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Roman Republic
C. Augurinus
Denarius1 commentspaul1888

Mark Antony and LepidusThe Triumvirs. Mark Antony and Lepidus, 43 B.C. AR quinarius
Military mint traveling with Antony and Lepidus in Transalpine Gaul, 43 B.C.
O: M ANT IMP, emblems of the augurate: lituus, capis, and raven standing left.
R: LEP IMP, emblems of the pontificate: simpulum, aspergillum, securis, and apex.
-Crawford 489/3; CRI 120; Sydenham 1158a; RSC 3.4 commentsNemonater

(502a) Roman Republic, L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi, 90 B.C.Silver denarius, S 235, Calpurnia 11, Crawford 340/1, Syd 663a, VF, rainbow toning, Rome mint, 3.772g, 18.5mm, 180o, 90 B.C. obverse: laureate head of Apollo right, scorpion behind; Reverse naked horseman galloping right holding palm, L PISO FRVGI and control number CXI below; ex-CNA XV 6/5/91, #443. Ex FORVM.

A portion of the following text is a passage taken from the excellent article “The Calpurnii and Roman Family History: An Analysis of the Piso Frugi Coin in the Joel Handshu Collection at the College of Charleston,” by Chance W. Cook:

In the Roman world, particularly prior to the inception of the principate, moneyers were allotted a high degree of latitude to mint their coins as they saw fit. The tres viri monetales, the three men in charge of minting coins, who served one-year terms, often emblazoned their coins with an incredible variety of images and inscriptions reflecting the grandeur, history, and religion of Rome. Yet also prominent are references to personal or familial accomplishments; in this manner coins were also a means by which the tres viri monetales could honor their forbearers. Most obvious from an analysis of the Piso Frugi denarius is the respect and admiration that Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi, who minted the coin, had for his ancestors. For the images he selected for his dies relate directly to the lofty deeds performed by his Calpurnii forbearers in the century prior to his term as moneyer. The Calpurnii were present at many of the watershed events in the late Republic and had long distinguished themselves in serving the state, becoming an influential and well-respected family whose defense of traditional Roman values cannot be doubted.

Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi, who was moneyer in 90 B.C., depicted Apollo on the obverse and the galloping horseman on the reverse, as does his son Gaius. However, all of L. Piso Frugi’s coins have lettering similar to “L-PISO-FRVGI” on the reverse, quite disparate from his son Gaius’ derivations of “C-PISO-L-F-FRV.”

Moreover, C. Piso Frugi coins are noted as possessing “superior workmanship” to those produced by L. Piso Frugi.

The Frugi cognomen, which became hereditary, was first given to L. Calpurnius Piso, consul in 133 B.C., for his integrity and overall moral virtue. Cicero is noted as saying that frugal men possessed the three cardinal Stoic virtues of bravery, justice, and wisdom; indeed in the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae, a synonym of frugalitas is bonus, generically meaning “good” but also implying virtuous behavior. Gary Forsythe notes that Cicero would sometimes invoke L. Calpurnius Piso’s name at the beginning of speeches as “a paragon of moral rectitude” for his audience.

L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi’s inclusion of the laureled head of Apollo, essentially the same obverse die used by his son Gaius (c. 67 B.C.), was due to his family’s important role in the establishment of the Ludi Apollinares, the Games of Apollo, which were first instituted in 212 B.C. at the height of Hannibal’s invasion of Italy during the Second Punic War. By that time, Hannibal had crushed Roman armies at Cannae, seized Tarentum and was invading Campania.

Games had been used throughout Roman history as a means of allaying the fears
of the populace and distracting them from issues at hand; the Ludi Apollinares were no different. Forsythe follows the traditional interpretation that in 211 B.C., when C. Calpurnius Piso was praetor, he became the chief magistrate in Rome while both consuls were absent and the three other praetors were sent on military expeditions against Hannibal.

At this juncture, he put forth a motion in the Senate to make the Ludi Apollinares a yearly event, which was passed; the Ludi Apollinares did indeed become an important festival, eventually spanning eight days in the later Republic. However, this interpretation is debatable; H.H. Scullard suggests that the games were not made permanent until 208 B.C. after a severe plague prompted the Senate to make them a fixture on the calendar. The Senators believed Apollo would serve as a “healing god” for the people of Rome.

Nonetheless, the Calpurnii obviously believed their ancestor had played an integral role in the establishment of the Ludi Apollinares and thus prominently displayed
the head or bust of Apollo on the obverse of the coins they minted.

The meaning of the galloping horseman found on the reverse of the L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi coin is more complicated. It is possible that this is yet another reference to the Ludi Apollinares. Chariot races in the Circus Maximus were a major component of the games, along with animal hunts and theatrical performances.

A more intriguing possibility is that the horseman is a reference to C. Calpurnius Piso, son of the Calpurnius Piso who is said to have founded the Ludi Apollinares. This C. Calpurnius Piso was given a military command in 186 B.C. to quell a revolt in Spain. He was victorious, restoring order to the province and also gaining significant wealth in the process.

Upon his return to Rome in 184, he was granted a triumph by the Senate and eventually erected an arch on the Capitoline Hill celebrating his victory. Of course
the arch prominently displayed the Calpurnius name. Piso, however, was not an infantry commander; he led the cavalry.

The difficulty in accepting C. Calpurnius Piso’s victory in Spain as the impetus for the galloping horseman image is that not all of C. Piso Frugi’s coins depict the horseman or cavalryman carrying the palm, which is a symbol of victory. One is inclined to believe that the victory palm would be prominent in all of the coins minted by C. Piso Frugi (the son of L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi) if it indeed signified the great triumph of C. Calpurnius Piso in 186 B.C. Yet the palm’s appearance is clearly not a direct reference to military feats of C. Piso Frugi’s day. As noted, it is accepted that his coins were minted in 67 B.C.; in that year, the major victory by Roman forces was Pompey’s swift defeat of the pirates throughout the Mediterranean.

Chrestomathy: Annual Review of Undergraduate Research at the College of Charleston. Volume 1, 2002: pp. 1-10© 2002 by the College of Charleston, Charleston SC 29424, USA.All rights to be retained by the author.
http://www.cofc.edu/chrestomathy/vol1/cook.pdf

There are six (debatably seven) prominent Romans who have been known to posterity as Lucius Calpurnius Piso:

Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi: (d. 261 A.D.) a Roman usurper, whose existence is
questionable, based on the unreliable Historia Augusta.

Lucius Calpurnius Piso Licinianus: deputy Roman Emperor, 10 January 69 to15 January
69, appointed by Galba.

Lucius Calpurnius Piso: Consul in 27 A.D.

Lucius Calpurnius Piso: Consul in 1 B.C., augur

Lucius Calpurnius Piso: Consul in 15 B.C., pontifex

Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus: Consul in 58 B.C. (the uncle of Julius Caesar)

Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi: Moneyer in 90 B.C. (our man)

All but one (or two--if you believe in the existence of "Frugi the usurper" ca. 261 A.D.) of these gentlemen lack the Frugi cognomen, indicating they are not from the same direct lineage as our moneyer, though all are Calpurnii.

Calpurnius Piso Frugi's massive issue was intended to support the war against the Marsic Confederation. The type has numerous variations and control marks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Calpurnius_Piso
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/indexfrm.asp?vpar=55&pos=0

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.

2 commentsCleisthenes

001j. Octavian001j. Octavian
Great-nephew of Julius Caesar, who named him as heir in his will. Octavian used this de facto legitimacy to maneuver for power. In 43 BC he, Mark Antony and Marcus Lepidus formed the Second Triumvirate to defeat the assassins of Caesar. The Triumvirate began proscriptions in which over 2,000 (mostly wealthy) Romans were branded as traitors, deprived of their property, and either executed or driven into exile. This served both to eliminate enemies, and to fill the coffers of the three. Following their victory at the Battle of Philippi (42 BC), the Triumvirate divided the Roman Republic among themselves and ruled as de facto dictators. The Triumvirate collapsed, and Octavian and Antony eventually fell into all-out war. Primarily due to the military leadership of Agrippa, Octavian won the war, with the decisive victory at Actium in 31 BC. Although Octavian made displays of personal bravery on several occasions, he demonstrated little aptitude for generalship. Octavian then consolidated his power in Rome. A note on naming: he was born Gaius Octavius; after Julius Caesar's death, Octavian insisted on being called Caesar. It was primarily his opponents who continued to call him Octavian. It is now primarily a matter of convenience to use the name Octavian for him in the pre-Augustus period prior to 27 BC.

Coin: Summer 37 BC. AR Denarius (18.5mm, 3.68 g, 12h). Mint in southern or central Italy. Bare head right, wearing beard / Emblems of the augurate and pontificate: simpulum, aspergillum, guttus, and lituus. Crawford 538/1; CRI 312; Sydenham 1334; RSC 91; RBW 1826. From the Kalevala Collection. Ex Bacchus Collection (Heritage 61175, 25 October 2020), lot 97135. CNG Triton XXVII – Session 5, Lot 5665 (17 Jan 2024)1 commentslawrence c

002. AUGUSTUSAUGUSTUS AE as. Lugdunum mint, 10 BC or after. CAESAR PONT MAX, laureate head right. Reverse - the Altar of Lugdunum, Victory on each pedestal, ROM ET AVG below. RCV 1690.

This early type was issued circa 10 BC and the years immediately following, to commemorate the completion of the altar at Lugdunum, which was inaugurated on August 1st, 10 BC. A later type of this series was also issued later in the reign of Augustus, and includes both Augustus and Tiberius as Caesar. ecoli

0054 - Denarius Vespasian 71 ACObv/IMP CAESAR VESP AVG PM, Vespasian laureate head r.
Rev/AVGVR TRI POT, l. to r. simpulum, aspergillum, jug and lituus (emblems of the augurate and potificate).

Ag, 18.9mm, 3.19g
Mint: Rome.
RIC II.1/356 [CC] - RCV 2282 - BMCRE 64 - RSC 45
ex-Numismática Craven (Valencia Coin Fair)dafnis

0060 - Denarius Minucia 134 BCObv/Helmeted head of Roma r., behind crossed X.
Rev/TI MINVCI C F on l., RO MA above, AVGVRINI on r.; 2 togate figures, one holding a simpulum, the other a lituus, standing by statue on column.

Ag, 19.0mm, 3.93g
Moneyer: Ti. Minucius C.f. Augurinus.
Mint: Rome.
RRC 243/1 [dies o/r: 76/95] - RCV 120 - Syd. 494 - RSC Minucia 9 - Calicó 1026.
ex-Jean Elsen et Fils, auction 95, lot 311 (ex-colln. A.Senden)dafnis

01 05 Julius CaesarJulius Caesar. AR Denarius. Utica? Mint. 46 A.D. (3.7g, 16mm, 10h). Obv: DICT ITER COS TERT, head of Ceres right, wreathed with grain. Rev: AVGVR PONT MAX, emblems of the augurate and pontificate; aspergillum, guttus, and lituus; M (munus=gift) to right. Craw. 467/1b, Syd. 1024.

This was likely used as a donative by Caesar during his triumph of 46 B.C. While porous, this example is well centered, and the M is clearly on the flan.1 commentsLucas H

01- 01 - AUGUSTO, CAYO y LUCIO (27 A.C. - 14 D.C.)AR Denario 18 mm 3.5 gr.

Anv: "CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE" - Busto laureado a derecha.
Rev: "AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT" - Cayo y Lucio sus nietos de pié enfrentados c/u descansando su mano en un escudo redondo y lanza. En el campo centro superior Lituus (Báculo o cayado usado por los augures) a derecha y Simpulum (Copa pequeña) a Izquierda. "C L CAESARES" en exergo.

Acuñada 2 A.C. a 4 D.C.
Ceca: Lungdunum - Lyon Francia
Rareza: C

Referencias: RIC Vol.1 #207 Pag.55 - Sear RCTV Vol.1 #1597 Pag.317 - BMCRE #533 - RSC Vol.1 #43 Pag.134 - Cohen Vol.1 #42 Pag.69 - DVM #51b Pag.67 - CBN #1651
mdelvalle

01- 02 - AUGUSTO, CAYO y LUCIO (27 A.C. - 14 D.C.) AR Denario 17 x 16 mm 3.2 gr.

Anv: "CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE" - Busto laureado a derecha.
Rev: "AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT" - Cayo y Lucio sus nietos de pié enfrentados c/u descansando su mano en un escudo redondo y lanza. En el campo centro superior Lituus (Báculo o cayado usado por los augures) a izquierda y Simpulum (Copa pequeña) a derecha, "X" debajo. "C L CAESARES" en exergo.

Acuñada 2 A.C. a 4 D.C.
Ceca: Lungdunum - Lyon Francia
Rareza: S

Referencias: RIC Vol.1 #211 Pag.56 - Sear RCTV Vol.1 #1597 var Pag.317 - BMCRE #537 - RSC Vol.1 #43a Pag.134 - Cohen Vol.1 #43 Pag.69 - DVM #51c Pag.67 - CBN #1651
mdelvalle

015a. TrajanEmperor 28 January 98 – 11 August 117

Born in Spain from a senatorial family. Oversaw a dramatic increase in the size of the territory ruled by Rome. He also created a vast building program for the Empire. Well respected both by the Senate and the army. He died while returning from a victory over the Parthians. After his death, it became customary for the Senate to inaugurate new emperors with the phrase felicior Augusto, melior Traiano (that he be "luckier than Augustus and better than Trajan").lawrence c

02 - 04 - Julio Cesar (49 - 44 A.C.)AR Denario 20/18 mm de 3,5 gr.

Anv: COS·TERT·DICT·ITER, Cabeza de Ceres a der.
Rev: AVGVR / PONT MAX , D (Donativum) en campo der., Emblemas sacerdotales, Simpulum (Copa pequeña con mango), aspergillum/aspersorio (Instrumento para espolvorear o rociar), capis y Lituus/lituo (bastón ritual augural).

Esta serie fue acuñada, probablemente, para el pago de las Legiones Victoriosas en la batalla de Thapsus/Tapso (Túnez), en la cual Julio César consiguió una victoria importante sobre Metelo Escipión y el rey númida Juba I, el 6 de abril del 46 A.C.. Por otro lado Ceres es un emblema de África.

Acuñada 46 A.C.
Ceca: Movil legionaria durante sus campañas probablemente en Útica (Norte de África).

Referencias: Craw. 467/1a, Syd. #1023, BMCRR (África)#21, RSC I Caesar #4a P.106, Babelon II Iulia #16 P.14, Sear RCTV I #1403/1 P.268, Cohen I #4 P.8, Sear Imperators #57mdelvalle

027 BC-14 AD - AUGUSTUS AR denarius - struck by P. Licinius Stolo, moneyer (17 BC)obv: AVGVSTVS TR POT (Augustus, laureate, wearing cloak and short tunic, on horseback riding right, holding patera in right hand - banker's mark)
rev: P STOLO III VIR (Salii or priest of Mars's cap (same than apex flaminis) between two studded oval shields (ancilia)).
ref: RIC I 344 (R3); BMCRE 76; RSC 439 (80frcs)
mint: Rome
3.53gms,18-19mm
Extremely rare

History: The Ludi Saeculares were spread over a period of three days (from May 31 to June 3), and Augustus celebrated them to inaugurate the beginning of a new age. On the reverse of this coin the ancilias (sacred shields) symbolised the music at festivals. The "jumping priests" or Salii marched to the Regia, where was the shrine of Mars, in which the ancilia (the sacred shield, and its 11 copies) of Mars were stored. The Salii wearing apex, taking the bronze Ancilia, and danced through the streets carrying poles with the shields mounted on them in their left hands. With their other hand, they banged the shields with a drumstick.3 commentsberserker

1272 - 1307, EDWARD I, AR Penny, Struck 1296 - 1306 at Berwick-on-Tweed, EnglandObverse: + EDWAR ANGL DNS HYB. Crowned bust of Edward I facing within circle of pellets. Cross pattée in legend.
Reverse: VILLA BEREVVICI. Long cross dividing legend into quarters, trefoil in each quarter of inner circle.
Undated Penny, Class 10 Berwick Type II (Local dies). Issues from this mint are quite rare.
Diameter: 21.5mm | Weight: 1.0gms | Die Axis: 2h
SPINK: 1415

BERWICK
In September 1290, upon the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, there arose a number of claimants to the throne of Scotland. The Guardians of Scotland, who were the de facto heads of state until a king was chosen, asked Edward I of England to conduct the court proceedings in the dispute because the late King Alexander III had been married to Edward's sister, Margaret of England.
John Balliol, a descendant of King David I, was chosen and he was inaugurated at Scone, on St. Andrew's Day, 30 November 1292. But Edward I treated both Baliol and Scotland with contempt and demanded military support for his war against France. The Scottish response was to form an alliance with the French, invade England, and launch an attack on Carlisle.
After the failure of the Scottish attack on Carlisle, Edward I marched north and, on 28th March 1296, he crossed the river Tweed which borders the two countries, with his troops. On the following day he marched on the town of Berwick, which was Scotland's most important trading port and second only to London in economic importance in medieval Britain at that time.
Contemporary accounts of the number slain range anywhere from 4,000 to 20,000. "When the town had been taken in this way and its citizens had submitted, Edward spared no one, whatever the age or sex, and for two days streams of blood flowed from the bodies of the slain, for in his tyrannous rage he ordered 7,500 souls of both sexes to be massacred...So that mills could be turned by the flow of their blood." - Account of the Massacre of Berwick, from Bower's Scotichronicon.
Berwick's garrison was commanded by William the Hardy, Lord of Douglas, whose life and those of his garrison were spared after he surrendered and the English took the castle.
Berwick was recaptured by the Scots in 1318 but the town changed hands between the two countries several times during the following years until it was finally captured for the English by Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the future Richard III of England, in 1482. The Scots however, did not accept this conquest for at least two centuries after this date as is evidenced by innumerable charters.
2 comments*Alex

135 B.C., C. Minucius Augurinus, Republic AR-Denarius, Crawford 242/1, Rome, C•A/VG//--, Ionic column surmounted by the statue, #1135 B.C., C. Minucius Augurinus, Republic AR-Denarius, Crawford 242/1, Rome, C•A/VG//--, Ionic column surmounted by the statue, #1
avers: Helmeted head of Roma right, ROMA behind, X below the chin.
reverse: C•A-VG flanking Ionic column surmounted by the statue, at the base, two stalks of grain; on left, L. Minucius Augurinus standing right, holding patera, foot on modius; on right, M. Minucius Faesus standing left, holding lituus.
exergue: C•A/VG//--, diameter: 17,0-18,7mm, weight: 3,54g, axis: 0h,
mint: Rome, date: 135 B.C., ref: Crawford 242/1, Sydenham 463, Minucia 3.,
Q-0011 commentsquadrans

1409a, Julian II "the Philosopher," February 360 - 26 June 363 A.D.Julian II, A.D. 360-363; RIC 167; VF; 2.7g, 20mm; Constantinople mint; Obverse: DN FL CL IVLIANVS P F AVG, helmeted & cuirassed bust right, holding spear & shield; Reverse: VOT X MVLT XX in four lines within wreath; CONSPB in exergue; Attractive green patina. Ex Nemesis.

De Imperatoribus Romanis,
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors

Julian the Apostate (360-363 A.D.)

Walter E. Roberts, Emory University
Michael DiMaio, Jr., Salve Regina University

Introduction

The emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus reigned from 360 to 26 June 363, when he was killed fighting against the Persians. Despite his short rule, his emperorship was pivotal in the development of the history of the later Roman empire. This essay is not meant to be a comprehensive look at the various issues central to the reign of Julian and the history of the later empire. Rather, this short work is meant to be a brief history and introduction for the general reader. Julian was the last direct descendent of the Constantinian line to ascend to the purple, and it is one of history's great ironies that he was the last non-Christian emperor. As such, he has been vilified by most Christian sources, beginning with John Chrysostom and Gregory Nazianzus in the later fourth century. This tradition was picked up by the fifth century Eusebian continuators Sozomen, Socrates Scholasticus, and Theodoret and passed on to scholars down through the 20th century. Most contemporary sources, however, paint a much more balanced picture of Julian and his reign. The adoption of Christianity by emperors and society, while still a vital concern, was but one of several issues that concerned Julian.

It is fortunate that extensive writings from Julian himself exist, which help interpret his reign in the light of contemporary evidence. Still extant are some letters, several panegyrics, and a few satires. Other contemporary sources include the soldier Ammianus Marcellinus' history, correspondence between Julian and Libanius of Antioch, several panegyrics, laws from the Theodosian Code, inscriptions, and coinage. These sources show Julian's emphasis on restoration. He saw himself as the restorer of the traditional values of Roman society. Of course much of this was rhetoric, meant to defend Julian against charges that he was a usurper. At the same time this theme of restoration was central to all emperors of the fourth century. Julian thought that he was the one emperor who could regain what was viewed as the lost glory of the Roman empire. To achieve this goal he courted select groups of social elites to get across his message of restoration. This was the way that emperors functioned in the fourth century. By choosing whom to include in the sharing of power, they sought to shape society.

Early Life

Julian was born at Constantinople in 331. His father was Julius Constantius, half-brother of the emperor Constantine through Constantius Chlorus, and his mother was Basilina, Julius' second wife. Julian had two half-brothers via Julius' first marriage. One of these was Gallus, who played a major role in Julian's life. Julian appeared destined for a bright future via his father's connection to the Constantinian house. After many years of tense relations with his three half-brothers, Constantine seemed to have welcomed them into the fold of the imperial family. From 333 to 335, Constantine conferred a series of honors upon his three half-siblings, including appointing Julius Constantius as one of the consuls for 335. Julian's mother was equally distinguished. Ammianus related that she was from a noble family. This is supported by Libanius, who claimed that she was the daughter of Julius Julianus, a Praetorian Prefect under Licinius, who was such a model of administrative virtue that he was pardoned and honored by Constantine.

Despite the fact that his mother died shortly after giving birth to him, Julian experienced an idyllic early childhood. This ended when Constantius II conducted a purge of many of his relatives shortly after Constantine's death in 337, particularly targeting the families of Constantine's half-brothers. ulian and Gallus were spared, probably due to their young age. Julian was put under the care of Mardonius, a Scythian eunuch who had tutored his mother, in 339, and was raised in the Greek philosophical tradition, and probably lived in Nicomedia. Ammianus also supplied the fact that while in Nicomedia, Julian was cared for by the local bishop Eusebius, of whom the future emperor was a distant relation. Julian was educated by some of the most famous names in grammar and rhetoric in the Greek world at that time, including Nicocles and Hecebolius. In 344 Constantius II sent Julian and Gallus to Macellum in Cappadocia, where they remained for six years. In 351, Gallus was made Caesar by Constantius II and Julian was allowed to return to Nicomedia, where he studied under Aedesius, Eusebius, and Chrysanthius, all famed philosophers, and was exposed to the Neo-Platonism that would become such a prominent part of his life. But Julian was most proud of the time he spent studying under Maximus of Ephesus, a noted Neo-Platonic philospher and theurgist. It was Maximus who completed Julian's full-scale conversion to Neo-Platonism. Later, when he was Caesar, Julian told of how he put letters from this philosopher under his pillows so that he would continue to absorb wisdom while he slept, and while campaigning on the Rhine, he sent his speeches to Maximus for approval before letting others hear them. When Gallus was executed in 354 for treason by Constantius II, Julian was summoned to Italy and essentially kept under house arrest at Comum, near Milan, for seven months before Constantius' wife Eusebia convinced the emperor that Julian posed no threat. This allowed Julian to return to Greece and continue his life as a scholar where he studied under the Neo-Platonist Priscus. Julian's life of scholarly pursuit, however, ended abruptly when he was summoned to the imperial court and made Caesar by Constantius II on 6 November 355.

Julian as Caesar

Constantius II realized an essential truth of the empire that had been evident since the time of the Tetrarchy--the empire was too big to be ruled effectively by one man. Julian was pressed into service as Caesar, or subordinate emperor, because an imperial presence was needed in the west, in particular in the Gallic provinces. Julian, due to the emperor's earlier purges, was the only viable candidate of the imperial family left who could act as Caesar. Constantius enjoined Julian with the task of restoring order along the Rhine frontier. A few days after he was made Caesar, Julian was married to Constantius' sister Helena in order to cement the alliance between the two men. On 1 December 355, Julian journeyed north, and in Augusta Taurinorum he learned that Alamannic raiders had destroyed Colonia Agrippina. He then proceeded to Vienne where he spent the winter. At Vienne, he learned that Augustudunum was also under siege, but was being held by a veteran garrison. He made this his first priority, and arrived there on 24 June 356. When he had assured himself that the city was in no immediate danger, he journeyed to Augusta Treverorum via Autessioduram, and from there to Durocortorum where he rendezvoused with his army. Julian had the army stage a series of punitive strikes around the Dieuse region, and then he moved them towards the Argentoratum/Mongontiacum region when word of barbarian incursions reached him.

From there, Julian moved on to Colonia Agrippina, and negotiated a peace with the local barbarian leaders who had assaulted the city. He then wintered at Senonae. He spent the early part of the campaigning season of 357 fighting off besiegers at Senonae, and then conducting operations around Lugdunum and Tres Tabernae. Later that summer, he encountered his watershed moment as a military general. Ammianus went into great detail about Julian's victory over seven rogue Alamannic chieftains near Argentoratum, and Julian himself bragged about it in his later writing. After this battle, the soldiers acclaimed Julian Augustus, but he rejected this title. After mounting a series of follow-up raids into Alamannic territory, he retired to winter quarters at Lutetia, and on the way defeated some Frankish raiders in the Mosa region. Julian considered this campaign one of the major events of his time as Caesar.

Julian began his 358 military campaigns early, hoping to catch the barbarians by surprise. His first target was the Franks in the northern Rhine region. He then proceeded to restore some forts in the Mosa region, but his soldiers threatened to mutiny because they were on short rations and had not been paid their donative since Julian had become Caesar. After he soothed his soldiers, Julian spent the rest of the summer negotiating a peace with various Alamannic leaders in the mid and lower Rhine areas, and retired to winter quarters at Lutetia. In 359, he prepared once again to carry out a series of punitive expeditions against the Alamanni in the Rhine region who were still hostile to the Roman presence. In preparation, the Caesar repopulated seven previously destroyed cities and set them up as supply bases and staging areas. This was done with the help of the people with whom Julian had negotiated a peace the year before. Julian then had a detachment of lightly armed soldiers cross the Rhine near Mogontiacum and conduct a guerilla strike against several chieftains. As a result of these campaigns, Julian was able to negotiate a peace with all but a handful of the Alamannic leaders, and he retired to winter quarters at Lutetia.

Of course, Julian did more than act as a general during his time as Caesar. According to Ammianus, Julian was an able administrator who took steps to correct the injustices of Constantius' appointees. Ammianus related the story of how Julian prevented Florentius, the Praetorian Prefect of Gaul, from raising taxes, and also how Julian actually took over as governor for the province of Belgica Secunda. Hilary, bishop of Poitiers, supported Ammianus' basic assessment of Julian in this regard when he reported that Julian was an able representative of the emperor to the Gallic provincials. There is also epigraphic evidence to support Julian's popularity amongst the provincial elites. An inscription found near Beneventum in Apulia reads:
"To Flavius Claudius Julianus, most noble and sanctified Caesar, from the caring Tocius Maximus, vir clarissimus, for the care of the res publica from Beneventum".

Tocius Maximus, as a vir clarissimus, was at the highest point in the social spectrum and was a leader in his local community. This inscription shows that Julian was successful in establishing a positive image amongst provincial elites while he was Caesar.

Julian Augustus

In early 360, Constantius, driven by jealousy of Julian's success, stripped Julian of many troops and officers, ostensibly because the emperor needed them for his upcoming campaign against the Persians. One of the legions ordered east, the Petulantes, did not want to leave Gaul because the majority of the soldiers in the unit were from this region. As a result they mutinied and hailed Julian as Augustus at Lutetia. Julian refused this acclamation as he had done at Argentoratum earlier, but the soldiers would have none of his denial. They raised him on a shield and adorned him with a neck chain, which had formerly been the possession of the standard-bearer of the Petulantes and symbolized a royal diadem. Julian appeared reluctantly to acquiesce to their wishes, and promised a generous donative. The exact date of his acclamation is unknown, but most scholars put it in February or March. Julian himself supported Ammianus' picture of a jealous Constantius. In his Letter to the Athenians, a document constructed to answer charges that he was a usurper, Julian stated that from the start he, as Caesar, had been meant as a figurehead to the soldiers and provincials. The real power he claimed lay with the generals and officials already present in Gaul. In fact, according to Julian, the generals were charged with watching him as much as the enemy. His account of the actual acclamation closely followed what Ammianus told us, but he stressed even more his reluctance to take power. Julian claimed that he did so only after praying to Zeus for guidance.

Fearing the reaction of Constantius, Julian sent a letter to his fellow emperor justifying the events at Lutetia and trying to arrange a peaceful solution. This letter berated Constantius for forcing the troops in Gaul into an untenable situation. Ammianus stated that Julian's letter blamed Constantius' decision to transfer Gallic legions east as the reason for the soldiers' rebellion. Julian once again asserted that he was an unwilling participant who was only following the desire of the soldiers. In both of these basic accounts Ammianus and Julian are playing upon the theme of restoration. Implicit in their version of Julian's acclamation is the argument that Constantius was unfit to rule. The soldiers were the vehicle of the gods' will. The Letter to the Athenians is full of references to the fact that Julian was assuming the mantle of Augustus at the instigation of the gods. Ammianus summed up this position nicely when he related the story of how, when Julian was agonizing over whether to accept the soldiers' acclamation, he had a dream in which he was visited by the Genius (guardian spirit) of the Roman state. The Genius told Julian that it had often tried to bestow high honors upon Julian but had been rebuffed. Now, the Genius went on to say, was Julian's final chance to take the power that was rightfully his. If the Caesar refused this chance, the Genius would depart forever, and both Julian and the state would rue Julian's rejection. Julian himself wrote a letter to his friend Maximus of Ephesus in November of 361 detailing his thoughts on his proclamation. In this letter, Julian stated that the soldiers proclaimed him Augustus against his will. Julian, however, defended his accession, saying that the gods willed it and that he had treated his enemies with clemency and justice. He went on to say that he led the troops in propitiating the traditional deities, because the gods commanded him to return to the traditional rites, and would reward him if he fulfilled this duty.

During 360 an uneasy peace simmered between the two emperors. Julian spent the 360 campaigning season continuing his efforts to restore order along the Rhine, while Constantius continued operations against the Persians. Julian wintered in Vienne, and celebrated his Quinquennalia. It was at this time that his wife Helena died, and he sent her remains to Rome for a proper burial at his family villa on the Via Nomentana where the body of her sister was entombed. The uneasy peace held through the summer of 361, but Julian concentrated his military operations around harassing the Alamannic chieftain Vadomarius and his allies, who had concluded a peace treaty with Constantius some years earlier. By the end of the summer, Julian decided to put an end to the waiting and gathered his army to march east against Constantius. The empire teetered on the brink of another civil war. Constantius had spent the summer negotiating with the Persians and making preparations for possible military action against his cousin. When he was assured that the Persians would not attack, he summoned his army and sallied forth to meet Julian. As the armies drew inexorably closer to one another, the empire was saved from another bloody civil war when Constantius died unexpectedly of natural causes on 3 November near the town of Mopsucrenae in Cilicia, naming Julian -- the sources say-- as his legitimate successor.

Julian was in Dacia when he learned of his cousin's death. He made his way through Thrace and came to Constantinople on 11 December 361 where Julian honored the emperor with the funeral rites appropriate for a man of his station. Julian immediately set about putting his supporters in positions of power and trimming the imperial bureaucracy, which had become extremely overstaffed during Constantius' reign. Cooks and barbers had increased during the late emperor's reign and Julian expelled them from his court. Ammianus gave a mixed assessment of how the new emperor handled the followers of Constantius. Traditionally, emperors were supposed to show clemency to the supporters of a defeated enemy. Julian, however, gave some men over to death to appease the army. Ammianus used the case of Ursulus, Constantius' comes sacrum largitionum, to illustrate his point. Ursulus had actually tried to acquire money for the Gallic troops when Julian had first been appointed Caesar, but he had also made a disparaging remark about the ineffectiveness of the army after the battle of Amida. The soldiers remembered this, and when Julian became sole Augustus, they demanded Ursulus' head. Julian obliged, much to the disapproval of Ammianus. This seems to be a case of Julian courting the favor of the military leadership, and is indicative of a pattern in which Julian courted the goodwill of various societal elites to legitimize his position as emperor.

Another case in point is the officials who made up the imperial bureaucracy. Many of them were subjected to trial and punishment. To achieve this goal, during the last weeks of December 361 Julian assembled a military tribunal at Chalcedon, empanelling six judges to try the cases. The president of the tribunal was Salutius, just promoted to the rank of Praetorian Prefect; the five other members were Mamertinus, the orator, and four general officers: Jovinus, Agilo, Nevitta, and Arbetio. Relative to the proceedings of the tribunal, Ammianus noted that the judges, " . . . oversaw the cases more vehemently than was right or fair, with the exception of a few . . .." Ammianus' account of Julian's attempt at reform of the imperial bureaucracy is supported by legal evidence from the Theodosian Code. A series of laws sent to Mamertinus, Julian's appointee as Praetorian Prefect in Italy, Illyricum, and Africa, illustrate this point nicely. On 6 June 362, Mamertinus received a law that prohibited provincial governors from bypassing the Vicars when giving their reports to the Prefect. Traditionally, Vicars were given civil authority over a group of provinces, and were in theory meant to serve as a middle step between governors and Prefects. This law suggests that the Vicars were being left out, at least in Illyricum. Julian issued another edict to Mamertinus on 22 February 362 to stop abuse of the public post by governors. According to this law, only Mamertinus could issue post warrants, but the Vicars were given twelve blank warrants to be used as they saw fit, and each governor was given two. Continuing the trend of bureaucratic reform, Julian also imposed penalties on governors who purposefully delayed appeals in court cases they had heard. The emperor also established a new official to weigh solidi used in official government transactions to combat coin clipping.

For Julian, reigning in the abuses of imperial bureaucrats was one step in restoring the prestige of the office of emperor. Because he could not affect all elements of society personally, Julian, like other Neo-Flavian emperors, decided to concentrate on select groups of societal elites as intercessors between himself and the general populace. One of these groups was the imperial bureaucracy. Julian made it very clear that imperial officials were intercessors in a very real sense in a letter to Alypius, Vicar of Britain. In this letter, sent from Gaul sometime before 361, the emperor praises Alypius for his use of "mildness and moderation with courage and force" in his rule of the provincials. Such virtues were characteristic of the emperors, and it was good that Alypius is representing Julian in this way. Julian courted the army because it put him in power. Another group he sought to include in his rule was the traditional Senatorial aristocracy. One of his first appointments as consul was Claudius Mamertinus, a Gallic Senator and rhetorician. Mamertinus' speech in praise of Julian delivered at Constantinople in January of 362 is preserved. In this speech, Claudius presented his consular selection as inaugurating a new golden age and Julian as the restorer of the empire founded by Augustus. The image Mamertinus gave of his own consulate inaugurating a new golden age is not merely formulaic. The comparison of Julian to Augustus has very real, if implicit, relevance to Claudius' situation. Claudius emphasized the imperial period as the true age of renewal. Augustus ushered in a new era with his formation of a partnership between the emperor and the Senate based upon a series of honors and offices bestowed upon the Senate in return for their role as intercessor between emperor and populace. It was this system that Julian was restoring, and the consulate was one concrete example of this bond. To be chosen as a consul by the emperor, who himself had been divinely mandated, was a divine honor. In addition to being named consul, Mamertinus went on to hold several offices under Julian, including the Prefecture of Italy, Illyricum, and Africa. Similarly, inscriptional evidence illustrates a link between municipal elites and Julian during his time as Caesar, something which continued after he became emperor. One concrete example comes from the municipal senate of Aceruntia in Apulia, which established a monument on which Julian is styled as "Repairer of the World."

Julian seems to have given up actual Christian belief before his acclamation as emperor and was a practitioner of more traditional Greco-Roman religious beliefs, in particular, a follower of certain late antique Platonist philosophers who were especially adept at theurgy as was noted earlier. In fact Julian himself spoke of his conversion to Neo-Platonism in a letter to the Alexandrians written in 363. He stated that he had abandoned Christianity when he was twenty years old and been an adherent of the traditional Greco-Roman deities for the twelve years prior to writing this letter.

(For the complete text of this article see: http://www.roman-emperors.org/julian.htm)

Julian’s Persian Campaign

The exact goals Julian had for his ill-fated Persian campaign were never clear. The Sassanid Persians, and before them the Parthians, had been a traditional enemy from the time of the Late Republic, and indeed Constantius had been conducting a war against them before Julian's accession forced the former to forge an uneasy peace. Julian, however, had no concrete reason to reopen hostilities in the east. Socrates Scholasticus attributed Julian's motives to imitation of Alexander the Great, but perhaps the real reason lay in his need to gather the support of the army. Despite his acclamation by the Gallic legions, relations between Julian and the top military officers was uneasy at best. A war against the Persians would have brought prestige and power both to Julian and the army.

Julian set out on his fateful campaign on 5 March 363. Using his trademark strategy of striking quickly and where least expected, he moved his army through Heirapolis and from there speedily across the Euphrates and into the province of Mesopotamia, where he stopped at the town of Batnae. His plan was to eventually return through Armenia and winter in Tarsus. Once in Mesopotamia, Julian was faced with the decision of whether to travel south through the province of Babylonia or cross the Tigris into Assyria, and he eventually decided to move south through Babylonia and turn west into Assyria at a later date. By 27 March, he had the bulk of his army across the Euphrates, and had also arranged a flotilla to guard his supply line along the mighty river. He then left his generals Procopius and Sebastianus to help Arsacius, the king of Armenia and a Roman client, to guard the northern Tigris line. It was also during this time that he received the surrender of many prominent local leaders who had nominally supported the Persians. These men supplied Julian with money and troops for further military action against their former masters. Julian decided to turn south into Babylonia and proceeded along the Euphrates, coming to the fortress of Cercusium at the junction of the Abora and Euphrates Rivers around the first of April, and from there he took his army west to a region called Zaitha near the abandoned town of Dura where they visited the tomb of the emperor Gordian which was in the area. On April 7 he set out from there into the heart of Babylonia and towards Assyria.

Ammianus then stated that Julian and his army crossed into Assyria, which on the face of things appears very confusing. Julian still seems to be operating within the province of Babylonia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The confusion is alleviated when one realizes that,for Ammianus, the region of Assyria encompassed the provinces of Babylonia and Assyria. On their march, Julian's forces took the fortress of Anatha, received the surrender and support of several more local princes, and ravaged the countryside of Assyria between the rivers. As the army continued south, they came across the fortresses Thilutha and Achaiachala, but these places were too well defended and Julian decided to leave them alone. Further south were the cities Diacira and Ozogardana, which the Roman forces sacked and burned. Soon, Julian came to Pirisabora and a brief siege ensued, but the city fell and was also looted and destroyed. It was also at this time that the Roman army met its first systematic resistance from the Persians. As the Romans penetrated further south and west, the local inhabitants began to flood their route. Nevertheless, the Roman forces pressed on and came to Maiozamalcha, a sizable city not far from Ctesiphon. After a short siege, this city too fell to Julian. Inexorably, Julian's forces zeroed in on Ctesiphon, but as they drew closer, the Persian resistance grew fiercer, with guerilla raids whittling at Julian's men and supplies. A sizable force of the army was lost and the emperor himself was almost killed taking a fort a few miles from the target city.
Finally, the army approached Ctesiphon following a canal that linked the Tigris and Euphrates. It soon became apparent after a few preliminary skirmishes that a protracted siege would be necessary to take this important city. Many of his generals, however, thought that pursuing this course of action would be foolish. Julian reluctantly agreed, but became enraged by this failure and ordered his fleet to be burned as he decided to march through the province of Assyria. Julian had planned for his army to live off the land, but the Persians employed a scorched-earth policy. When it became apparent that his army would perish (because his supplies were beginning to dwindle) from starvation and the heat if he continued his campaign, and also in the face of superior numbers of the enemy, Julian ordered a retreat on 16 June. As the Roman army retreated, they were constantly harassed by guerilla strikes. It was during one of these raids that Julian got caught up in the fighting and took a spear to his abdomen. Mortally wounded he was carried to his tent, where, after conferring with some of his officers, he died. The date was 26 June 363.

Conclusion

Thus an ignominious end for a man came about who had hoped to restore the glory of the Roman empire during his reign as emperor. Due to his intense hatred of Christianity, the opinion of posterity has not been kind to Julian. The contemporary opinion, however, was overall positive. The evidence shows that Julian was a complex ruler with a definite agenda to use traditional social institutions in order to revive what he saw as a collapsing empire. In the final assessment, he was not so different from any of the other emperors of the fourth century. He was a man grasping desperately to hang on to a Greco-Roman conception of leadership that was undergoing a subtle yet profound change.
Copyright (C) 2002, Walter E. Roberts and Michael DiMaio, Jr. Used by permission.

In reality, Julian worked to promote culture and philosophy in any manifestation. He tried to reduce taxes and the public debts of municipalities; he augmented administrative decentralisation; he promoted a campaign of austerity to reduce public expenditure (setting himself as the example). He reformed the postal service and eliminated the powerful secret police.
by Federico Morando; JULIAN II, The Apostate, See the Julian II Page on NumisWiki

Flavius Claudius Iulianus was born in 331 or maybe 332 A.D. in Constantinople. He ruled the Western Empire as Caesar from 355 to 360 and was hailed Augustus by his legions in Lutetia (Paris) in 360. Julian was a gifted administrator and military strategist. Famed as the last pagan emperor, his reinstatement of the pagan religion earned him the moniker "the Apostate." As evidenced by his brilliant writing, some of which has survived to the present day, the title "the Philosopher" may have been more appropriate. He died from wounds suffered during the Persian campaign of 363 A.D. Joseph Sermarini, FORVM.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.

2 commentsCleisthenes

177-192 AD - COMMODUS AR denarius - struck 183-184 ADobv: M.COMMODVS ANTONINVS AVG PIVS (laureate head right)
rev: TRP VIIII IMP VI COS IIII PP (Felicitas standing left holding caduceus & cornucopiae, modius at foot left)
ref: RIC III 74, RSC 445
3.01gms, 16mm

Commodus was inaugurated in 183 as consul (IV) with Aufidius Victorinus for a colleague and assumed the title 'Pius'. The adoption of the title Pius by Commodus looks like a direct appeal to the memory of the beloved Antoninus.
Felicity's image occurs on almost all the imperial series coins; because the senate professed to wish that all princes should consider it their duty to promote public happiness, and also because those princes themselves were peculiarly desirous of having it regarded as a blessing attached to their own reign.berserker

1783. Louis XVI. Burgundy Canal Inauguration.Obv. Draped bust right LUDOVICO XVI FR ET NAVAR REGI OPTIMO COMITIA BURGUND
Rev. Female water nymph, holding caduceus, surrounded by three male water nymphs on rocks surrounded by various symbols of prosperity UTRIUSQUE MARIS JUNCTIO TRIPLEN FOSSIS ABARARI ADLISER SEQUAN RHENUM SIMUL APERTIS MDCLXXXIII

Commemorates the construction of a canal system in Burgundy.LordBest

202a. PlautillaVenus

The Roman goddess of love and beauty, but originally a vegetation goddess and patroness of gardens and vineyards. Later, under Greek influence, she was equated with Aphrodite and assumed many of her aspects. Her cult originated from Ardea and Lavinium in Latium. The oldest temple known of Venus dates back to 293 BCE, and was inaugurated on August 18. Later, on this date the Vinalia Rustica was observed. A second festival, that of the Veneralia, was celebrated on April 1 in honor of Venus Verticordia, who later became the protector against vice. Her temple was built in 114 BCE. After the Roman defeat near Lake Trasum in 215 BCE, a temple was built on the Capitol for Venus Erycina. This temple was officially opened on April 23, and a festival, the Vinalia Priora, was instituted to celebrate the occasion.

Venus is the daughter of Jupiter, and some of her lovers include Mars and Vulcan, modeled on the affairs of Aphrodite. Venus' importance rose, and that of her cult, through the influence of several Roman political leaders. The dictator Sulla made her his patroness, and both Julius Caesar and the emperor Augustus named her the ancestor of their (Julian) family: the 'gens Julia' was Aeneas, son of Venus and the mortal Anchises. Ceasar introduced the cult of Venus Genetrix, the goddess of motherhood and marriage, and built a temple for her in 46 BCE. She was also honored in the temple of Mars Ultor. The last great temple of Venus was built by the emperor Hadrianus near the Colusseum in 135 CE.

Roman statues and portraits of Venus are usually identical to the Greek representations of Aphrodite.

AR Denarius. PLAVTILLA AVGVSTA, draped bust right / VENVS VICTRIX, Venus standing left holding apple & palm, leaning on shield, Cupid at her feet. RSC 25.
ecoli

23-04 - NERVA (96 - 98 D.C.)FALSIFICACIÓN ANCIANA,
Híbrido realizado con cuños pertenecientes a dos emisiones diferentes, pero ambas del mismo Emperador.
Denario Forrado 19x17 mm 2.9 gr.

Anv: "IMP NERVA CAES AVG P M TR P COS II P P - Cabeza laureada viendo a derecha.
Rev: "COS III PATER PATRIAE" – Implementos/emblemas sacerdotales del Augur usados en los sacrificios: "simpulum" (copa pequeña), "aspergillum" (instrumento para espolvorear o rociar), "praefericulum" (jarra o vaso utilizado en los sacrificios) y "lituus" (báculo o cayado usado por los augures).
Acuñada Con posterioridad al 97 D.C.
Ceca: No oficial

Referencias: RIC Vol.II #139 (Hybrid) Pag.233, Cohen Vol. II #49 Pag. 6 - BMCRE Vol.3 Pag.5 Nota.1 commentsmdelvalle

46 BC Gaius Julius Caesar DICT ITER COS TERT
Head of Ceres right wreathed with corn

AVGVR PONT MAX
Simpulum, sprinkler, jug and lituus D or M on right

Utica? 46 BC
Sear 1403

SOLD

This extensive issue of denarii would seem to represent another measure on the part of Caesar to ease the burden on the Capitoline mint in the period prior to the distribution of vast sums of money at the quadruple triumph. The inscription on these coins omit the actual name of the dictator. However, the titles clearly refer to Caesar- his dictatorships, consulships and possession of various priestly offices.

Attention is drawn to the extraordinary nature of the issue by the appearance of either a "D" (Donativum) or "M" (munus, gift) in the reverse field. This tells of the intended use of the coins for the payment of Caesar's loyal veterans, both prior to the quadruple triumph and during the celebration itself. Jay GT4

5) Lepidus: Antony and LepidusThe Triumvirs. Mark Antony and Lepidus. May-summer 43 BC. AR Quinarius (13mm, 1.81 g, 6h). Military mint traveling with Antony and Lepidus in Transalpine Gaul. Emblems of the augurate: lituus, capis, and raven standing left / Emblems of the pontificate: simpulum, aspergillum, securis, and apex. Crawford 489/3; King 73; CRI 120; Sydenham 1158a; RSC 3. Near VF, porous, banker’s marks on obverse and reverse.

Ex CNG
RM00072 commentsSosius

64-02 - MAXIMO (Cesar 235 - 238 D.C.)AE Sestercio 30 mm 17.4 gr.

Hijo de Maximino I y su Cesar y compañero de campañas durante todo su reinado.

Anv: "MAXIMVS CAES GERM" - Busto a cabeza desnuda, vistiendo Paludamentum (Capote militar), viendo a derecha, visto desde detrás.
Rev: "PIETAS AVG" – Implementos religiosos: Lituus (Atributo pontifical, báculo o cayado (vara con un extremo curvo) usado por los Augures (Adivinación “Augurium Praesagium”), Cuchilla de sacrificio y Patera (Plato, adoptado de los etruscos, usado en ceremonias religiosas para derramar vino sobre el altar) a la izquierda, de una Gran urna o Vasija de sacrificio, y Simpulum (cucharon usado por los sacerdotes durante los sacrificios) y sprinkler/Aspersoir ¿? a la derecha. "S C " en el exergo.

Acuñada: 4ta. Emisión Tarde en 236 a marzo/Abril 238 D.C.
Ceca: Roma – Italia
Rareza: C

Referencias: RIC Vol.IV Parte II #11 Pag.156 - Sear RCTV Vol.III #8316 - BMCRE #204 - Cohen Vol.IV #7 Pag.525 - DVM # Pag. – Alram #36-5mdelvalle

64-02 - MAXIMO (Cesar 235 - 238 D.C.)AE Sestercio 30 mm 17.4 gr.

Hijo de Maximino I y su Cesar y compañero de campañas durante todo su reinado.

Anv: "MAXIMVS CAES GERM" - Busto a cabeza desnuda, vistiendo Paludamentum (Capote militar), viendo a derecha, visto desde detrás.
Rev: "PIETAS AVG" – Implementos religiosos: Lituus (Atributo pontifical, báculo o cayado (vara con un extremo curvo) usado por los Augures (Adivinación “Augurium Praesagium”), Cuchilla de sacrificio y Patera (Plato, adoptado de los etruscos, usado en ceremonias religiosas para derramar vino sobre el altar) a la izquierda, de una Gran urna o Vasija de sacrificio, y Simpulum (cucharon usado por los sacerdotes durante los sacrificios) y sprinkler/Aspersoir ¿? a la derecha. "S C " en el exergo.

Acuñada: 4ta. Emisión Tarde en 236 a marzo/Abril 238 D.C.
Ceca: Roma – Italia
Rareza: C

Referencias: RIC Vol.IV Parte II #11 Pag.156 - Sear RCTV Vol.III #8316 Pag.80 - BMCRE #204 - Cohen Vol.IV #7 Pag.525 - DVM # Pag. – Alram #36-5 - MIR #12-3mdelvalle

703a, Tiberius, 19 August 14 - 16 March 37 A.D., Tribute Penny of Matthew 22:20-21Silver denarius, RIC I 30, RSC II 16a, SRCV 1763, gVF, Lugdunum mint, 3.837g, 18.7mm, 90o, 16 - 37 A.D.; obverse TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head right; reverse PONTIF MAXIM, Pax/Livia seated right holding scepter and branch, legs on chair ornamented, feet on footstool; toned. Ex FORVM.

De Imperatoribus Romanis
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors

Tiberius (A.D. 14-37)

Garrett G. Fagan
Pennsylvania State University

Introduction
The reign of Tiberius (b. 42 B.C., d. A.D. 37, emperor A.D. 14-37) is a particularly important one for the Principate, since it was the first occasion when the powers designed for Augustus alone were exercised by somebody else. In contrast to the approachable and tactful Augustus, Tiberius emerges from the sources as an enigmatic and darkly complex figure, intelligent and cunning, but given to bouts of severe depression and dark moods that had a great impact on his political career as well as his personal relationships.

. . . .

Early life (42-12 B.C.)
Tiberius Claudius Nero was born on 16 November 42 B.C. to Ti. Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. Both parents were scions of the gens Claudia which had supplied leaders to the Roman Republic for many generations. . . [I]n 39 B.C., his mother Livia divorced Ti. Claudius Nero and married Octavian, thereby making the infant Tiberius the stepson of the future ruler of the Roman world. Forever afterward, Tiberius was to have his name coupled with this man, and always to his detriment.

. . . .

Accession and Early Reign (A.D. 14 - 23)
The accession of Tiberius proved intensely awkward. After Augustus had been buried and deified, and his will read and honored, the Senate convened on 18 September to inaugurate the new reign and officially "confirm" Tiberius as emperor. Such a transfer of power had never happened before, and nobody, including Tiberius, appears to have known what to do. Tacitus's account is the fullest. . . Rather than tactful, he came across to the senators as obdurate and obstructive. He declared that he was too old for the responsibilities of the Principate, said he did not want the job, and asked if he could just take one part of the government for himself. The Senate was confused, not knowing how to read his behavior. Finally, one senator asked pointedly, "Sire, for how long will you allow the State to be without a head?" Tiberius relented and accepted the powers voted to him, although he refused the title "Augustus."

. . . .

Tiberius allowed a trusted advisor to get too close and gain a tremendous influence over him. That advisor was the Praetorian Prefect, L. Aelius Sejanus, who would derail Tiberius's plans for the succession and drive the emperor farther into isolation, depression, and paranoia.

Sejanus (A.D. 23-31)
Sejanus hailed from Volsinii in Etruria. He and his father shared the Praetorian Prefecture until A.D. 15 when the father, L. Seius Strabo, was promoted to be Prefect of Egypt, the pinnacle of an equestrian career under the Principate. Sejanus, now sole Prefect of the Guard, enjoyed powerful connections to senatorial houses and had been a companion to Gaius Caesar on his mission to the East, 1 B.C. - A.D. 4. Through a combination of energetic efficiency, fawning sycophancy, and outward displays of loyalty, he gained the position of Tiberius's closest friend and advisor.

. . . .

[I]n a shocking and unexpected turn of events, [a] letter sent by Tiberius from Capri initially praised Sejanus extensively, and then suddenly denounced him as a traitor and demanded his arrest. Chaos ensued. Senators long allied with Sejanus headed for the exits, the others were confused -- was this a test of their loyalty? What did the emperor want them to do? -- but the Praetorian Guard, the very troops formerly under Sejanus's command but recently and secretly transferred to the command of Q. Sutorius Macro, arrested Sejanus, conveyed him to prison, and shortly afterwards executed him summarily. A witch-hunt followed. . . All around the city, grim scenes were played out, and as late as A.D. 33 a general massacre of all those still in custody took place.

Tiberius himself later claimed that he turned on Sejanus because he had been alerted to Sejanus's plot against Germanicus's family. This explanation has been rejected by most ancient and modern authorities, since Sejanus's demise did nothing to alleviate that family's troubles.

. . . .

The Last Years (A.D. 31-37)
The Sejanus affair appears to have greatly depressed Tiberius. A close friend and confidant had betrayed him; whom could he trust anymore? His withdrawal from public life seemed more complete in the last years. Letters kept him in touch with Rome, but it was the machinery of the Augustan administration that kept the empire running smoothly. Tiberius, if we believe our sources, spent much of his time indulging his perversities on Capri.

. . . .

Tiberius died quietly in a villa at Misenum on 16 March A.D. 37. He was 78 years old. There are some hints in the sources of the hand of Caligula in the deed, but such innuendo can be expected at the death of an emperor, especially when his successor proved so depraved. The level of unpopularity Tiberius had achieved by the time of his death with both the upper and lower classes is revealed by these facts: the Senate refused to vote him divine honors, and mobs filled the streets yelling "To the Tiber with Tiberius!" (in reference to a method of disposal reserved for the corpses of criminals).

Tiberius and the Empire
Three main aspects of Tiberius's impact on the empire deserve special attention: his relative military inertia; his modesty in dealing with offers of divine honors and his fair treatment of provincials; and his use of the Law of Treason (maiestas).

. . . .

Conclusion
. . . Tiberius's reign sporadically descended into tyranny of the worst sort. In the right climate of paranoia and suspicion, widespread denunciation led to the deaths of dozens of Senators and equestrians, as well as numerous members of the imperial house. In this sense, the reign of Tiberius decisively ended the Augustan illusion of "the Republic Restored" and shone some light into the future of the Principate, revealing that which was both promising and terrifying.

[For the entire article please refer to http://www.roman-emperors.org/tiberius.htm]

Copyright © 1997, Garrett G. Fagan. Used by permission.

"Some of the things he did are hard to believe. He had little boys trained as minnows to chase him when he went swimming and to get between his legs and nibble him. He also had babies not weaned from their mother breast suck at his chest and groin . . . "
(Suetonius. The Twelve Caesars. Trans. Robert Graves. London: Penguin Books, 1979. XLIV).

Jesus, referring to a "penny" asked, "Whose is this image and superscription?" When told it was Caesar, He said, ''Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:20-21). Since Tiberius was Caesar at the time, this denarius type is attributed by scholars as the "penny" referred to in the Bible(Joseph Sermarini).

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.

Cleisthenes

Abraham Lincoln 1893 Columbian Exposition MedalObverse: 1809 * ABRAHAM * LINCOLN * 1865, portrait of a young, beardless Lincoln, facing, head turned right. Artist's name H. ZEARING in field above left shoulder.

Reverse: A shield with lance heads separated with circles in borders; WITH MALICE TOWARD NONE - WITH CHARITY FOR ALL - WITH FIRMNESS IN THE RIGHT AS GOD GIVES VS TO SEE THE RIGHT LET VS STRIVE ON * * * LET VS HAVE FAITH THAT RIGHT MAKES MIGHT AND IN THAT FAITH LET VS TO THE END DARE TO DO OVR DVTY AS WE VNDERSTAND IT. (Excerpts from Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address on March 4th, 1865 and the Cooper Union Speech on February 27, 1860)

Engraver: Henry H. Zearing

Medal was made for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893.

Bronze, Diameter: 45.4 mm, Axis: 0°

References: King 504, Eglit 85Matt Inglima

Abraham Lincoln Presidential MedalObv: ABRAHAM LINCOLN, bust of the 16th President facing right.

Rev: A wreath of oak and laurel with a pearled border with the inscription: "INAUGURATED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 4, 1861. SECOND TERM MARCH 4, 1865. ASSASSINATED APRIL 14, 1865." Within the wreath is a spray of pine and cedar, circled by a serpent with its tail in its mouth – the Egyptian symbol of eternity and immortality.

Engraver: George T. Morgan

Mint: Philadelphia, Date: 1886 (20th Century Restrike), Bronze, Diameter: 76 mmMatt Inglima

Antiochos VII AE15 Hendin 451Ae15, 15mm, 2.70g.

Obverse: BASILEWS ANTIOXOS EUERGETOI, Upside-down anchot.

Reverse: Lily in dotted circle.

BPR (131-130 BC)

Hendin 451.

Despite being struck in Antiochos' name, this is dated to the time when Hyrcanus I had actually gained control of Jerusalem, where they seem to have been struck. There is thus a good case for the claim that they were minted by Hyrcanus, and in a very real sense, constitute the first clearly 'Jewish' coins, since they inaugurate the tradition of coins without images. The earlier Yehud coins are probably better seen as 'Israelite' rather than 'Jewish'; they use images, and it's uncertain how far the term 'Judaioi' was in use at the time, or to whom it applied.Robert_Brenchley

Augustus RIC 21127 BC-AD 14. AR Denarius. Lugdunum mint. Struck 2 BC-AD 4.
O: CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE Head, laureate, to right
R: AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT; C L CAESARES in ex; Gaius and Lucius Caesar standing facing, each resting a hand on a shield. Crossed spears behind the shields. Simpulum on l. and lituus on r., X below.
RIC 211; BMC 537; RSC 43a.

The brothers, Caius and Lucius, were the sons of Agrippa and Julia, daughter of Augustus. They were due to succeed Augustus but predeceased him in 4 and 2 A.D. respectively. Gaius, the elder of the two brothers, has the more prestigious position on the left and the ladle above him marking him as Pontifex. He should have his shield placed in front of that of his younger brother Lucius, who has lituus above marking him as augur. The shield placement is likely just an engravers error. Nemonater

Augustus RIC 21227 BC-AD 14. AR Denarius. Lugdunum mint. Struck 2 BC-AD 4.
O: CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE Head, laureate, to right
R: AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT; C L CAESARES in ex; Gaius and Lucius Caesar standing facing, each resting a hand on a shield. Crossed spears behind the shields. Lituus on l. and Simpulum on r., X below.
- RIC 212 (R)

"The brothers, Caius and Lucius, were the sons of Agrippa and Julia, daughter of Augustus. They were due to succeed Augustus but predeceased him in 4 and 2 A.D. respectively. Gaius, the elder of the two brothers has his shield placed in front of that of his younger brother and the ladle above him marking him as Pontifex. Lucius has lituus above marking him as augur. Gaius should have the more prestigious position on the left but this variety has him on the right." - Forum2 commentsNemonater

Augustus, 16 January 27 B.C. - 19 August 14 A.D. Silver denarius, RIC I 340 (R2), RSC I Julius Caesar 6, BnF I 273, BMCRE I 70, SRCV I 1622, VF, scratch on cheek, pitting, 3.572g, 19.8mm, 180o, Rome mint, moneyer M. Sanquinius, 17 B.C.; obverse AVGVST DIVI F LVDOS SAE (Augustus son of the divine [Julius Caesar], [has made the] secular games), Herald standing left, wearing helmet with two feathers and long robe, winged caduceus in right hand, round shield decorated with six-pointed star on his left arm; reverse M SANQVINIVS III VIR, youthful laureate head (the deified Julius Caesar or Genius Saeculari Novi?) right, above, four-rayed comet (sidus Iulium) with tail; ex CNG auction 145 (9 Aug 2006), lot 254. Very rare.

This type was struck to commemorate the Ludi Saeculares, the Secular Games held by Augustus in 17 B.C. to mark the commencement of a new age inaugurated by the divine Julius Caesar and led by his heir Augustus. The reverse portrait is traditionally identified as the head of a youthful divine Julius Caesar, however, it actually resembles Augustus and may be Genius Saeculari Novi, the personification of the new age.

EX; FORVM Ancient Coins.

*With my sincere thank and appreciation , Photo and Description courtesy of FORVM Ancient Coins Staff.
Per FORVM ; an EF example of this type recently sold on 26 May 2014 for 20,000 CHF (approximately $25,575) plus fees.

From The Sam Mansourati Collection.4 commentsSam

Austria, Austrian Netherlands. Maria Theresia, The Homage of Brussels, 1744.Obv. Draped bust MAR TH D G R HUNG BO D BRAB C FL INAUGURATA
Rev. Clasped hands over altar HAEC ARA TUEBITUR OMNES FIDES PUBLICA
WM37.LordBest

Byzantine Anonymous Follis of Christ, Class A3, Basil II & Constantine VIII, c. 1023 - 11 November 1028 A.D.Bronze anonymous follis, Anonymous follis of Christ, class A3; SBCV 1818; Grierson ornaments 24a, gVF, well centered, excellent portrait detail but nose a bit flat, attractive toned bare metal, a few scratches, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, weight 9.833g, maximum diameter 27.5mm, die axis 180o, c. 1023 - 11 Nov 1028 A.D.; obverse + EMMANOVHL, facing nimbate bust of Christ, two pellets in each arm of the cross, pallium and colobium, holding gospels with both hands, to left IC, to right XC; reverse + IhSuS / XRISTuS / bASILEu / bASILE (Jesus Christ King of Kings), ornaments above and below legend;

The emperor's name and portrait are not part of the design on the Byzantine types referred to as anonymous folles. Instead of the earthly king, these coins depict Jesus Christ, King of Kings.

FORVM Ancient Coins.

*A spectacular artistic portrait of Christ.

*A fine masterpiece of one of the very early portraits of Christ according to Saint Veronica 's Veil, and to the Artist view of Christ from that Veil, with the limited given objects, the Artist smartly chosen the artistic dies, and that is why all Byzantine art is made with artistic faces and objects.
This type of coins, struck for big occasion like Christ birthday and crucifixion, and Imperial inauguration to remind the new Byzantine emperor that there is higher power than his, power of Christ word of LOVE. King of kings, written in Ancient Greek on the reverse of this memorial strike.
+ IhSuS / XRISTuS / bASILEu / bASILE (Jesus Christ King of Kings)
With + EMMANOVHL around Christ on the obverse.

The Sam Mansourati Collection.
Given as a souvenir to a great man, a dear friend and brother Rev. Robert E. Burnock , on 2/18/2020.2 commentsSam

BYZANTINE, Justinian I, Anonymous Half-Siliqua, Struck at Constantinople (c.530AD), Bendall Type 8cObverse: Helmeted and draped bust of Constantinople facing right.
Reverse: Large K in a pearl border.

S. Bendall made an attempt at the classification and chronology of these types. He accepted the general conclusion that the oldest issues, of very fine style, were struck during the inauguration of the new capital of the empire on May 11th, A.D.330. Bendall, having analyzed the changes in style, suggested that some issues were struck on the anniversaries of the founding of Constantinople in A.D.430 and A.D.530, and that other variants might have been issued during the reign of Justinian I to celebrate the reconquest of Italy.

Atelier : Constantinople (Istanbul en Turquie) - Ref : Bendall Type 8c - Sommer 7.109 (Maurice), Tolstoï 28, 612 - Rare
0,80 g / 13-15 mm - Etat presque Extremely Fine3 comments

C. Coelius Caldus - AR denariusRome
¹²51 BC
head of Coelius Caldus (moneyer's grandfather) right; standard inscribed HIS (Hispania) behind, standard in the form of a boar (emblem of of Clunia, Hispania) before
C·COEL·CALDVS
COS
statue of god seated left between two trophies of arms, all on a high lectisternium with front inscribed L·CALDVS / VII·(VIR)·EP(VL) (Lucius Caldus Septemvir Epulo)
C/·/C/A/L/D/V/S on left
I/MP/·/(AV)/·/X (Imperator, Augur, Decemvir) on right
C(ALD)VS III VIR below
¹Crawford 437/2a, Sydenham 894, RSC I Coelia 7, BMCRR II 3837, SRCV I 404
²Mark Passehl - Roman moneyer & coin type chronology, 150 – 50 BC
3,9g 17mm
ex Aurea

scarce

Coin commemorates three moneyer's ancestors.

The first, moneyer's grandfather C. Coelius Caldus, was consul in 94 BC. In 107 BC, he was elected tribune of the plebs and passed a lex tabellaria, requiring a secret ballot to determine the verdict in cases of high treason. He was a praetor in 100 or 99 BC, and proconsul of Hispania Citerior the following year. This is represented by standard on the obverse along with emblem of the conquered town Clunia. He was also moneyer in 104 BC.

The second, L. Coelius Caldus, was member of septemviri epulones who prepared lectisternium - propitiatory ceremony, consisting of a meal offered to gods and goddesses (depicted on the reverse). He was responsible for sacrificial feast (epulare sacrificium) during Plebeian games (Ludi Plebeii) in Rome.

The third, C. Coelius Caldus, was augur, member of decemviri sacris faciundis, and governor who gained the title Imperator. The trophies on the reverse commemorates his military campains.
J. B.

C. Minucius C.f. Augurinus - AR denariusRome
²134 BC / ¹135 BC
helmeted head of Roma right
ROMA
X
Ionic column surmounted by statue; at base, two stalks of grain; on left, L. Minucius Augurinus standing right,
holding patera, foot on modius; on right, M. Minucius Faesus standing left, holding lituus.
C·A_VG
¹Crawford 242/1, SRCV I 119, Sydenham 463, RSC I Minucia 3,
²Mark Passehl - Roman moneyer & coin type chronology, 150 – 50 BC
3,7g 18mm
ex Aurea Numismatika

Reverse depicts a commemorative bronze column - Columna Minucia which was erected in front of the gate, Porta Trigemina, in memory of L. Minucius Augurinus who as Praefectus Annonae supplied Rome with grain during famine in 439 BC. On the right there is Marcus Minucius Faestus who was elected Augur as the first plebeian in 300 BC.J. B.

C.MINUCIUS AUGURINUS C.MINUCIUS AUGURINUS AR Denarius. Rome 135 BC, column between two togate figures. 3.86gm, 19mm, Cr 242/1Ancient Aussie

Caesar's 'Quadruple Triumph' (46 BC)Julius Caesar AV Aureus. Rome, 46 BC. A. Hirtius, praetor

Obv: Veiled head of Vesta right, C•CAESAR COS • TER around
Rev: Emblems of the augurate and pontificate: lituus, guttus, and securis; A•HIRTIVS PR around

The aureus presenting here was part of the first ever large-scale issue of aurei in the history of the Roman coinage, which is issued to meet the needs for Caesar’s 'Quadruple Triumph' in 46 BC after four major victories and the return of his veteran soldiers to Rome.YuenTsin C

CALABRIA, TarentumTaranto was founded in 706 BC by Dorian immigrants as the only Spartan colony, and its origin is peculiar: the founders were Partheniae, sons of unmarried Spartan women and perioeci (free men, but not citizens of Sparta); these unions were decreed by the Spartans to increase the number of soldiers (only the citizens of Sparta could become soldiers) during the bloody Messenian Wars, but later they were nullified, and the sons were forced to leave. According to the legend Phalanthus, the Parthenian leader, went to Delphi to consult the oracle and received the puzzling answer that he should found a city where rain fell from a clear sky. After all attempts to capture a suitable place to found a colony failed, he became despondent, convinced that the oracle had told him something that was impossible, and was consoled by his wife. She laid his head in her lap and herself became disconsolate. When Phalanthus felt her tears splash onto his forehead he at last grasped the meaning of the oracle, for his wife's name meant clear sky. The harbour of Taranto in Apulia was nearby and he decided this must be the new home for the exiles. The Partheniae arrived and founded the city, naming it Taras after the son of the Greek sea god, Poseidon, and the local nymph Satyrion. A variation says Taras was founded in 707 BC by some Spartans, who, the sons of free women and enslaved fathers, were born during the Messenian War. According to other sources, Heracles founded the city. Another tradition indicates Taras himself as the founder of the city; the symbol of the Greek city (as well as of the modern city) is Taras riding a dolphin. Taranto increased its power, becoming a commercial power and a sovereign city of Magna Graecia, ruling over the Greek colonies in southern Italy.

In its beginning, Taranto was a monarchy, probably modelled on the one ruling over Sparta; according to Herodotus (iii 136), around 492 BC king Aristophilides ruled over the city. The expansion of Taranto was limited to the coast because of the resistance of the populations of inner Apulia. In 472 BC, Taranto signed an alliance with Rhegion, to counter the Messapii, Peuceti, and Lucanians (see Iapygian-Tarentine Wars), but the joint armies of the Tarentines and Rhegines were defeated near Kailìa (modern Ceglie), in what Herodotus claims to be the greatest slaughter of Greeks in his knowledge, with 3,000 Reggians and uncountable Tarentines killed. In 466 BC, Taranto was again defeated by the Iapyges; according to Aristotle, who praises its government, there were so many aristocrats killed that the democratic party was able to get the power, to remove the monarchy, inaugurate a democracy, and expel the Pythagoreans. Like Sparta, Tarentum was an aristocratic republic, but became democratic when the ancient nobility dwindled.

However, the rise of the democratic party did not weaken the bonds of Taranto and her mother-city Sparta. In fact, Taranto supported the Peloponnesian side against Athens in the Peloponnesian War, refused anchorage and water to Athens in 415 BC, and even sent ships to help the Peloponnesians, after the Athenian disaster in Sicily. On the other side, Athens supported the Messapians, in order to counter Taranto's power.

In 432 BC, after several years of war, Taranto signed a peace treaty with the Greek colony of Thurii; both cities contributed to the foundation of the colony of Heraclea, which rapidly fell under Taranto's control. In 367 BC Carthage and the Etruscans signed a pact to counter Taranto's power in southern Italy.

Under the rule of its greatest statesman, strategist and army commander-in-chief, the philosopher and mathematician Archytas, Taranto reached its peak power and wealth; it was the most important city of the Magna Graecia, the main commercial port of southern Italy, it produced and exported goods to and from motherland Greece and it had the biggest army and the largest fleet in southern Italy. However, with the death of Archytas in 347 BC, the city started a slow, but ineluctable decline; the first sign of the city's decreased power was its inability to field an army, since the Tarentines preferred to use their large wealth to hire mercenaries, rather than leave their lucrative trades.

In 343 BC Taranto appealed for aid against the barbarians to its mother city Sparta, in the face of aggression by the Brutian League. In 342 BC, Archidamus III, king of Sparta, arrived in Italy with an army and a fleet to fight the Lucanians and their allies. In 338 BC, during the Battle of Manduria, the Spartan and Tarentine armies were defeated in front of the walls of Manduria (nowadays in province of Taranto), and Archidamus was killed.

In 333 BC, still troubled by their Italic neighbours, the Tarentines called the Epirotic king Alexander Molossus to fight the Bruttii, Samnites, and Lucanians, but he was later (331 BC) defeated and killed in the battle of Pandosia (near Cosenza). In 320 BC, a peace treaty was signed between Taranto and the Samnites. In 304 BC, Taranto was attacked by the Lucanians and asked for the help of Agathocles tyrant of Syracuse, king of Sicily. Agathocles arrived in southern Italy and took control of Bruttium (present-day Calabria), but was later called back to Syracuse. In 303 BC-302 BC Cleonymus of Sparta established an alliance with Taranto against the Lucanians, and fought against them.

Arnold J. Toynbee, a classical scholar who taught at Oxford and other prestigious English universities and who did original and definitive work on Sparta (e.g. The Journal of Hellenic Studies, vol. xxxiii 1913 p. 246-275) seemed to have some doubts about Tarentum (Taranto) being of Spartan origin.

In his book The Study of History vol. iii p. 52 he wrote: "...Tarentum, which claimed a Spartan origin; but, even if this claim was in accordance with historical fact..." The tentative phrasing seems to imply that the evidence is neither conclusive or even establishes a high degree of probability of the truth that Tarentum (Taranto) was a Spartan colony.

CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 302-281 BC. AR Drachm (17mm, 2.91 gm). Helmeted head of Athena right, helmet decorated with Skylla hurling a stone / Owl standing right head facing, on olive branch; Vlasto 1058; SNG ANS 1312; HN Italy 1015. VF.

Ex-Cng eAuction 103 Lot 2 190/1502 commentsecoli

CHINA - TANG DYNASTY Kai YuanCHINA - TANG DYNASTY (618-907 AD) Cash, Kai Yuan Tong Bao legend. Late style (732-907 AD). Crescent "nail mark" on reverse, at 9 o'clock. Reference: Hartil #14.6ab. Kai Yuan means "Inaugural Currency", and was one of the main currencies issued by the Tang Dynasty.
Late period pieces are distinguished by: The JING 井 component of KAI 開 character touches the hole; longer top dash on YUAN 元 character; 2 middle strokes of the BAO 寳 touch the sides. Regarding crescent mark: (per Hartill) Legend states the Empress Wende inadvertently stuck one of her fingernails into the wax model of the coin as it was presented to her; and the resulting mark was reverentially retained. Other imperial ladies have also been proposed as the source of these marks! Hartill also states that it was more than likely a control mark used by mint staff!dpaul7

Cr. 242/1., Republic, 135 BC, C. Minucius AugurinusC. Minucius Augurinus
AR Denarius, 135 BC, Rome
Obv: Helmeted head of Roma right, below chin, X, behind, ROMA.
Rev: C•A – VG Ionic column surmounted by statue, holding staff in r. hand; on either side, togate figure. Togate figure on left holding loaves in both hands, togate figure on right holding lituus. Column decorated with forepart of lion on either side at the base and two bells at the top, grain ears behind each of the lions.
Ag, 18mm, 3.69g
Ref.: Sydenham 463, Crawford 242/1.

This column is the first architectural structure on a Roman coin (the first building comes 57 years later). It honors L. Minucius Augurinus, who, as prefect, introduced price controls on grain and thus fought a famine.shanxi

Crawford 359/2, ROMAN REPUBLIC, L. Cornelius Sulla, AR DenariusRome, The Republic.
L. Cornelius Sulla, 84-83 BCE.
AR Denarius (3.88g; 21mm).
Military Mint.

Obverse: L·SVLLA; diademed head of Venus facing right; before, Cupid holding palm to left.

Reverse: IMPER – ITERV; two trophies with jug and lituus between them.

References: Crawford 359/2; Sydenham 761a; BMCRR East 3; Cornelia 30.

Provenance: Ex Nomisma 58 (6 Nov 2018) Lot 76.

These coins were struck in the east, just before Sulla’s march on Rome. The fabric and style of these coins are certainly different from other Roman Republican denarii of the era, more eastern than Roman. Perhaps not obvious from my photo, the obverse is struck in very high relief and the reverse has pronounced cupping (from a convex reverse die, which more efficiently drives the metal into the high relief obverse die). The obverse honors Venus, whom Sulla considered his protectress. The jug and lituus on the reverse are suggestive of the office of Augur, but Crawford did not think Sulla was an Augur at the time these coins were produced. The implements may refer to an ancestor of Sulla that was an Augur, or, as Crawford surmises, to Sulla’s imperium. The trophies on the reverse refer to Sulla’s victories in the east against Mithradates. Two trophies were also used by Sulla in an issue of tetradrachms in the Athenian “New Style” form.

Sulla’s seizure of dictatorial power following his march on Rome (leading an army that was loyal to him, rather than to the state) became a paradigm for Roman political struggles thereafter. Julius Caesar would initiate similar consequences when he crossed the Rubicon at the head of his army 30+ years later. Unlike Sulla, Caesar showed no interest in resigning his power. Also unlike Sulla, Caesar would strike coins bearing his own likeness. Sulla’s portrait did not appear on a Roman coin until 25 years after Sulla’s death (See, Crawford 434/1).
1 commentsCarausius

Crawford 394/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC, C. Postumius, AR DenariusRome, The Republic.
C. Postumius, 74-73 BCE.
AR Denarius (3.95g; 20mm).
Rome mint.

Obverse: Draped bust of Diana facing right, with bow and quiver over shoulder.

Rev: Hound running to right; spear below; C. POSTVMI and AT or TA (ligate) in exergue.

References: Crawford 394/1a; Sydenham 785; BMCRR 3238; Postumia 9.

Provenance: Ex Student and Mentor Collection [NAC 83 (20 May 2015) Lot 347]; ex Frank Sternberg Auction VII (24-5 Nov 1977), Lot 390; ex Cuzzi Collection [Baranowski (Dec 1929) Lot 280].

The moneyer may have been the Caius Postumius that prosecuted Lucius Licinius Murena for election fraud in 63 BCE. It is uncertain what the ligate letters AT (or TA) denote on the reverse, and there is another variety of this issue without the monogram. Diana is a popular deity on coinage produced by the Postumia gens, and the hound and spear on the reverse are also attributes of Diana, the huntress. Diana appears so frequently on Postumian coins because on the eve of the battle of Lake Regillus (c. 496 BCE), during a sacrifice to Diana, the augurs foretold the domination of Rome over Latium. A. Postumius Albinus led the troops at this decisive battle. Thus, the gens subsequently claimed responsibility for fulfilling the prophecy of Diana.

Crawford dated this issue to 74 BCE, but Hersh and Walker in Mesagne down-dated the issue to 73 BCE. Michael Harlan suggests an even later date of 71 BCE.
3 commentsCarausius

Crawford 417/1a, Roman Republic, Rome mint, moneyers L. Aemilius Lepidus Paullus and L. Scribonius Libo, 62 BC., AR Denarius.Roman Republic, Rome mint, moneyers L. Aemilius Lepidus Paullus and L. Scribonius Libo, 62 BC.,
AR Denarius (18-20 mm / 3,72 g),
Obv.: [P]AVLLVS. LEPIDVS - CONCORD head of Concordia r., wearing veil and diadem.
Rev.: PVTEAL SCRIBON / LIBO , Puteal Scribonianum (Scribonian well, the "Puteal Scribonianum" well in the Forum Romanum near the Arch of Fabius), decorated with garland and two lyres, hammer at base.
Crawf. 417/1a ; Syd. 927 ; Bab. / Seaby Aemilia 11 ; Kestner 3422 ; BMC Rome 3383 ; CNR Aemilia 62 .
Rare

A puteal was a classical wellhead, round or sometimes square, set round a well opening to keep people from falling in. Such well heads (putealia) might be of marble, enriched with bas-reliefs. - The puteal is on the reverse of the coin adorned with garlands and two lyres. It is generally stated that there were two putealia in the Roman forum; but C. F. Hermann, who has carefully examined all the passages in the ancient writers relating to this matter (Ind. Lect. Marburg. 1840), comes to the conclusion that there was only one such puteal at Rome. It was in the forum, near the Arcus Fabianus, and was dedicated in very ancient times either on account of the whetstone of the Augur Navius (cf. Liv. I.36), or because the spot had been struck by lightning. It was subsequently repaired and re-dedicated by Scribonius Libo, who had been commanded to examine the state of the sacred places. Libo erected in its neighbourhood a tribunal for the praetor, in consequence of which the place was, of course, frequented by persons who had law-suits, such as money-lenders and the like.

The Puteal Scribonianum (Scribonian Puteal) or Puteal Libonis (Puteal of Libo), building in the Forum at Rome, dedicated or restored by a member of the Libo family, perhaps the praetor of 204 BC, or the tribune of the people in 149 BC. In its vicinity the praetor's tribunal, removed from the comitium in the 2nd century BC, held its sittings, which led to the place becoming the haunt of litigants, money-lenders and business people. According to ancient authorities, the Puteal Libonis was the name given to an erection (or enclosure) on a spot which had been struck by lightning; it was so called from its resemblance to the stone curb or low enclosure round a well (puteus) that was between the temples of Castor and Vesta, near the Porticus Julia and the Arcus Fabiorum (arch of the Fabii), but no remains have been discovered. The idea that an irregular circle of travertine blocks, found near the temple of Castor, formed part of the puteal is now abandoned. See Horace, Sat. ii.6.35, Epp. i.19.8; Cicero, Pro Sestio, 8; for the well-known coin of Lucius Scribonius Libo, representing the puteal of Libo, which rather resembles a cippus (sepulchral monument) or an altar, with laurel wreaths, two lyres and a pair of pincers or tongs below the wreaths (perhaps symbolical of Vulcan as forger of lightning), see C. Hulsen, The Roman Forum (Eng. trans. by J. B. Carter, 1906), p. 150.

L. Scribonius Libo, was the father-in-law of Sextus Pompey, the son of Pompey the Great. On the breaking out of the civil war in 49, he sided with Pompey, and was given command of Etruria. Shortly afterwards he accompanied Pompey to Greece, and was actively engaged in the war that ensued. On the death of Bibulus (48) he had the given command of the Pompeian fleet. In the civil wars following Caesar's death, he followed the fortunes of his son-in-law Sextus Pompey. In 40, Octavian married his sister Scribonia, and this marriage was followed by a peace between the triumvirs and Pompey (39). When the war was renewed in 36, Libo for a time supported Pompey, but, seeing his cause hopeless, he deserted him in the following year. In 34, he was consul with Mark Antony.

my ancient coin database
1 commentsArminius

Crawford 428/3, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Q. Cassius Longinus, AR DenariusRome, The Republic.
Q. Cassius Longinus, 55 BCE.
AR Denarius (3.91g; 19mm).
Rome Mint.

Obverse: Bonus Eventus or Genius of the Roman People head facing right; scepter behind.

Reverse: Eagle on thunderbolt, facing right; lituus to left; jug to right; Q CASSIVS below.

References: Crawford 428/3; Sydenham 916; BMCRR 3868; Cassia 7.

Provenance: Ex Fernandez Collection [Aureo & Calico Alba Longa Auction (7 Nov 2018) Lot 227].

The identity of the head on the obverse is in doubt. Crawford interprets the obverse as Genius of the Roman People and the reverse an allusion to imperium. Michael Harlan theorizes that the head is Bonus Eventus and that it ties to symbols of the augurate on the reverse. Augurs, after all, want to predict good outcomes. Harlan's interpretation doesn’t fully explain the scepter on the obverse, which is not a typical characteristic of Bonus Eventus.
3 commentsCarausius

Crawford 488/2, ROMAN IMPERATORIAL, Marc Antony, AR DenariusRome, The Imperators.
Marcus Antonius. 43 BCE.
AR Denarius (4.19g; 19mm).
Military mint in Cisalpine Gaul.

Obverse: M.A[NTON IMP RPC]; Antony's bare, bearded head facing right; lituus behind.

Reverse: CAESAR DIC; Laureate head of Julius Caesar facing right; jug behind.

References: Crawford 488/2; HCRI 123; Sydenham 1166; BMCRR (Gaul) 55; Antonia 5-6.

Provenance: Ex Roma E-Live Auction 1 (25-6 Jul 2018) Lot 531; Bernard Poindessault Collection [Oger-Blanchet (17 Nov 2017) Lot 148]; Edouard Schott Collection [E. Bourgey (21 Mar 1972) Lot 337].

This is one of Antony’s earliest issues following the creation of the Second Triumvirate with Octavian and Lepidus. The titulature "RPC" (tip of "C" just barely visible beneath Antony’s portrait on this specimen) reflects the new status. Antony is depicted with a slight beard of mourning, as is Octavian on his coins until the defeat of the Tyrannicides at Philippi the following year. Both Antony and Caesar have symbols of the augurate behind their portraits, as both were members of the college of augurs, and this served to highlight their common bond. The somewhat comical portrait style is reflective of the military mint, with limited die engraver talent.
1 commentsCarausius

Crawford 500/1, ROMAN IMPERATORIAL, Cassius, AR DenariusRome, The Imperators.
C. Cassius Longinus. 44-42 BCE.
AR Denarius (3.38g; 20mm).
Military Mint in Smyrna.

Obverse: C. CASSI – IMP; tripod with cauldron and laurel fillets.

Reverse: LENTVLVS SPINT; jug and lituus.

References: Crawford 500/1; HCRI 219; Sydenham 1308; BMCRR (East) 79; Cassia 14.

Provenance: Nomisma 59 (14 May 2019) Lot 121; P&P Santamaria (4 May 1961) Lot 168.

This coin was struck for Cassius, one of the chief assassins of Julius Caesar, when Brutus and Cassius met in Smyrna, circa early 42 BCE. The tripod obverse type was borrowed from a slightly earlier Aureus produced for Cassius by his legate, M. Aquinus. The tripod may reference Cassius’ membership in one of the sacred colleges. Cassius was elected to the augurate in 57 BCE, to which the implements on the reverse of this coin certainly allude. The coin was produced on Cassius’ behalf by P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther, who also produced coins for Brutus at the same time. For more information on Spinther, see my example of his Brutus denarius at: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-145289

Until the discovery of a large, mint-state, hoard in the early 2000’s, this was one of the rarest types in the Roman Republican series. While recent hoard examples of the type are scarce, old provenanced examples, like this, remain extremely rare.
2 commentsCarausius

Crawford 500/7, ROMAN IMPERATORIAL, Brutus and Lentulus Spinther, AR DenariusRome, The Imperators.
Brutus and Lentulus Spinther, 42 BCE.
AR Denarius (3.91g; 20mm).
Military Mint (Smyrna?).

Obv: BRVTVS; axe, simpulum and knife.

Rev: LENTVLVS SPINT; jug and lituus.

References: Crawford 500/7; HCRI 198; Sydenham 1310; BMCRR East 80-1; Junia 41.

Provenance: Ex Stoeklin Collection [Nomos14 (17 May 2017) Lot 301]; ex Munzhandlung Basel 6 (18 Mar 1936), Lot 1483; ex Trau Collection [Gilhoffer & Ranschburg & Hess (22 May 1935), Lot 37].

The sacrificial implements on the obverse refer to Brutus' membership in the college of Pontifs. The implements on the reverse refer to Spinther's membership in the augurate since 57 BCE.

Spinther was the son of P. Cornelius Lentulus, whose nickname was Spinther (reportedly because he resembled an actor by that name). It was a nickname that his father clearly liked as both he and his son later used it on coins. His father was an aristocrat of the Cornelia gens, who was liked by Julius Caesar and worked with Cicero in suppressing the Cataline conspiracy. He was later governor of part of Spain. With Caesar’s help, his father was elected consul in 57BC, when he recalled Cicero from exile. Thereafter he governed Cilicia, at which time Cicero wrote him a still-surviving letter. As relations deteriorated between Caesar and Pompey, both Spinthers sided with Pompey. Despite initial offers of amnesty by Caesar, Spinther senior would not remain neutral and was eventually killed or committed suicide during the civil wars. His son later allied with Caesar’s assassins and struck coins for both Brutus and Cassius.
4 commentsCarausius

Crawford 511/3, ROMAN IMPERATORIAL, Sextus Pompey, AR DenariusRome, The Imperators.
Sextus Pompey, Summer 42-40 BCE.
AR Denarius (3.82g; 20mm).
Sicilian Mint (Catana?).

Obverse: MAG·PIVS·IMP·ITER; bare head of Pompey the Great, facing right, flanked by jug and lituus.

Reverse: PRAEF/CLAS·ET·ORAE/MARIT·EX·S·C; Neptune standing left with foot on prow and holding aplustre, between the Catanaean brothers, each carrying a parent on their shoulders.

References: Crawford 511/3a; HCRI 334; Sydenham 1344 (R4); BMCRR (Sicily) 7; Pompeia 27.

Provenance: Ex Phil Peck ("Morris") Collection [Heritage 61151(26 Jan 2020) Lot 97155]; Professor Angelo Signorelli Collection [P&P Santamaria (4 Jun 1952) Lot 732].

Sextus Pompey was younger son of Pompey the Great. After Caesar's assassination, in 43 BCE, Sextus was honored by the Senate with the title "Commander of the Fleet and Sea Coasts" (Praefectus Classis et Orae Maritimae), which title is abbreviated on the reverse of this coin. Near the same time, Cicero recommended him for augurship; however, Sextus would not actually received augurship until after the Pact of Misenum in 39 BCE. Instead, shortly following the Senate’s designation of Sextus as Commander, the Second Triumvirate was formed and they placed Sextus' name on their proscription list. Sextus soon occupied Sicily with his fleet where he provided haven to other Romans proscribed by the Triumvirs. He retained control of Sicily from 42 to 36 BCE. In 42 BCE, Octavian sent Salvidienus Rufus to dislodge Sextus, but Rufus was defeated. It was likely between this defeat of Rufus and the Pact of Misenum with the Triumvirs (39 BCE) that Sextus struck much of his coinage, including this type.

Piety, or devotion, was an important character trait to the Romans on multiple levels including devotion to parents and family; devotion to the state; and devotion to the gods. The surname “Pius” was adopted by Sextus in recognition of his dutiful continuation of the struggle of his father in support of the Republic, and this notion of piety is strongly depicted on Sextus’ coinage. The obverse of this coin shows Pompey the Great, reflecting Sextus’ devotion to his father’s memory. Pompey’s head is flanked by symbols of the augurate, perhaps alluding to both Sextus’ claim to the augurate following Cicero’s recommendation and Sextus’ devotion to the gods. The rough seas around Sicily were beneficial to Sextus and particularly rough on his enemies, thus Neptune is prominently displayed at the center of the reverse. The reverse also depicts the Catanean brothers of Sicilian myth, Amphinomus and Anapias, helping their elderly parents escape the deadly lava flow of Mount Etna. Representing devoted children, the Catanean brothers may be allegorical references to Sextus’ surname “Pius”, or an indication of the Sicilian city (Catana) in which this issue may have been struck, or both.

This is a particularly complete example of this difficult type which frequently comes off-struck or on small flans.

8 commentsCarausius

Crawford 533/2, ROMAN IMPERATORIAL, Marc Antony, AR DenariusRome, The Imperators.
Marcus Antonius. 43 BCE.
AR Denarius (4.07g; 18mm).
Military mint in Athens, Summer 38 BCE.

Obverse: M ANTONIVS M F M N AVGVR IMP TER; Antony in the priestly robes of an augur, standing right and holding lituus.

Reverse: III VIR R P C COS DESIG ITER ET TERT; Radiate head of Sol facing right.

References: Crawford 533/2; HCRI 267; Sydenham 1199; BMCRR (East) 141; Antonia 80.

Provenance: Ex Kentfield Collection [Heritage Auction 3067 (9 Jun 2018) Lot 33340]; Valerio Traverso Collection [Michele Baranowsky Auction (25 Feb 1931), Lot 1274].

In 50 BCE, Antony was appointed to the College of Augurs, an important group whose job was divining the will of the gods by interpreting auspices (birds and such) and providing advice based on these divinations. Antony was particularly proud of this appointment and referred to it frequently on his coinage, perhaps as a means of highlighting his traditional republican sensibilities. On this coin, he is depicted in full augur regalia. Sol on the reverse is a reference to The East, which Antony controlled per the renewal of the Second Triumvirate several months earlier. The inscriptions reference his augurship, second imperatorial acclamation, and designated second and third consulships. The coin was likely struck in Athens where Antony and Octavia were living after their marriage.
2 commentsCarausius

CUBA - Souvenir PesoCUBA - Souvenir Peso, AR, 1897, stars below baseline, Type II. KM #XM-2
The Cuban Numismatic Association writes:
In 1897, the liberation war campaign is in dire need of funds to buy arms and pay the troops. Numerous fundraising events are held from New York City to Tampa and Key West to raise the much-needed money. in 1897, the war campaign is in dire need of funds to buy arms and pay the troops. Numerous fundraising events are held from New York City to Tampa and Key West to raise the much-needed money.

On March 12, 1897, Andrew J. Cobe, a New York “wheeler-dealer,” writes Estrada Palma, offering his idea to strike a coin that would accelerate “Cuba Libre” such as “a souvenir issue similar to the Columbian half dollar”. The idea catches fire almost immediately and, after the details are spelled out in a letter from Cobe to Estrada Palma on April 17, 1897, an agreement is reached and a contract signed on May 10th to strike 3,000,000 coins with “the first installment to consist of ten thousand coins to be delivered within sixty days from date of this contract.”

To prepare a Plaster Cast of the Obverse and Reverse using a design supplied by Estrada Palma, Mr. Cobe contracts Mr. Phillip Martiny, a designer, sculptor and medalist, who together with Saint-Gaudens, had designed in 1889 the Medal of the Centennial Anniversary of the Inauguration of George Washington as President of The United States. Mr. Martiny declines to charge for his work as a donation to the Cuba Libre cause.dpaul7

EB0250 Lituus / WreathJUDAEA, PONTIUS PILATE, 23-36 AD, AE 15.5 (prutah ?), Year 17 of Tiberius = 30 AD.
Obverse: TIBEΡIOY KAICAΡOC, lituus (Augur's staff).
Reverse: Date LIZ in wreath.
References: M. 230; SNG ANS 373; AJC II 23.
Diameter: 15.5mm, Weight: 1.815g.
Note: Sold.EB

George Washington, U.S. Mint Cabinet of MedalsObv: GEORGE WASHINGTON above, BORN FEB. 22 1732 * DIED DEC. 14, 1799 below; bust of George Washington facing right, within a circle.

Rev: WASHINGTON CABINET OF MEDALS, U. S. MINT above, INAUGURATED FEB. 22 1860 below; a pyramid shaped display of Washington medals surmounted with a bust, all within a circle.

Engraver: Anthony C. Paquet

Mint: Philadelphia, Date: 1860 (20th Century Restrike), Bronze, Diameter: 59.7 mmMatt Inglima

Hartill 14.1, Schjoth 312 ffTang Dynasty: Kai Yuan (Early Type, 621-718)

1 cash (cast bronze), nominal weight 1 to 1.1 qian (= 3.73 to 4.103 g.), 2.23 g., 23.70 mm.

Obv: Kai Yuan tong bao

Rev: Blank

The Kai Yuan was the main coin issued by the Tang. It was cast for most of the dynasty, nearly 300 years. It was first issued by the Emperor Gao Zu in the Autumn of the fourth year of the Wu De Period (August 621). This early type is known as the Wu De Kai Yuan. The inscription Kai Yuan tong bao (the Inaugural Currency) is the first to include the phrase tong bao. The Kai Yuan became the prototype for subsequent Chinese coinage.

Hartill rarity 14

ex Forvm Ancient Coins
Stkp

Hartill 14.3a, Schjöth –, Zeno #308446Tang Dynasty: Kai Yuan (Middle Type, 718-732)

1 cash (cast bronze), 4.00 g., 25.27 mm., 0°

Obv: Kai Yuan tong bao 開元通寶 (no shoulder Yuan 元)

Rev: Nail mark, above

The Kai Yuan was the main coin issued by the Tang. It was cast for most of the dynasty, nearly 300 years. It was first issued by the Emperor Gao Zu in the Autumn of the fourth year of the Wu De Period (August 621). The inscription Kai Yuan tong bao (the Inaugural Currency) is the first to include the phrase tong bao. The Kai Yuan became the prototype for subsequent Chinese coinage.

Hartill rarity 14Stkp

Hartill 14.3y; Schjöth 312 ff.; Doo Type 2, pp. 40-41; Zeno #308162Tang Dynasty: Kai Yuan (Middle Type, 718-732 per Hartill, based on Thierry; or Early Period, 621-713 per Doo)

1 cash (cast bronze), 3.88 g., 24.45 mm., 0°

Obv: Kai Yuan tong bao 開元通寶 (no shoulder Yuan 元)

Rev: Crescent (facing downward), below

The Kai Yuan was the main coin issued by the Tang. It was cast for most of the dynasty, nearly 300 years. It was first issued by the Emperor Gao Zu in the Autumn of the fourth year of the Wu De Period (August 621). The inscription Kai Yuan tong bao (the Inaugural Currency) is the first to include the phrase tong bao. The Kai Yuan became the prototype for subsequent Chinese coinage.

Hartill rarity 14

Attribution per Doo courtesy of La Vansa (Zeno comment 2/10/2023)Stkp

Hartill 14.4 Schjoth 312 ffTang Dynasty: Kai Yuan (Middle Type, 718-732)

1 cash (cast bronze), 3.57 g., 24.50 mm.

Obv: Kai Yuan tong bao (left shoulder Yuan)

Rev: Blank

The Kai Yuan was the main coin issued by the Tang. It was cast for most of the dynasty, nearly 300 years. It was first issued by the Emperor Gao Zu in the Autumn of the fourth year of the Wu De Period (August 621). The inscription Kai Yuan tong bao (the Inaugural Currency) is the first to include the phrase tong bao. The Kai Yuan became the prototype for subsequent Chinese coinage.

Hartill rarity 13

ex Forvm Ancient Coins
Stkp

Hartill 14.5, Schjöth –, Zeno #308058Tang Dynasty: Kai Yuan (Middle Type, 718-732)

1 cash (cast bronze), 3.92 g., 24.98 mm.

Obv: Kai Yuan tong bao 開元通寶 (right shoulder Yuan 元)

Rev: Blank

The Kai Yuan was the main coin issued by the Tang. It was cast for most of the dynasty, nearly 300 years. It was first issued by the Emperor Gao Zu in the Autumn of the fourth year of the Wu De Period (August 621). The inscription Kai Yuan tong bao (the Inaugural Currency) is the first to include the phrase tong bao. The Kai Yuan became the prototype for subsequent Chinese coinage.

Hartill rarity 13Stkp

Hartill 14.6, Schjöth 312 ff., Zeno #308720Hartill 14.6, Schjöth 312 ff., Zeno #308720

Tang Dynasty: Kai Yuan (Late Type, 732-907)

1 cash (cast bronze), 4.42 g., 25.07 mm.

Obv: Kai Yuan tong bao 開元通寶 (no shoulder Yuan 元)

Rev: Blank

The Kai Yuan was the main coin issued by the Tang. It was cast for most of the dynasty, nearly 300 years. It was first issued by the Emperor Gao Zu in the Autumn of the fourth year of the Wu De Period (August 621). The inscription Kai Yuan tong bao (the Inaugural Currency) is the first to include the phrase tong bao. The Kai Yuan became the prototype for subsequent Chinese coinage.

Hartill rarity 14Stkp

Hartill 14.77, Schjöth 370, Fisher’s Ding 710, Doo Type IVB, imitating Type IIIB, at Doo p. 70; Zeno #308766Tang Dynasty: Kai Yuan (Late Period, 845-907, per Doo; Hui Chang Period (841-846, per Doo or 845-846 per Hartill based on Thierry)
1 cash (cast bronze), Luozhou mint, Henanfu prefecture (now Luoyang, Henan), cast 845-846; 3.62 g., 24.36 mm. max., 0°

Obv: Kai Yuan tong bao 開元通寶

Rev: Luo 洛 above

The Kai Yuan was the main coin issued by the Tang. It was cast for most of the dynasty, nearly 300 years. It was first issued by the Emperor Gao Zu in the Autumn of the fourth year of the Wu De Period (August 621). The inscription Kai Yuan tong bao (the Inaugural Currency) is the first to include the phrase tong bao. The Kai Yuan became the prototype for subsequent Chinese coinage.

Hartill rarity 14Stkp

Hartill 14.8 Schjoth 312 ffTang Dynasty: Kai Yuan (Late Type, 732-907)

1 cash (cast bronze), 2.29 g., 23.37 mm.

Obv: Kai Yuan tong bao (left shoulder Yuan)

Rev: Blank

The Kai Yuan was the main coin issued by the Tang. It was cast for most of the dynasty, nearly 300 years. It was first issued by the Emperor Gao Zu in the Autumn of the fourth year of the Wu De Period (August 621). The inscription Kai Yuan tong bao (the Inaugural Currency) is the first to include the phrase tong bao. The Kai Yuan became the prototype for subsequent Chinese coinage.

Hartill rarity 13

ex Forvm Ancient CoinsStkp

Hartill 14.81, Schjöth 393, Doo Type IVB, cast in a mold with coins of Type IB used as mother coins, at Doo p. 75; Zeno #308814Tang Dynasty: Kai Yuan (Late Period, 845-907, per Doo; Hui Chang Period (841-846, per Doo or 845-846 per Hartill based on Thierry)
1 cash (cast bronze), Runzhou mint in East-Jiangnan (now Zhenjiang, Jiangsu), cast 845-846; 3.47 g., 23.29 mm. max., 0°

Obv: Kai Yuan tong bao 開元通寶

Rev: Run 潤 above

The Kai Yuan was the main coin issued by the Tang. It was cast for most of the dynasty, nearly 300 years. It was first issued by the Emperor Gao Zu in the Autumn of the fourth year of the Wu De Period (August 621). The inscription Kai Yuan tong bao (the Inaugural Currency) is the first to include the phrase tong bao. The Kai Yuan became the prototype for subsequent Chinese coinage.

Hartill rarity 14Stkp

Herennius Etruscus RIC IV, 143Herennius Etruscus AD 250-251, son of Trajan Decius
AR - Antoninian, 4.32g, 21mm
Rome 6. officin, Jan.-Dec. 250
obv. Q HER ETR MES DECIVS NOB C
bust draped, radiate r.
rev. PIETAS AVGVSTORVM
priestley implement
RIC IV/3, 143; C.14
Scarce; good VF, mint luster

Priestly implement from l. to r.:
1. ASPERGILLUM, a whisk for sprinkling holy water. Word not used in ancient authors!
2. SIMPUVIUM, an earthen ladle, Symbol of the PONTIFICES of Rome. Often called incorrectly Simpulum!
3. GUTTURNIUM, a narrow-necked jug for small quantities of liquids
4. PATERA, a shallow bowl for pouring liquids, grain or salt upon the fire or victims. In the early times symbol of the VI VIRI EPULONES, then used by many emperors or deities without a special meaning.
5. LITUUS, a curved staff, top hooked. With this staff the AUGURES marked out the 'templum', the area to undertake observations of birds. Origin of the Bishop's Staff.
1 commentsJochen

I. MINUCIUS C.F. AUGURINUS AR DENARIUSOBVERSE: Head of Roma right, star behind
REVERSE: TI MINVCI C F on left, RO-MA above, AVGVRINI on right; 2 togate figures, one holding a simpulum, the other a lituus, standing by statue on column, grain ears on either side of the column
Rome, 134 BC
3.86g, 17mm
Cr243/1, Syd 494, Minucia 9
The reverse refers to a bronze monument erected outside of Portia Trigemina (at Rome) to L. Minucius Augurinus for his distribution of corn to the common people at a low price. The column and statue (a modius with corn ears) was erected at public expense some time after. Undoubtedly there are subtle issues to this reference that did not survive the passage of time.1 commentsLegatus

Italy- Forum Romanum- The Forum of TrajanThe Forum of Trajan has a more complicated foundation than the other Imperial Forums. The piazza is closed, with the Basilica Ulpia. At the back of this the Trajan column was elevated between the two Libraries, and it was believed that the complex concluded with the Temple dedicated to Divo Trajan. One entered the piazza through a curved arch passageway, a type of arch of triumph, in the center of a convex wall decorated with jutting columns.
An equestrian statue of Trajan occupied the center of the piazza, which was bordered by porticos with decorated attics-similar to the Forum of Augustus but with Caryatids instead of Daci. Spacious covered exedras opened up behind the porticos. The facade of the basilica, that closed the piazza, also had an attic decorated with Daci statues. The inside of the Basilica had 5 naves with columns along the short sides and apses at both ends; the very spacious central nave had two floors.
The Trajan Column was closed in a small courtyard, bordered by porticos opposite of the Library's facade. These were constituted of large rooms with niches in the walls and decorated with two types of columns.
The temple was probably of an enormous dimension and probably closed by a fenced portico. Today's archeological excavations in the Forum of Trajan have demonstrated that the Temple of Trajan's position is not what it was hypothesized to be in the past. Archeological evidence has clarified the findings in the area to be Insulae- remains of houses rather than those from a temple structure. These findings lie underneath what is today the Province headquarters- the palazzo of Valentini, next to the Column's location.
Rather, the temple was probably situated exactly in the middle of the forum area, where excavation is now taking place.

The Forum of Trajan was utilized as a splendid area of representation for public ceremonies. We know, for example, that in 118 A.D. Adriano publicly burned tables with citizen's debts in the piazza, as a statement to the treasury.
Also, in the late epoch, exedras behind the lateral porticos were used to host poetry readings and conferences.
Court hearings and ceremonies for the freedom of slaves were probably held in the apses of the Basilica.
The Library was probably used as a sort of historical archive of the Roman state and also conserved republican annals.
The sculptural decorations in the various Forum spaces transmitted messages of imperial propaganda of Trajan.
Above all was the celebration of the Daci conquest and the victorious army with focus on the achievement of peace. The representation was sculpted into the walls with images of the conquests.
Images of cupids watering griffins on the entrance wall allude again to the peacefulness of the Empire's power.
The expansion and growth of the Empire, completed with the campaign towards the Orient and interrupted by the death of the Emperor, would have allowed Trajan to consider himself the new founder of Rome.
His representation as a hero is justified in his sepulcher in the base of the Column, in the heart of the city.

Forum of Trajan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

107 A.D. - Dacia (Romania) conquered and work begins;
January 15th 112 A.D. – Inauguration of the Forum and the Basilica Ulpia;
May 18th 113 A.D. – Inauguration of the Trajan Column;
117 A.D. – Trajan dies and the arch of triumph is ordered by the Senate;
125-138 A.D. – Probable dedication to the temple on behalf of Adrian.

Complex Area: 300x180 meters
uncovered piazza area: 120x90 meters

Area of the Basilica Ulpia: 180x60 meters
Height of Trajan's Column: 39.81 meters
Peter Wissing

Italy- Rome- Coliseum constructed by Flavius and seen from outsideColosseum
The Colosseum or Coliseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre (lat. Amphitheatrum Flavium), is an amphitheatre in Rome, capable of seating 50,000 spectators, which was once used for gladiatorial combat. It was built by Emperor Vespasian and his son, Titus, between AD 72 and AD 90. It was built at the site of Nero's enormous palace, the Domus Aurea. The Colosseum's name is derived from a colossus (a 130-foot or 40-metre statue) of Nero which once stood nearby.

Construction
The construction of the Colosseum began under the Emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and was completed by his son, Titus, in the 80s AD. It was built at the site of Nero's enormous palace, the Domus Aurea, which had been built after the great fire of Rome in AD 64. Some historians are of the opinion that the construction of the Colosseum might have been financed by the looting of King Herod the Great's Temple in Jerusalem which occurred about AD 70. Dio Cassius said that 9,000 wild animals were killed in the one hundred days of celebration which inaugurated the amphitheatre opening. The arena floor was covered with sand to sop up the blood.

The Colosseum hosted large-scale spectacular games that included fights between animals (venationes), the killing of prisoners by animals and other executions (noxii), naval battles (naumachiae, via flooding the arena), and combats between gladiators (munera). It has been estimated that between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people died in the Colosseum games.

History of the name Colosseum
The Colosseum's name is derived from a colossus (a 130-foot or 40-metre statue) of Nero nearby. This statue was later remodeled by Nero's successors into the likeness of Sol, the sun god, by adding the appropriate solar crown. The link to Nero's colossus seems to have been forgotten over time, and the name was corrupted to Coliseum in the Middle Ages. Both names are frequently used in modern English, but "Flavian Amphitheatre" is generally unknown. In Italy, it is still known as il colosseo, but other Romance languages have gone for forms such as le colisée and el coliseo.

Description
The Colosseum measured 48 metres high, 188 metres long, and 156 metres wide. The wooden arena floor was 86 metres by 54 metres, and covered by sand. Its elliptical shape kept the players from retreating to a corner, and allowed the spectators to be closer to the action than a circle would allow.

The Colosseum was ingeniously designed. It has been said that most spectacle venues (stadiums, and similar) have been influenced by features of the Colosseum's structure, even well into modern times. Seating (cavea) was divided into different sections. The podium, the first level of seating, was for the Roman senators, and the emperor's private, cushioned, marble box was also located on this level. Above the podium was the maenianum primum, for the other Roman aristocrats who were not in the senate. The third level, the maenianum secundum, was divided into three sections. The lower part (the immum) was for wealthy citizens, while the upper part (the summum) was for poor citizens. A third, wooden section (the maenianum secundum in legneis) was a wooden structure at the very top of the building, added by Domitian. It was standing room only, and was for lower class women.

Underneath the arena was the hypogeum (literally, "underground"), a network of tunnels and cages where gladiators and animals were held before contests began. There were also numerous trap doors in the arena floor for the various animals hidden underneath. The arena floor no longer exists, and the hypogeum walls and corridors are clearly visible in the ruins of the building. The entire base of the Colosseum was equivalent to 6 acres (160,000 m²).

A most ingenious part of the Colosseum was its cooling system. It was roofed using a canvas covered net-like structure made of ropes, with a hole in the center. This roof sloped down towards the center to catch the wind and provide a breeze for the audience. Sailors manipulated the ropes. The Colosseum also had vomitoria - passageways that open into a tier of seats from below or behind. The vomitoria of the Colosseum in Rome were designed so that the immense venue could fill in 15 minutes, and be evacuated in 5 minutes. Each entrance and exit was numbered, as was each staircase. There were 80 entrances at ground level, 76 for ordinary spectators, two for the imperial family, and two for the gladiators. The vomitoria quickly dispersed people into their seats and upon conclusion of the event disgorged them with abruptness into the surrounding streets - giving rise, presumably, to the name.

Later history
The Colosseum was in continuous use until 217, when it was damaged by fire after it was struck by lightning. It was restored in 238 and gladiatorial games continued until Christianity gradually put an end to those parts of them which included the death of humans. The building was used for various purposes, mostly venationes (animal hunts), until 524. Two earthquakes (in 442 and 508) caused a great damage to the structure. In the Middle Ages, it was severely damaged by further earthquakes (847 and 1349), and was then converted into a fortress. The marble that originally covered it was burned to make quicklime. During the Renaissance, but mostly in the Baroque age, the ruling Roman families (from which many popes came) used it as a source of marble for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica and the private Palazzi. A famous description is in the saying Quod non fecerunt Barbari, fecerunt Barberini; what the Barbarians weren't able to do, was done by the Barberinis (one such family).

The Venerable Bede (c. 672-735) wrote

Quandiu stabit coliseus, stabit et Roma; (As long as the Colosseum stands, so shall Rome)
Quando cadit coliseus, cadet et Roma (When the Colosseum falls, so shall Rome)
Quando cadet Roma, cadet et mundus. (When Rome falls, so shall the world)
Note that he used coliseus, i.e. he made the name a masculine noun. This form is no longer in use.

In 1749, as a very early example of historic preservation, Pope Benedict XIV forbade the use of the Colosseum as a quarry. He consecrated the building to the Passion of Christ and installed Stations of the Cross, declaring it sanctified by the blood of the Christian martyrs who were thought to have perished there. Later popes initiated various stabilization and restoration projects. Every Good Friday the pope leads a procession within the ellipse in memory of Christian martyrs. However, there is no historical evidence that Christians were tortured and killed in the Colosseum [2]. It is presumed that the majority of Christian martyrdom in Rome took place at the Circus Maximus.

In recent years, the local authorities of Rome have illuminated the Colosseum all night long whenever someone condemned to the death penalty gets commuted or released.

Peter Wissing

Italy- Rome- Coliseum seen from outsideColosseum
The Colosseum or Coliseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre (lat. Amphitheatrum Flavium), is an amphitheatre in Rome, capable of seating 50,000 spectators, which was once used for gladiatorial combat. It was built by Emperor Vespasian and his son, Titus, between AD 72 and AD 90. It was built at the site of Nero's enormous palace, the Domus Aurea. The Colosseum's name is derived from a colossus (a 130-foot or 40-metre statue) of Nero which once stood nearby.

Construction
The construction of the Colosseum began under the Emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and was completed by his son, Titus, in the 80s AD. It was built at the site of Nero's enormous palace, the Domus Aurea, which had been built after the great fire of Rome in AD 64. Some historians are of the opinion that the construction of the Colosseum might have been financed by the looting of King Herod the Great's Temple in Jerusalem which occurred about AD 70. Dio Cassius said that 9,000 wild animals were killed in the one hundred days of celebration which inaugurated the amphitheatre opening. The arena floor was covered with sand to sop up the blood.

The Colosseum hosted large-scale spectacular games that included fights between animals (venationes), the killing of prisoners by animals and other executions (noxii), naval battles (naumachiae, via flooding the arena), and combats between gladiators (munera). It has been estimated that between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people died in the Colosseum games.

History of the name Colosseum
The Colosseum's name is derived from a colossus (a 130-foot or 40-metre statue) of Nero nearby. This statue was later remodeled by Nero's successors into the likeness of Sol, the sun god, by adding the appropriate solar crown. The link to Nero's colossus seems to have been forgotten over time, and the name was corrupted to Coliseum in the Middle Ages. Both names are frequently used in modern English, but "Flavian Amphitheatre" is generally unknown. In Italy, it is still known as il colosseo, but other Romance languages have gone for forms such as le colisée and el coliseo.

Description
The Colosseum measured 48 metres high, 188 metres long, and 156 metres wide. The wooden arena floor was 86 metres by 54 metres, and covered by sand. Its elliptical shape kept the players from retreating to a corner, and allowed the spectators to be closer to the action than a circle would allow.

The Colosseum was ingeniously designed. It has been said that most spectacle venues (stadiums, and similar) have been influenced by features of the Colosseum's structure, even well into modern times. Seating (cavea) was divided into different sections. The podium, the first level of seating, was for the Roman senators, and the emperor's private, cushioned, marble box was also located on this level. Above the podium was the maenianum primum, for the other Roman aristocrats who were not in the senate. The third level, the maenianum secundum, was divided into three sections. The lower part (the immum) was for wealthy citizens, while the upper part (the summum) was for poor citizens. A third, wooden section (the maenianum secundum in legneis) was a wooden structure at the very top of the building, added by Domitian. It was standing room only, and was for lower class women.

Underneath the arena was the hypogeum (literally, "underground"), a network of tunnels and cages where gladiators and animals were held before contests began. There were also numerous trap doors in the arena floor for the various animals hidden underneath. The arena floor no longer exists, and the hypogeum walls and corridors are clearly visible in the ruins of the building. The entire base of the Colosseum was equivalent to 6 acres (160,000 m²).

A most ingenious part of the Colosseum was its cooling system. It was roofed using a canvas covered net-like structure made of ropes, with a hole in the center. This roof sloped down towards the center to catch the wind and provide a breeze for the audience. Sailors manipulated the ropes. The Colosseum also had vomitoria - passageways that open into a tier of seats from below or behind. The vomitoria of the Colosseum in Rome were designed so that the immense venue could fill in 15 minutes, and be evacuated in 5 minutes. Each entrance and exit was numbered, as was each staircase. There were 80 entrances at ground level, 76 for ordinary spectators, two for the imperial family, and two for the gladiators. The vomitoria quickly dispersed people into their seats and upon conclusion of the event disgorged them with abruptness into the surrounding streets - giving rise, presumably, to the name.

Later history
The Colosseum was in continuous use until 217, when it was damaged by fire after it was struck by lightning. It was restored in 238 and gladiatorial games continued until Christianity gradually put an end to those parts of them which included the death of humans. The building was used for various purposes, mostly venationes (animal hunts), until 524. Two earthquakes (in 442 and 508) caused a great damage to the structure. In the Middle Ages, it was severely damaged by further earthquakes (847 and 1349), and was then converted into a fortress. The marble that originally covered it was burned to make quicklime. During the Renaissance, but mostly in the Baroque age, the ruling Roman families (from which many popes came) used it as a source of marble for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica and the private Palazzi. A famous description is in the saying Quod non fecerunt Barbari, fecerunt Barberini; what the Barbarians weren't able to do, was done by the Barberinis (one such family).

The Venerable Bede (c. 672-735) wrote

Quandiu stabit coliseus, stabit et Roma; (As long as the Colosseum stands, so shall Rome)
Quando cadit coliseus, cadet et Roma (When the Colosseum falls, so shall Rome)
Quando cadet Roma, cadet et mundus. (When Rome falls, so shall the world)
Note that he used coliseus, i.e. he made the name a masculine noun. This form is no longer in use.

In 1749, as a very early example of historic preservation, Pope Benedict XIV forbade the use of the Colosseum as a quarry. He consecrated the building to the Passion of Christ and installed Stations of the Cross, declaring it sanctified by the blood of the Christian martyrs who were thought to have perished there. Later popes initiated various stabilization and restoration projects. Every Good Friday the pope leads a procession within the ellipse in memory of Christian martyrs. However, there is no historical evidence that Christians were tortured and killed in the Colosseum [2]. It is presumed that the majority of Christian martyrdom in Rome took place at the Circus Maximus.

In recent years, the local authorities of Rome have illuminated the Colosseum all night long whenever someone condemned to the death penalty gets commuted or released.

Peter Wissing

Italy- Rome- Coliseum seen from outside 1Colosseum
The Colosseum or Coliseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre (lat. Amphitheatrum Flavium), is an amphitheatre in Rome, capable of seating 50,000 spectators, which was once used for gladiatorial combat. It was built by Emperor Vespasian and his son, Titus, between AD 72 and AD 90. It was built at the site of Nero's enormous palace, the Domus Aurea. The Colosseum's name is derived from a colossus (a 130-foot or 40-metre statue) of Nero which once stood nearby.

Construction
The construction of the Colosseum began under the Emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and was completed by his son, Titus, in the 80s AD. It was built at the site of Nero's enormous palace, the Domus Aurea, which had been built after the great fire of Rome in AD 64. Some historians are of the opinion that the construction of the Colosseum might have been financed by the looting of King Herod the Great's Temple in Jerusalem which occurred about AD 70. Dio Cassius said that 9,000 wild animals were killed in the one hundred days of celebration which inaugurated the amphitheatre opening. The arena floor was covered with sand to sop up the blood.

The Colosseum hosted large-scale spectacular games that included fights between animals (venationes), the killing of prisoners by animals and other executions (noxii), naval battles (naumachiae, via flooding the arena), and combats between gladiators (munera). It has been estimated that between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people died in the Colosseum games.

History of the name Colosseum
The Colosseum's name is derived from a colossus (a 130-foot or 40-metre statue) of Nero nearby. This statue was later remodeled by Nero's successors into the likeness of Sol, the sun god, by adding the appropriate solar crown. The link to Nero's colossus seems to have been forgotten over time, and the name was corrupted to Coliseum in the Middle Ages. Both names are frequently used in modern English, but "Flavian Amphitheatre" is generally unknown. In Italy, it is still known as il colosseo, but other Romance languages have gone for forms such as le colisée and el coliseo.

Description
The Colosseum measured 48 metres high, 188 metres long, and 156 metres wide. The wooden arena floor was 86 metres by 54 metres, and covered by sand. Its elliptical shape kept the players from retreating to a corner, and allowed the spectators to be closer to the action than a circle would allow.

The Colosseum was ingeniously designed. It has been said that most spectacle venues (stadiums, and similar) have been influenced by features of the Colosseum's structure, even well into modern times. Seating (cavea) was divided into different sections. The podium, the first level of seating, was for the Roman senators, and the emperor's private, cushioned, marble box was also located on this level. Above the podium was the maenianum primum, for the other Roman aristocrats who were not in the senate. The third level, the maenianum secundum, was divided into three sections. The lower part (the immum) was for wealthy citizens, while the upper part (the summum) was for poor citizens. A third, wooden section (the maenianum secundum in legneis) was a wooden structure at the very top of the building, added by Domitian. It was standing room only, and was for lower class women.

Underneath the arena was the hypogeum (literally, "underground"), a network of tunnels and cages where gladiators and animals were held before contests began. There were also numerous trap doors in the arena floor for the various animals hidden underneath. The arena floor no longer exists, and the hypogeum walls and corridors are clearly visible in the ruins of the building. The entire base of the Colosseum was equivalent to 6 acres (160,000 m²).

A most ingenious part of the Colosseum was its cooling system. It was roofed using a canvas covered net-like structure made of ropes, with a hole in the center. This roof sloped down towards the center to catch the wind and provide a breeze for the audience. Sailors manipulated the ropes. The Colosseum also had vomitoria - passageways that open into a tier of seats from below or behind. The vomitoria of the Colosseum in Rome were designed so that the immense venue could fill in 15 minutes, and be evacuated in 5 minutes. Each entrance and exit was numbered, as was each staircase. There were 80 entrances at ground level, 76 for ordinary spectators, two for the imperial family, and two for the gladiators. The vomitoria quickly dispersed people into their seats and upon conclusion of the event disgorged them with abruptness into the surrounding streets - giving rise, presumably, to the name.

Later history
The Colosseum was in continuous use until 217, when it was damaged by fire after it was struck by lightning. It was restored in 238 and gladiatorial games continued until Christianity gradually put an end to those parts of them which included the death of humans. The building was used for various purposes, mostly venationes (animal hunts), until 524. Two earthquakes (in 442 and 508) caused a great damage to the structure. In the Middle Ages, it was severely damaged by further earthquakes (847 and 1349), and was then converted into a fortress. The marble that originally covered it was burned to make quicklime. During the Renaissance, but mostly in the Baroque age, the ruling Roman families (from which many popes came) used it as a source of marble for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica and the private Palazzi. A famous description is in the saying Quod non fecerunt Barbari, fecerunt Barberini; what the Barbarians weren't able to do, was done by the Barberinis (one such family).

The Venerable Bede (c. 672-735) wrote

Quandiu stabit coliseus, stabit et Roma; (As long as the Colosseum stands, so shall Rome)
Quando cadit coliseus, cadet et Roma (When the Colosseum falls, so shall Rome)
Quando cadet Roma, cadet et mundus. (When Rome falls, so shall the world)
Note that he used coliseus, i.e. he made the name a masculine noun. This form is no longer in use.

In 1749, as a very early example of historic preservation, Pope Benedict XIV forbade the use of the Colosseum as a quarry. He consecrated the building to the Passion of Christ and installed Stations of the Cross, declaring it sanctified by the blood of the Christian martyrs who were thought to have perished there. Later popes initiated various stabilization and restoration projects. Every Good Friday the pope leads a procession within the ellipse in memory of Christian martyrs. However, there is no historical evidence that Christians were tortured and killed in the Colosseum [2]. It is presumed that the majority of Christian martyrdom in Rome took place at the Circus Maximus.

In recent years, the local authorities of Rome have illuminated the Colosseum all night long whenever someone condemned to the death penalty gets commuted or released.

Peter Wissing

Italy- Rome- Forum Romanum and the temple of Venus and RomaThe Temple of Venus and Roma (Templum Veneris et Romae in Latin) was the largest temple in Ancient Rome. It was located at the far east side of the Forum Romanum, near the Colosseum. It was dedicated to the goddesses Venus Felix (Venus the Happy) and Roma Aeterna (Eternal Rome). The designer was emperor Hadrian. Construction works on the temple started in 121 AD and though it was inaugurated by Hadrian in 135 AD, the building was finished in 141 AD under Antonius Pius.

The building measured 110 meters in length and 53 meters in width. It was placed on a stage measuring 145 meters in length and 100 meters in width. The temple itself consisted of 2 main chambers (cellae), where the cult statue of the god was, in this case the statues of Venus, the goddess of love, and Roma, the goddess of Rome, both of them seated on a throne. The cellae were placed symmetrically back-to-back. Roma's cella was faced west, looking out over the Forum Romanum, Venus' cella was faced east, looking out over the Colosseum. Each cella had its own line of 4 columns at the entrance. At the west and east sides of the temple (the short sides), 10 white columns were placed and at the south and north sides of the temple (the long sides) 18 white columns were placed. All of these columns measured 1.8 meters in width, making the temple very imposing to see.

Within Venus' cella, there was another altar where newly wed couples could make sacrifices. Right next to this altar stood gigantic, silver statues of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina.

In order to build the temple, which is placed on the remains of Nero's Domus Aurea, the statue of Nero, the Colossus, had to be moved. They placed it near the amphitheatre, which became known as the Colosseum shortly afterwards.

Hadrian's most brilliant architect, Apollodorus, wasn't impressed by his emperor's architectural skills. He made a scornful remark on the size of the statues within the cellae. He said that they'd surely hurt their heads if they tried to stand up from their thrones. He was banned and executed not long after this.

A serious fire in 307 AD caused major damage to the temple. It was restored by emperor Maxentius. Unfortunately, a gigantic earthquake at the beginning of the 9th century destroyed the temple once again. Around 850 though, Pope Leo IV ordered the building of a new church, the Santa Maria Nova, on the ruins of the temple. After a major rebuilding in 1612 this church was renamed the Santa Francesca Romana. This church has incorporated Roma's cella as the belltower.

Over the years, most of the columns around the temple have disappeared. Nowadays, only a few are still standing where they used to be, others that have gone missing have been replaced by buxus trees.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Venus_and_Roma"
Peter Wissing

Italy- Rome- The Arch of Constantine The GreatArch of Constantine
The Arch of Constantine is a triumphal arch in Rome, situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. It was erected to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312 AD. Dedicated in 315 AD, it is the latest of the extant triumphal arches in Rome, from which it differs by the extensive re-use of parts of earlier buildings.

General Description
The arch is 21 m high, 25.7 m wide and 7.4 m deep. It has three archways, the central one being 11.5 m high and 6.5 m wide, the lateral archways 7.4 m by 3.4 m each. The lower part of the monument is built of marble blocks, the top (called attic) is brickwork revetted with marble. A staircase formed in the thickness of the arch is entered from a door at some height from the ground, in the end towards the Palatine Hill. The general design with a main part structured by detached columns and an attic with the main inscription above is modelled after the example of the Arch of Septimius Severus on the Forum Romanum. It has been suggested that the lower part of the arch is re-used from an older monument, probably from the times of the emperor Hadrian (Conforto et al., 2001; for a defence of the view that the whole arch was constructed in the 4th century, see Pensabene & Panella). The arch spans the Via Triumphalis, the way taken by the emperors when they entered the city in triumph. This route started at the Campus Martius, led through the Circus Maximus and around the Palatine Hill; immediately after the Arch of Constantine, the procession would turn left and march along the Via Sacra to the Forum Romanum and on to the Capitoline Hill, passing both the Arches of Titus and Septimius Severus. During the Middle Ages, the Arch of Constantine was incorporated into one of the family strongholds of ancient Rome. Works of restoration were first carried out in the 18th century; the last excavations have taken place in the late 1990s, just before the Great Jubilee of 2000.

Decoration
The decoration of the arch heavily uses parts of older monuments, which are given a new meaning in the context of the Constantinian building. As it celebrates the victory of Constantine, the new "historic" friezes illustrating his campaign in Italy convey the central meaning: the praise of the emperor, both in battle and in his civilian duties. The other imagery supports this purpose: decoration taken from the "golden times" of the Empire under Trajan, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius places Constantine next to these "good emperors", and the content of the pieces evokes images of the victorious and pious ruler. Another explanation given for the re-use is the short time between the start of construction (late 312 at the earliest) and the dedication (summer 315), so the architects used existing artwork to make up for the lack of time to create new one. As yet another possible reason, it has often been suggested that the Romans of the 4th century lacked the artistic skill to produce acceptable artwork and therefore plundered the ancient buildings to adorn their contemporary monuments. This interpretation has become less prominent in more recent times, as the art of Late Antiquity has been appreciated in its own right. It is, of course, possible that a combination of two or all three of those explanations are correct, as they are not mutually exclusive.

Attic
Above the middle archway, the main inscription (see below) takes the most prominent place of the attic. It is identical on both sides of the arch. Flanking the inscription on both sides, there are pairs of relief panels above the minor archways, 8 in total. They were taken from an unknown monument erected in honour of Marcus Aurelius, and show (north side, left to right) the emperor's return to Rome after the campaign (adventus), the emperor leaving the city and saluted by a personification of the Via Flaminia, the emperor distributing money among the people (largitio), the emperor interrogating a German prisoner, (south side, left to right) a captured enemy chieftain led before the emperor, a similar scene with other prisoners, the emperor speaking to the troops (adlocutio), and the emperor sacrificing pig, sheep and bull. Together with three panels now in the Capitoline Museum, the reliefs were probably taken from a triumphal monument commemorating Marcus Aurelius' war against the Sarmatians from 169 - 175, which ended with his triumphant return in 176. On the largitio panel, the figure of Marcus Aurelius' son Commodus has been eradicated after the latter's damnatio memoriae. On top of each of the columns stand marble statues of Dacian prisoners from the times of Trajan, probably taken from the Forum of Trajan. From the same time date the two large (3 m high) panels decorating the attic on the small sides of the arch, showing scenes from the emperor's Dacian Wars. Together with the two reliefs on the inside of the central archway, they came from a large frieze celebrating the Dacian victory. The original place of this frieze was either the Forum of Trajan, as well, or the barracks of the emperor's horse guard on the Caelius.

Main Section
The general layout of the main facade is identical on both sides of the arch. It is divided by four columns of Corinthian order made of Numidian yellow marble (giallo antico), one of which has been transferred into the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano and was replaced by a white marble column. The columns stand on bases showing victory figures on front, and captured barbarians and Roman soldiers on the sides. The spandrels of the main archway are decorated with reliefs depicting victory figures with trophies, those of the smaller archways show river gods. Column bases and spandrel reliefs are from the times of Constantine. Above each lateral archway are pairs of round reliefs dated to the times of emperor Hadrian. They display scenes of hunting and sacrificing: (north side, left to right) hunt of a boar, sacrifice to Apollo, hunt of a lion, sacrifice to Hercules, (south side, left to right) departure for the hunt, sacrifice to Silvanus, hunt of a bear, sacrifice to Diana. The head of the emperor (originally Hadrian) has been reworked in all medaillons: on the north side, into Constantine in the hunting scenes and into Licinius or Constantius I in the sacrifice scenes; on the south side, vice versa. The reliefs, c. 2 m in diameter, were framed in porphyry; this framing is only extant on the right side of the northern facade. Similar medaillons, this time of Constantinian origin, are placed on the small sides of the arch; on the eastern side, showing the Sun rising, and on the western side, the Moon, both on chariots. The main piece from the time of Constantine is the "historical" relief frieze running around the monument under the round panels, one strip above each lateral archway and at the small sides of the arch. These reliefs depict scenes from the Italian campaign of Constantine against Maxentius which was the reason for the construction of the monument. The frieze starts at the western side with the "Departure from Milan". It continues on the southern, "outward" looking face, with the siege of a city, probably Verona, which was of great importance to the war in Northern Italy; also on that face, the Battle of Milvian Bridge with Constantine's army victorious and the enemy drowning in the river Tiber. On the eastern side, Constantine and his army enter Rome; the artist here has avoided to use the imagery of the triumph, as Constantine probably did not want to be shown triumphant over the Eternal City. On the northern face, looking "towards" the city, two strips with the emperor's actions after taking possession of Rome: Constantine speaking to the citizens on the Forum Romanum, and distributing money to the people.

Inner Sides of the Archways
In the central archway, there is one of the large panels of Trajan's Dacian War on either wall. Inside the lateral archways, eight portraits busts (two on each wall), destroyed to such an extent that it is not possible to identify them any more.

Inscriptions
The main inscription reads:

IMP · CAES · FL · CONSTANTINO · MAXIMO · P · F · AVGUSTO · S · P · Q · R · QVOD · INSTINCTV · DIVINITATIS · MENTIS · MAGNITVDINE · CVM · EXERCITV · SVO · TAM · DE · TYRANNO · QVAM · DE · OMNI · EIVS · FACTIONE · VNO · TEMPORE · IVSTIS · REM-PUBLICAM · VLTVS · EST · ARMIS · ARCVM · TRIVMPHIS · INSIGNEM · DICAVIT

Which means in English:

To the Emperor Caesar Flavius Constantinus, the greatest, pious, and blessed Augustus: because he, inspired by the divine, and by the greatness of his mind, has delivered the state from the tyrant and all of his followers at the same time, with his army and just force of arms, the Senate and People of Rome have dedicated this arch, decorated with triumphs.

The words instinctu divinitatis ("inspired by the divine") have been much commented. They are usually read as sign of Constantine's shifting religious affiliation: The Christian tradition, most notably Lactantius and Eusebius of Caesarea, relate the story of a vision of the Christian god to Constantine during the campaign, and that he was victorious in the sign of the cross at the Milvian Bridge. The official documents (esp. coins) still prominently display the Sun God until 324 AD, while Constantine started to support the Christian church from 312 on. In this situation, the vague wording of the inscription can be seen as the attempt to please all possible readers, being deliberately ambiguous, and acceptable to both pagans and Christians. As was customary, the vanquished enemy is not mentioned by name, but only referred to as "the tyrant", drawing on the notion of the rightful killing of a tyrannical ruler; together with the image of the "just war", it serves as justification of Constantine's civil war against his co-emperor Maxentius.

Two short inscriptions on the inside of the central archway transport a similar message: Constantine came not as conqueror, but freed Rome from occupation:

LIBERATORI VRBIS (liberator of the city) - FUNDATORI QVIETIS (founder of peace)

Over each of the small archways, inscriptions read:

VOTIS X - VOTIS XX SIC X - SIC XX

They give a hint on the date of the arch: "Solemn vows for the 10th anniversary - for the 20th anniversary" and "as for the 10th, so for the 20th anniversary". Both refer to Constantine's decennalia, i.e. the 10th anniversary of his reign (counted from 306), which he celebrated in Rome in the summer of 315 AD. It can be assumed that the arch honouring his victory was inaugurated during his stay in the city.

Peter Wissing

Italy- Rome- The honory column of TrajanThe Trajan's Column -
This elegant marble column was inaugurated by Trajan in AD 113, and celebrates his two campaigns in Dacia (Romania) in AD 101-3 and AD 107-8. The column, base and pedestal are 40 m (131 ft.) tall - precisely the same height as the spur of the Quirinal hill which was excavated to make room for Trajan's Forum.
The Trajan Column
The Trajan Column is constructed of giant marble blocks and a spiral staircase leading to the top. The base, excavated inside to re-excavate the tomb, was sculpted with panels of stacked Dacian arms.
A long embellishment goes around the column shaft like a roll of papyrus, leaving the fluting under the Doric capital visible.
The embellishment narrates two Dacian wars, representing the enemy with pride and humanity.
There were 2,500 figures sculpted in similar but various poses to avoid repetitiveness.
The column reaches in height to the top according to correct optics.

A- Hollowness in the Column: The Trajan column is a hollow shaft made of marble. In the area of the Basilica Ulpia, a gray granite fragment is visible with an interesting wavy border.
This was probably from one of the temple columns of 50 feet in height (around 15 meters).
It was probably impossible to extract such monolithic blocks from the mines, so the column was probably constructed by stacking hollow blocks, using these wavy borders to hide the joined areas and reinforce the column's structure.

Spiralling up the column are minutely detailed scenes from the campaigns, beginning whit the Romans preparing for war and ending with the Dacians being ousted from their homeland. The column is pierced with small windows to illuminate its internal spiral staircase (closed to the public). If you wish to see the reliefs in detail there is a complete set of casts in the Museo della Civiltà Romana at EUR. When Trajan died in AD 117 his ashes, along with those of his wife Plotina, were placed in a golden urn in the column's hollow base.

The column's survival was largely thanks to the intervention of Pope Gregory the Great (reigned 590-604). He was so moved by a relief showing Trajan helping a woman whose son had been killed that he begged God to release the emperor's soul from hell. God duly appeared to the pope to say that Trajan had been rescued, but asked him not to pray for the souls of any more pagans. According to legend, when Trajan's ashes were exhumed his skull and tongue were not only intact, but his tongue told of his release from hell.

The land around the column was then declared sacred and the column itself was spared. The statue of Trajan remained on top of the column until 1587, when it was replaced with one of St Peter.
Peter Wissing

Italy- Rome- The Mausoleum of Hadrian- Castel St.Angelo
(Hadrian's Mausoleum) -
This building has had a checkered history. Originally a dynastic tomb, it was converted into a fortress, then became a noble dwelling and finally a papal residence; between times it served as a barracks, a prison and a museum.
Hadrian (117-38 AD) built a tomb in Domizia's gardens that was to become the dynastic sepulcher of the Antonines. Work started in 123 but was only completed in 139, after's death. The Pons Aelius (the predecessor of the Ponte Sant'Angelo 239), inaugurated in 134, linked the monument to the Campo Marzio.

The Sepulchral Chamber. The present entrance (which is about 10 feet above the level of the ancient one) leads via a short corridor to a square hall. The semicircular niche hollowed out in the back wall was probably intended to contain a statue of Hadrian. On the right is a spiral ramp leading to the cella (mortuary chamber), the heart of the monument. In this square room, which was originally faced with marble, the funerary urns of Emperor Hadrian and his wife, sabina.

Sant'Angelo was Rome's most important fortified area, anyone who held it had virtually the whole town at his mercy. Consequently, its history reflected the city's turbulent internal conflicts. Between the 10th and 11th centuries it passed into the hands of the most powerful noble families before suffering a massive attack by the Roman people, who made up their minds to demolish it in 1379.

Fortifications and Modifications. Under Nicholas III the castle became papal property. Most of the alterations to the building carried out between the pontificates of Nicholas V (1447-55) and Urban VII (1623-44) had a military purpose. Access to the subterranean galleries was blocked, two towers were built at the entrance and four bastions at the corners, a moat was dug, pentagonal ramparts were erected with five small forts (today no longer standing) and, finally the Corridoio or Passetto, the fortified passageway linking St Peter's to the castle, was strengthenedPeter Wissing

John Hyrcanus I / Antiochus VII. 104-76 BC. Prutah , S.E. 181= 132/131 BC. Obv: Upside down anchor flanked by BAÎ£IÎ›EÎ©Î£ ANTIOXOY EYEPÎ“ETOY (of King Antiochus, benefactor), date along left side of anchor AÎ P (181).
Rev: Lily.
15.4 MM AND 3.09 GRAMS.
References: Hendin 451. SNG Israel 2134.
This type probably inaugurated the Hasmonean mint in Jerusalem as the first Judean prutah, with the approval of Antiochus VII. The lily was a symbol of Jerusalem and its use in lieu of a portrait was apparently part of the Seleucid effort to appease the Jews, whose law stated: Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image…Canaan

JUDAEA, UNDER THE ROMAN PROCURATORS: PONTIUS PILATE. 30-31AD. Bronze -15mm. (1.68 gm).
Obv: Lituus (Augur's staff).
Rev: Date within wreath (30/31 AD).Dino

Judea Pontius PilatePontius Pilate, procurator of Judea under Tiberius, 26-36 AD, bronze prutah. 2.180g,16.0mm, die axis 0o, 30 A.D.; obverse TIBEPIOY KAICAPOC, lituus (augural wand); reverse LIZ (year 17) within wreath A FORUM coin.
lawrence c

Julius CaesarJulius Caesar
46 BC
Africa (perhaps Utica) or Spain
3.45 g
20 mm
--- COS TERT DICT ITER (Consul Tertius Dictator Iterum)
Head of Ceres, right.
--- AVGVR PONT MAX (Augurus Pontifex Maximus)
Simpulum, sprinkler, capis and lituus. Letter D.
Sydenham 1023 - Crawford 467/1a1 commentsArgentoratum

Kings of Macedon, Alexander III The Great, 336-323 BC, AR Tetradrachm - Tarsos Head of young Herakles right in lion skin headdress, paws tied at neck.
ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡOΥ Zeus Aëtophoros seated left, pellet under throne. ΔI monogram graffiti before head of Zeus.

Price 2993; Newell Tarsos 3 (Newell’s Officina A, dies IX/25) pl. II, 2 (same dies); Muller 1291.
Tarsos mint 333/2 BC.

(26 mm, 17.18 g, 11h).

ex- Gorny & Mosch.

Newell catalogued forty examples of this type from six obverse and thirty reverse dies indicating a far more prolific issuance than the inaugural Tarsos 1 emission to which it is die linked by five examples struck with Tarsos obverse die III. All of the specimens of Tarsos 3 catalogued by Newell originated in the Demanhur Hoard. Price did not catalog any additional specimens to those noted by Newell in the British Museum Collection, which holds five specimens from the Newell Collection. 2 commentsn.igma

L. Marcius Censorinus - AR denariusRome
²83 BC / ¹82 BC
laureate head of Apollo right
Marsyas standing left, rising hand, holding with wine skin over shoulder; column topped with Victory behind
L·CENSOR
¹Crawford 363/1, SRCV I 281, Sydenham 737, RSC I Marcia 24
²Mark Passehl - Roman moneyer & coin type chronology, 150 – 50 BC
3,8g 18mm
ex Rauch

The moneyer selected the design to play on his name, Marsyas sounds like Marcius.

Marsyas found Athena's flute. Inspired by the breath of a goddess, it played beautifully. Foolishly he challenged Apollo to a musical contest. Apollo won by singing to the music of his lyre. As a just punishment for his presumption, Apollo flayed Marsyas alive. His blood was the source of the river Marsyas, and his skin was hung like a wine bag in the cave out of which that river flows. The column depicted on reverse stood on Forum Romanum near praetorian tribunal. It was built by moneyer's ancestor C. Marcius Rutilius Censorius who as the first plebeian became augur in 300 BC and who also became censor as one of the first plebeians.J. B.

Lokris, Opuntia. Persephone and Ajax of Lokris Stater.Greece. Lokris, Opuntia. 350-340 BC. AR Stater (12.21 gm, 25.1mm, 6h) on Aeginetic standard. Head of Persephone r., hair wreathed with grain, wearing pearl necklace, ornate pendant earring. / Ajax of Lokris wearing crested Corinthian helmet, advancing r., holding short sword, large shield decorated with griffin. Spear behind. OΠONTΙΩΝ. VF. Inaugural type type of its series? Bt. Coral Gables, 1999. BCD Lokris-Phokis #457.2 (same obv. die), BCD (NAC 55) #70; BMC p.4 #28 (pl.1 #9) (same); HGC 4 #991; Humphris & Delbridge Gp.21 #154 (O25/R61) (pl.9AR); SNG Delepierre 1260 (same dies).1 commentsAnaximander

Marc AntonyObv. (M ANT ) IMP
Emblems of the augurate - lituus, capis and raven.
Rev. Victory standing right, crowning trophy

Quinar, summer 43 BC, Military mint travelling with Antony and Lepidus in Transalpine Gaul.
14 mm 1,596gSEAR 121 Woytek 248Priscus

Marc Antony. Legionary Denarius, LEG II.Roman Imperatorial. Marc Antony. Autumn 32-Spring 31 BC. AR Denarius (3.39 gm, 16.4mm, 7h) Legionary issue of Patrae. Praetorian galley right, ANT AVG above, [III VI]R R P C below [Antony Augur Tresviri Rei Publicae Constituendae]. / Legionary standards (signa) on either side of legionary eagle (aquila). LEG II (Augusta) below. VF. CNG EA 460 #486. Prof. David R. Beatty coll., CM, OBE. Ex-Dr. Robert B. Beckett, Jr. Coll. (CNG 105, 10 May 2017), #750; Goldberg 5.2 (7 June 2000), #3520. Crawford 544/14; Sear CRI 349; Sydenham CRR 1216; RSC 1 #27; RBW 1838.
The legion possibly represented on this coin was Legio II Augusta. It was founded around 43 BC, and swore allegiance to Octavian after the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC, and remained in his service through the Battle of Actium. Afterward, it was apparently dissolved between 30-14 BC, and soon after reformed as the new Legio II Augusta (Heritage).Anaximander

Marc Antony. Legionary Denarius, LEG III.Roman Imperatorial. Marc Antony. 32-31 BC. AR Denarius (3.13 gm, 16.5mm, 6h) Legionary issue of Patrae. Praetorian galley right, ANT AV above, III VIR R P C below [Antony Augur - Tresviri Rei Publicae Constituendae]. Banker's mark. / Legionary standards (signa) on either side of legionary eagle (aquila). LEG III (Gallica or Cyrenaica) below. gVF. Bt. Gables Coin, 1999. BMCRR 193; Crawford 544/15; RSC I #28; Sear CRI 350; SRCV I #1479 var (Leg III); Sydenham CRR 1217; Vagi 152.

Struck for Marc Antony’s 3rd Legion, but which one? It is probably Legio III Gallica, a legion that Julius Caesar raised during his campaigns in Gaul and which Antony then assumed. That, or it was the one that Antony raised in North Africa.

Legionary denari were likely struck at Marc Antony's base in Patras, Greece, but could have been struck at mobile mints moving with his legions. With weight of around 3.9 gm, they were similar to standard Roman denari, but their silver content was lower than the Roman standard of 0.968 fine, coming in only around 0.922 fine, more typical of Eastern coinage.Anaximander

Marc Antony. Legionary Denarius, LEG VI.Roman Imperatorial. Marc Antony. Autumn 32-Spring 31 BC. AR Denarius (3.68 gm, 17.1mm, 6h) Legionary issue of Patrae. Praetorian galley right, ANT AVG above, III VIR R P C below [Antony Augur - Tresviri Rei Publicae Constituendae]. / Legionary standards (signa) on either side of legionary eagle (aquila). LEG VI (Victrix, Ferrata) below. gVF. CNG EA 460 #488. Prof. David R. Beatty coll., CM, OBE. Ex CNG Auction 82 (16 September 2009) #958. "Toned, light porosity, graffito above galley. Well centered." Crawford 544/19; Sear CRI 356; Sydenham CRR 1223; RSC 33; RBW 1841. Anaximander

Marc Antony. Legionary Denarius, LEG XIV.Roman Imperatorial. Marc Antony. Autumn 32-Spring 31 BC. AR Denarius (3.80 gm, 19.5mm, 4h) Legionary issue of Patrae. Praetorian galley right, ANT AVG above, [III VIR] R P C below [Antony Augur - Tresviri Rei Publicae Constituendae]. / Legionary standards (signa) on either side of legionary eagle (aquila). LEG XIV below. VF. CNG EA 460 #491. Prof. David R. Beatty coll., CM, OBE. Ex Dr. Robert B. Beckett, Jr. Coll. (CNG 105, 10 May 2017), #763; CNG 54 (14 June 2000) #1357. "Toned with some iridescence, banker's mark on the reverse." BMCRR East #208; Crawford 54/29; Sear CRI 369; Sydenham CRR 1234; RSC 1 #44. Anaximander

Marcus AntoniusMarcus Antonius
32 - 31 BC
Patras
3.70 g
19 mm
--- ANT AVG III VIR R P C (Antonius Augurus Triumviri Rei Publicæ Constituandæ)
Praetorian galley, thyrsos behind prow.
--- LEG VII (Legio VII)
Eagle between two standards.
Sydenham 1224 - Crawford 544/201 commentsArgentoratum

Mark Antony (Triumvir) Gens: Antonia Moneyer: M. Barbatius Pollio Coin: Silver DenariusM ANT IMP AVG III VIR R P C M BARBAT Q P, - Bare head of Mark Antony right
CAESAR IMP PONT III VIR R P C - Bare head of Octavian right.
Mint: Ephesus (Spring 41 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 3.00g / 19mm / 12h
References:
RSC 8
Crawford 517/2
CRI 243
Sydenham 1181
sear5 #1504
Provenances:
Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. 424/352
Acquisition/Sale: imperatorcoins-and-estatesales eBay 424 #352 $0.00 07/19
Notes: Nov 20, 19 - The Gary R. Wilson Collection

(Coin broken probably from crystallization and repaired.)

M ANT IMP AVG III VIR R P C M BARBAT Q P = Marcus Antonius, imperator, augur, triumvir (Rei Publica Constituende) = of state. M. Barbatius Pollio, moneyer.

CAESAR IMP PONT III VIR R P C = Caesar imperator, pontifex, triumvir (Rei Publica Constituende) = of state.
1 commentsGRWilson

Mark Antony (Triumvir) Gens: Antonia Moneyer: Military Mint Coin: Silver DenariusANTAVG III VIR. R.P.C. - Galley right under oars
Leg II - Eagle between standards
Mint: Patras ? (32-31 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 3.09g / 16mm / 12h
References:
RSC 27
Cr544/14
Syd 1216
Sear'88 #414
Provenances:
Savoca Coins
Acquisition/Sale: Savoca Coins Internet 21st Blue Auction #986 $0.00 06/19
Notes: Jun 23, 19 - The Gary R. Wilson Collection

"ANT AVG | III VIR R P C"
("Antonius Augur | Triumvir rei publicae constituendae")
trans. "Antony Augustus (military title), Triumvirate for the Restoration of the Republic"
GRWilson

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