Bill Welch called to my attention this new, even though related,
obverse die for
Diadumenian.
I
had emphasized the importance of
Macrinus' having a godlike bare
bust with a
bit of drapery (as if he were a half draped
Zeus with the end of
his himation over
his shoulder) rendered in a ruggedly heroic
style. And little
Diadumenian's DBBa seemed to correspond to it. The new die, which I'm regarding as DBBb (where BB is for bare
bust), seems to be an alternate die to DBBa. Perhaps the one made first
met with some accident and was replaced. They do share the Demeter
reverse, RIViii, besides.
•
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/ayiyoryitika/longinusdies.html• the new coin, 10 12 09 AE 27 12.57g
axis 12h
Nicopolis ad Istrum. Issued by Longinus.
Diadumenian, bare
bust with bits of drapery.
Legend before 12h uncertain, then, from above
head, DIADOVMENIANOS, the final sigma short of the
bust.
Rev. Demeter with grain, leaning on, apparently, a
scepter. Apparently, VP STATIOV LONGINO V NIKOPOLIT---, and probably the final letters in the
exergue, which belongs to a closely related
obverse die. Tentatively I would call this new
obverse die DBBb. The shared
reverse die verifies the close stylistic relationship of this die to DBBa, and for that matter to the preceding DBg, h, i, and j, though none of them has the final sigma of Diadoumenian's name short of the
bust.
Pat L.
CLICKIt is satisfying when new discoveries do fit into the tentative framework. That is why putting forth the tentative
work seems useful: it can be tested.
