΓ). laureate head right.
Rev: ΠEPINΘIΩN ΔIC(NE)ΩKOPΩN. Naked athlete standing facing, head right, holding palm frond in left hand and raising right hand to head.
25 mm, 9.60 gms
Varbanov 351 variant (obverse legend), Schönert 700 variant (same)Charles M
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varb351var_2Elagabalus
Perinthus, Thrace
Obv: AVT K M AVPH ANTΩNEINOC. laureate head right.
Rev: ΠEPINΘIΩN ΔI-C (NE)ΩKOPΩN. Naked athlete standing facing, head right, holding palm frond in left hand and raising right hand to head.
27 mm, 11.28 gms
Varbanov 351 variant (obverse legend), Schönert 700 variant (same)Charles M
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varb353Elagabalus
Perinthus, Thrace
Obv: [AVT] K M AVP ANTΩ(NE)INOC. laureate head right.
Rev: ΠEPINΘIΩN -ΔIC N[EΩKOP]ΩN. Naked athlete standing facing, head right, holding palm frond in left hand and placing wreath on head with right hand.
18 mm, 3.86 gms
Varbanov 353, Schönert 707Charles M
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[906a]Commodus, March or April 177 - 31 Dec 192 A.D.COMMODUS AR silver denarius. RSC 190. RCV 5644. 16.5mm, 2.3g. F. Obverse: L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL, bust of Commodus wearing lion skin in imitation of Hercules and Alexander the Great, facing right; Reverse: HER-CVL RO-MAN AV-GV either side of club of Hercules, all in wreath. RARE. Ex Incitatus.
This coin refers to Commodus' belief that he was Hercules reincarnated. According to the historian Herodian, "he issued orders that he was to be called not Commodus, son of Marcus, but Hercules, son of Jupiter. Abandoning the Roman and imperial mode of dress, he donned the lion-skin, and carried the club of Hercules..." (Joseph Sermarini).
De Imperatoribus Romanis:
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors
Commodus (A.D. 180-192)
Dennis Quinn
Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus, the son of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his wife-cousin Faustina, was born in Lanuvium in 161 AD. Commodus was named Caesar at the age of 5, and co-Augustus at the age of 17, spending most of his early life accompanying his father on his campaigns against the Quadi and the Marcomanni along the Danubian frontier. His father died, possibly of the plague, at a military encampment at Bononia on the Danube on 17 March 180, leaving the Roman Empire to his nineteen-year-old son.[[1]] Upon hearing of his father's death, Commodus made preparations for Marcus' funeral, made concessions to the northern tribes, and made haste to return back to Rome in order to enjoy peace after nearly two decades of war. Commodus, and much of the Roman army behind him, entered the capital on 22 October, 180 in a triumphal procession, receiving a hero's welcome. Indeed, the youthful Commodus must have appeared in the parade as an icon of new, happier days to come; his arrival sparked the highest hopes in the Roman people, who believed he would rule as his father had ruled.[[2]]
The coins issued in his first year all display the triumphant general, a warrior in action who brought the spoils of victory to the citizens of Rome.[[3]] There is a great deal of evidence to support the fact that Commodus was popular among many of the people, at least for a majority of his reign. He seems to have been quite generous.[[4]]. Coin types from around 183 onward often contain the legend, Munificentia Augusta[[5]], indicating that generosity was indeed a part of his imperial program. Coins show nine occasions on which Commodus gave largesses, seven when he was sole emperor.[[6]] According to Dio, the emperor obtained some of this funding by taxing members of the senatorial class.[[7]] This policy of munificence certainly caused tensions between Commodus and the Senate. In 191 it was noted in the official Actus Urbis that the gods had given Commodus to Populus Senatusque Romanus. Normally the phrase Senatus Populusque Romanus was used. [[8]] While the Senate hated Commodus, the army and the lower classes loved him.[[9]] Because of the bad relationship between the Senate and Commodus as well as a senatorial conspiracy,[[10]] Rome "...was virtually governed by the praetorian prefects Perennis (182-185) and Cleander (186-9)."[[11]]
Commodus began to dress like the god Hercules, wearing lion skins and carrying a club.[[12]] Thus he appropriated the Antonines' traditional identification with Hercules, but even more aggressively. Commodus' complete identification with Hercules can be seen as an attempt to solidify his claim as new founder of Rome, which he now called the Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana. This was legitimized by his direct link to Hercules, son of Father Jupiter.[[13]] He probably took the title of Hercules officially some time before mid-September 192.[[14]]
While the literary sources, especially Dio, Herodian, and the Historia Augusta, all ridicule the antics of his later career, they also give important insight into Commodus' relationship to the people.[[15]] His most important maneuver to solidify his claims as Hercules Romanus was to show himself as the god to the Roman people by taking part in spectacles in the amphitheater. Not only would Commodus fight and defeat the most skilled gladiators, he would also test his talents by encountering the most ferocious of the beasts.[[16]]
Commodus won all of his bouts against the gladiators.[[17]] The slayer of wild beasts, Hercules, was the mythical symbol of Commodus' rule, as protector of the Empire.[[18]]
During his final years he declared that his age should be called the "Golden Age."[[19]] He wanted all to revel in peace and happiness in his age of glory, praise the felicitas Commodi, the glorious libertas, his pietas, providential, his victoria and virtus aeterna.[[20]] Commodus wanted there to be no doubt that this "Golden Age" had been achieved through his munificence as Nobilissimus Princeps. He had declared a brand new day in Rome, founding it anew in 190, declaring himself the new Romulus.[[21]] Rome was now to be called Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana, as noted above, and deemed "the Immortal," "the Fortunate," "the Universal Colony of the Earth."[[22]] Coins represent the archaic rituals of city-[re]foundation, identifying Commodus as a new founder and his age as new days.[[23]]
Also in 190 he renamed all the months to correspond exactly with his titles. From January, they run as follows: Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Herculeus, Romanus, Exsuperatorius, Amazonius, Invictus, Felix, Pius.[[24]] According to Dio Cassius, the changing of the names of the months was all part of Commodus' megalomania.[[25]] Commodus was the first and last in the Antonine dynasty to change the names of the months.
The legions were renamed Commodianae, the fleet which imported grain from Africa was called Alexandria Commodiana Togata, the Senate was deemed the Commodian Fortunate Senate, his palace and the Roman people were all given the name Commodianus.[[26]] The day that these new names were announced was also given a new title: Dies Commodianus.[[27]] Indeed, the emperor presented himself with growing vigor as the center of Roman life and the fountainhead of religion. New expressions of old religious thought and new cults previously restricted to private worship invade the highest level of imperial power.[[28]]
If Eusebius of Caesarea [[29]] is to be believed, the reign of Commodus inaugurated a period of numerous conversions to Christianity. Commodus did not pursue his father's prohibitions against the Christians, although he did not actually change their legal position. Rather, he relaxed persecutions, after minor efforts early in his reign.[[30]] Tradition credits Commodus's policy to the influence of his concubine Marcia; she was probably his favorite,[[31]] but it is not clear that she was a Christian.[[32]] More likely, Commodus preferred to neglect the sect, so that persecutions would not detract from his claims to be leading the Empire through a "Golden Age."[[33]]
During his reign several attempts were made on Commodus' life.[[34]] After a few botched efforts, an orchestrated plot was carried out early in December 192, apparently including his mistress Marcia. On 31 December an athlete named Narcissus strangled him in his bath,[[35]] and the emperor's memory was cursed. This brought an end to the Antonine Dynasty.
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alföldy, G. "Der Friedesschluss des Kaisers Commodus mit den Germanen," Historia 20 (1971): 84-109.
Aymard, J. "Commode-Hercule foundateur de Rome," Revue des études latines 14 (1936): 340-64.
Birley, A. R. The African Emperor: Septimius Severus. -- rev. ed.-- London, 1988.
________. Marcus Aurelius: A Biography. London, 1987.
Breckenridge, J. D. "Roman Imperial Portraiture from Augustus to Gallienus," ANRW 2.17. 1 (1981): 477-512.
Chantraine, H. "Zur Religionspolitik des Commodus im Spiegel seiner Münzen," Römische Quartalschrift für christliche Altertumskunde und für Kirchengeschichte 70 (1975): 1-31.
Ferguson, J. The Religions of the Roman Empire. Ithaca, 1970.
Fishwick, D. The Imperial Cult in the Latin West. Leiden, 1987.
Gagé, J. "La mystique imperiale et l'épreuve des jeux. Commode-Hercule et l'anthropologie hercaléenne," ANRW 2.17.2 (1981), 663-83.
Garzetti, A. From Tiberius to the Antonines. A History of the Roman Empire A. D. 14-192. London, 1974.
Grosso F. La lotta politica al tempo di Commodo. Turin, 1964.
Hammond, M. The Antonine Monarchy. Rome, 1956.
Helgeland, J. "Roman Army Religion," ANRW II.16.2 (1978): 1470-1505.
Howe, L. L. The Praetorian Prefect from Commodus to Diocletian (A. D. 180-305). Chicago, 1942.
Keresztes, P. "A Favorable Aspect of Commodus' Rule," in Hommages à Marcel Renard 2. Bruxelles, 1969.
Mattingly, R. The Roman Imperial Coinage. Volume III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. London, 1930.
Nock, A. D. "The Emperor's Divine Comes," Journal of Roman Studies 37 (1947): 102-116.
Parker, H. M. D. A History of the Roman World from A. D. 138 to 337. London, 1935.
________. and B.H. Warmington. "Commodus." OCD2, col. 276.
Raubitschek, A. E. "Commodus and Athens." Studies in Honor of Theodore Leslie Shear. Hesperia, Supp. 8, 1948.
Rostovtzeff, M. I. "Commodus-Hercules in Britain," Journal of Roman Studies 13 (1923): 91-105.
Sordi, M. "Un senatore cristano dell'éta di Commodo." Epigraphica 17 (1959): 104-112.
Speidel, M. P. "Commodus the God-Emperor and the Army," Journal of Roman Studies 83 (1993): 109-114.
Stanton, G. R. "Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus, and Commodus: 1962-1972." ANRW II.2 (1975): 478-549.
Notes
[[1]] For a discussion of the circumstances surrounding the death of Marcus Aurelius, see A. R. Birley, Marcus Aurelius: A Biography -- rev. ed. -- (London, 1987), 210.
Aurelius Victor, De Caes. 16.4, writing around the year 360, claimed Aurelius died at Vindobona, modern Vienna. However, Tertullian, Apol. 25, who wrote some seventeen years after Marcus' death, fixed his place of death at Sirmium, twenty miles south of Bononia. A. R. Birley (Marcus Aurelius, 209-10) cogently argues Tertullian is much more accurate in his general description of where Marcus was campaigning during his last days.
For the dating of Marcus Aurelius' death and the accession of Commodus, see M. Hammond, The Antonine Monarchy (Rome, 1956), 179-80.
[[2]] For the army's attitude toward peace, the attitude of the city toward the peace, and the reception of the emperor and his forces into Rome, see Herodian, 1.7.1-4; for Commodus' subsequent political policies concerning the northern tribes, see G. Alföldy, "Der Friedesschluss des Kaisers Commodus mit den Germanen," Historia 20 (1971): 84-109.
For a commentary on the early years of Commodus in the public perception as days of optimism, see A. Garzetti, From Tiberius to the Antonines. A History of the Roman Empire A. D. 14-192 (London, 1974), 530. For a more critical, and much more negative portrayal, see the first chapter of F. Grosso, La lotta politica al tempo di Commodo (Turin, 1964).
[[3]]The gods Minerva and Jupiter Victor are invoked on the currency as harbingers of victory; Jupiter Conservator on his coins watches over Commodus and his Empire, and thanks is given to divine Providence (H. Mattingly, The Roman Imperial Coinage. Volume III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus, [London, 1930] 356-7, 366-7). In 181, new coin types appear defining the new reign of Commodus. Victory and peace are stressed. Coins extol Securitas Publica, Felicitas, Libertas, Annona, and Aequitas (ibid., 357).
By 186 Commodus is depicted as the victorious princes, the most noble of all born to the purple. Herodian (1.5.5) describes how Commodus boasted to his soldiers that he was born to be emperor. See also H. Chantraine, "Zur Religionspolitik des Commodus im Spiegel seiner Münzen," Römische Quatralschrift für christliche Altertumskunde und für Kirchengeschichte 70 (1975), 26. He is called Triumphator and Rector Orbis, and associated with the Nobilitas of Trojan descent (Mattingly, RIC III.359; idem, Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum. Volume IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus, [Oxford, 1940], clxii).
[[4]] Dio tells us that Commodus liked giving gifts and often gave members of the populace 140 denarii apiece (Cass. Dio, 73.16), whereas the Historia Augusta reports that he gave each man 725 denarii (SHA, Comm., 16.3).
[[5]]Mattingly, RIC, III.358.
[[6]] Idem., CBM, IV.clxxiv.
[[7]]Cass. Dio, 73.16.
[[8]]M. P. Speidel, "Commodus the God-Emperor and the Army," Journal of Roman Studies 83 (1993), 113.
[[9]]Mattingly, CBM, IV.xii. Commodus was also popular amongst the northern divisions of the army because he allowed them to wield axes in battle, a practice banned by all preceding emperors. See, Speidel, JRS 83 (1993), 114.
[[10]]Infra, n. 34.
[[11]] H. Parker and B.H. Warmington, OCD2, s.v. "Commodus," col. 276; after 189, he was influenced by his mistress Marcia, Eclectus his chamberlain, and Laetus (who became praetorian prefect in 191 (Idem.).
[[12]]Herodian, 1.14.8. Hadrian appears on medallions in lion skins; but as far as the sources tell us, he never appeared in public in them. See J. Toynbee, Roman Medallions,(New York, 1986), 208.
He would often appear at public festivals and shows dressed in purple robes embroidered with gold. He would wear a crown made of gold, inlaid with the finest gems of India. He often carried a herald's staff as if imitating the god Mercury. According to Dio Cassius, Commodus' lion's skin and club were carried before him in the procession, and at the theaters these vestiges of Hercules were placed on a gilded chair for all to see (Cass. Dio, 73.17). For the implications of the golden chair carried in procession in relation to the imperial cult, see D. Fishwick, The Imperial Cult in the Latin West, (Leiden, 1987-91 ), 555.
[[13]] H. M. D. Parker, A History of the Roman World from A. D. 138 to 337, (London, 1935), 34; For medallions that express the relationship between Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, and Lucius Verus extolling Hercules as a symbol of civic virtue, see Toynbee, Roman Medallions, 208. For a general statement on the symbolism of Hercules in the Antonine age, see M. Hammond, The Antonine Monarchy, 238.
For a discussion of Commodus' association with Hercules, see
Rostovtzeff, "Commodus-Hercules," 104-6.
Herodian spells out the emperor's metamorphosis in detail (1.14.8).
[[14]]See Speidel, "Commodus the God-Emperor," 114. He argues this general date because a papyrus from Egypt's Fayum records Hercules in Commodus' title on 11 October 192.
[[15]]For a preliminary example, Herodian writes (1.13.8), "people in general responded well to him."
[[16]]As Dio reports, Commodus, with his own hands, gave the finishing stroke to five hippopotami at one time. Commodus also killed two elephants, several rhinoceroses, and a giraffe with the greatest of ease. (Cass. Dio, 73.10), and with his left hand (ibid., 73.19). Herodian maintains that from his specially constructed terrace which encircled the arena (enabling Commodus to avoid risking his life by fighting these animals at close quarters), the emperor also killed deer, roebuck, various horned animals, lions, and leopards, always killing them painlessly with a single blow. He purportedly killed one hundred leopards with one hundred javelins, and he cleanly shot the heads off countless ostriches with crescent-headed arrows. The crowd cheered as these headless birds continued to run around the amphitheater (1.15-4-6; for Commodus' popularity at these brutal spectacles, see Birley, The African Emperor, 86) (and Dio tells his readers that in public Commodus was less brutal than he was in private [73.17ff]).
[[17]] According to Herodian (1.15-17), "In his gladiatorial combats, he defeated his opponents with ease, and he did no more than wound them, since they all submitted to him, but only because they knew he was the emperor, not because he was truly a gladiator."
[[18]]Webber, "The Antonines," CAH, XI.360.
[[19]]Cass. Dio, 73.15.
[[20]] Mattingly, RIC, III.361. For Commodus' propaganda of peace, see W. Webber, "The Antonines," CAH, XI.392.
[[21]] W. Webber, "The Antonines," CAH, XI.392-3. In 189 a coin type was issued with the legend Romulus Conditor, perhaps indicating he began the official renaming process during that year. For a discussion on Commodus as Romulus, see A. D. Nock, "The Emperor's Divine Comes," Journal of Roman Studies 37 (1947), 103.
[[22]] HA, Comm. 7.1; Cass. Dio, 73.15.
[[23]]Mattingly, RIC, III.361. See also, Webber, "The Antonines," CAH, XI.386.
[[24]]The title Felix is first used by the emperor Commodus, and is used in the titles of almost all successive emperors to the fifth century. See, D. Fishwick, The Imperial Cult in the Latin West (Leiden, 1987-91), 473.
HA, Comm., 12.315; Cass. Dio, 73.15; Herodian, I.14.9. These new names for the months seem to have actually been used, at least by the army, as confirmed by Tittianus' Altar. See M. P. Speidel, "Commodus the God-Emperor and the Army," Journal of Roman Studies 83 (1993), 112.
[[25]] Cass. Dio, 73.15.
[[26]]Legions:Idem.; the Grain fleet: SHA, Comm., 12.7. For a further discussion of Commodus' newly named fleet, see, A. Garzetti, From Tiberius to the Antonines, 547. For coins issued extolling the fleet, see Mattingly, CBM, IV.clxix; RIC, III.359; the Senate: Cass. Dio, 73.15; the Imperial Palace: SHA, Comm., 12.7; the Roman People: Ibid., 15.5.
[[27]]Cass. Dio, 73.15.
[[28]]Mattingly, CBM, IV.clxxxiv.
[[29]]Eusebius, Hist.Ecc., 5.21.1.
[[30]]For a discussion of the treatment of Christianity during the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus as well as persecutions during the reign of Commodus, see Keresztes, "A Favorable Aspect," 374, 376-377.
[[31]]Herodian, 1.16.4; Dio, 73.4. A Medallion from early 192 shows Commodus juxtaposed with the goddess Roma, which some scholars have argued incorporates the features of Marcia. See, Roman Medallions, "Introduction." Commodus was married, however, to a woman named Crispina. He commissioned several coins early in his rule to honor her.
[[32]]The Christian apologist Hippolytus tells that she was a Christian (Philos. 9.2.12), Dio tells that she simply favored the Christians (73.4). Herodian does not take a stand on the matter either way (1.16.4).
[[33]]Cass. Dio, 73.15. He pronounces Commodus' edict that his rule should be henceforth called the "Golden Age."
[[34]]H. Parker and B.H. Warmington note that Commodus..."resorted to government by means of favorites...which was exacerbated by an abortive conspiracy promoted by Lucilla and Ummidius Quadratus (182)." (OCD2, col. 276).
[[35]]Herodian, 1.17.2-11; Dio Cass., 73.22; SHA, Comm.,17.1-2.
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