Markianopolis / Severus Alexander coins - unlisted in AMNG

[Arminius]

Found this one (seems to be rare as Pick did not see the only one specimen from the Galland collection):

Markianopolis in Moesia Inferior, Severus Alexander and Julia Maesa, governor (and Hegemoneuontos ?) Um. Tereventinus.
Æ28 / 5 assaria (27-29 mm / 13.76 g), 222-235 AD.,
Obv.: AVT K M AVP CEVH AΛEZANΔPOC IOVΛIA MAIC {AVΓ} , ({AVΓ} ligate), confronted busts of Severus Alexander (l.) and Julia Maesa (r.).
Rev.: {HΓ} {OV}M TEPEBENTIN{OV} M{AP}KIANOΠOΛITΩN / E , {HΓ}, {OV}, {AR} ligate) , nude male standing l., holding patera and spear?.
AMNG I page 296, 1063*.

Pick only says "nackte männliche Figur (l.) stehend" - male nude standing l.
Is on the reverse a depiction of Zeus?

Regards.

[Pscipio]

Looks female AND clothed to me. Isn't that Hera with sceptre and patera?

Lars

[Jochen]

Hi!

This coin is listed as AMNG I/1, 1063* (with an asterisk!), not 1063! I think the description 'Nude male figure (l.) standing, r. hand outstretched, spear in l. hand' is not from Pick but from Millet. Pick has doubted this description and has listed this coin under AMNG I/1, 1023 but he says 'wohl auch = probably'! And here is his descrption of #1023: 'Zeus with nude upper part of his body, standing l., bowl in r. hand, resting with l. hand on scepter'.

Best regards

[Markus]

Can this be the reverse of AMNG 1077 (Demeter mit Ähren und Fackel, Al. und Julia Mamaea) in combination with the obverse of AMNG 1056?
For a picture of the reverse see H/J 6.34.5.1-3.

Markus

[Arminius]

It looks as he/she is standing left - but seen from behind! The object in his/her stretched out (left?) hand is round and flat (like a patera, or a ring used by illusionists).
Lars is right: the person looks quite female (but i´m reserved with such statements now after mixing a rather masculine looking Aphrodite with Apollo some days ago).
Further oiling and scrubbing will probably "unearth" more details.

Regards

[curtislclay]

I think it's unpublished, with rev. Hera/Juno, as Lars suggested. 

A similar coin of the same governor, maybe even from the same rev. die, but with Alex. and Mamaea not Alex. and Maesa on the obv., can be seen on Kevin Beaulieu's website, hosted by Ancients.info.

For some reason  coins of Alex. and Maesa under Tereventinus are rare.  Pick knew only two types, three specimens, since 1064 shows Mamaea not Maesa.  Hristova/Jekov pp. 189 and 191 try to add two new types, but the readings of empress and/or governor seem doubtful.

I've been compiling a die study of Marcianopolis under Sev. Alex. for years, so have lots of material to consult!

[Arminius]

Another (unpublished?) Severus Alexander / Julia (Mamaea?) from Markianopolis during the time of Tereventinus:

Severus Alexander and Julia Mamaea, governor Tereventinus,
Æ26 / 5 assaria (25-26 mm / 11.39 g), 222-235 AD.,
Obv.: AYT K M AYP CEVH AΛEZANΔPOC IO[VΛIA MAMA]IA , confronted busts of Severus Alexander (l.) and Julia Mamaea (r.)
Rev.:H[Γ] {OV}M  TEPEBENTINOY M{AP}KIANOΠOΛIT{ΩN}  / E , ( {OV}, {AR} and {ΩN} ligate) , Homonoia (Concordia) standing l., holding patera and cornucopiae.
cf. AMNG I page 299, 1079 var. ; - page 296, 265** (Alexander and Maesa) .

Though the obverse legend is rather incomplete with the coin in hand i (think i) can read from the lower parts of the letters that the depicted Julia is Mamaea and not Maesa (obverse legend ending ...AIA and not ...ICA).
The reverse die is unlisted in AMNG (cf. page 299, 1079).
Has anybody more information?

Regards

[Jochen]

Arminius, your coin is not listed in the monography of Hristova/Jekov about Markianopolis, nor in Varbanov!

Best regards

[Markus]

Blancons list 41/490 has a similar piece with E in the right field and no altar as in AMNG 1079.

H/J 6.34.36.3 (citing AMNG 1079) is showing this specimen. 6.34.36.2 with different reverse legend breaks also doesn't seem to have the altar. There is no spec. with altar in H/J.

Varbanov 1825 (also citing AMNG 1079 and copying the description with the altar) is also picturing Blancons spec. 

So either there are two types (with and without altar), or AMNG 1079 is in fact misdescribed (which is not very probable regarding the precision of AMNG).

Markus

[Arminius]

Thanks for these information.
So the last chance of a listing may be the database of Curtis Clay.

Regards

[curtislclay]

Yes, the obv. is Mamaea, from the same die as the Blancon coin cited above, List 41, 490.

I know two coins from the same die pair: Winsemann 1870 and ancient treasures, eBay, 13 Oct. 2006.

The same type does occur with altar, E in r. field, e.g. SNG Budapest 252.

[Arminius]

Another Umbrius Tereventinus unlisted in AMNG:

Markianopolis in Moesia Inferior, Severus Alexander, governor Umbrius Tereventinus,
Æ27 / 4 assaria (26-27 mm / 7.17 g), 222-235 AD.,
Obv.: AYT K M AYP CEVH - AΛEZANΔPOC , laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander right, seen from behind.
Rev.:HΓ {OY}M  TEPEBENTEIN{OY} MAPKIANOΠOΛIT / ΩN ,  ( both {OY}  {OY} , ligate) , Demeter standing l., holding grain-ears and a long torch (with smoke at the top).
AMNG - (cf. 998, gov. Tib. Julius Festus) .

Regards

[Arminius]

Looking again at that coin reverse: The "grain-ears" look like arrows. So it might be a different goddess than Demeter.

Regards

[slokind]

With a burning tall torch?  The Artemis who is similar to Diana Lucifer has two torches and no arrows.   But there are, indeed, local variations in the worship of Demeter and of Artemis (and don't forget Persephone).  It still looks like a Demeter to me.  Pat L.

[curtislclay]

I don't find Demeter for Sev. Alex. alone under Tereventinus in my file either, though I also have a stack of unsorted images still to integrate.

I know the same obv. die with types of Juno and Concordia under Tereventinus.  The same die was also used for Dionysopolis, Blancon List 41, 8: one of those interesting inter-city die links.

[Arminius]

I just added a coin with the same obv. die to my gallery - one of the AMNG 1024 variations with a (according Pick)  Hera depiction:

[slokind]

With such a scepter, must be Hera, I think.  I have four Hera (goddess with true scepter) for Sev. Alex., one each for Festus and Philiopappus, and two that I thought were Tereventinus, but the reverse die is not the same one as yours, and mine aren't actually legible for the governor's name, nor are they the same portrait die as yours.  I post one of them, with a Copenhagen reference.  I'll add AMNG if I find it (I got this coin before I owned any books to speak of).  Pat L.
• 28 IX 99  AE 25  Alexander Severus (or, Severus Alexander).  Marcianopolis in Moesia Inferior.  Laureate head to r.  Obv. legend: AUT K M A?[...]NDROS.  Rev. Hera standing l., holding patera and sceptre.  ...]INOU MARKIANOPOLITON.  The legate is E. Terebentinus   COP247
--Yours is Hr&J Markianopolis 6.32.3.1-2 on p. 168.
--Mine may be Philopappus, instead, as ibid. p. 170, since I don't find Tereventinus using that Head die, though the Hera reverse types, unless they have that T /  N in the field, are difficult to tell apart from the SNG Copenhagen illus.
Pat L.

[Arminius]

My Hera is AMNG 1024 (var. 2 and 10):
governor Umbrius Tereventinus,
Æ26 / 4 assaria (25-26 mm / 9.68 g), 222-235 AD.,
Obv.: AYT K M AYP CEVH - AΛEZANΔPOC , laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander right, seen from behind.
Rev.:{HΓ} {OY}M  TEPEBENTINOY M{AP}KIAN[OΠO]ΛI / T - [{ΩN}] ,  ( {HΓ} ,  {OY} , {AP} , {ΩN} , ligate) , Hera standing l., holding phiale and sceptre.

A.

[slokind]

Hristova and Jekov agree.  I am always forgetting to look for for their cross-references, since they call AMNG I, 1 "P.R." (though the R = Regling, who had nothing to do with Marcianopolis or any other part of I, 1), but they do say P.R. 1024.  In case of doubt, though, I'd still take AMNG I, 1, as more authoritative, since Pick recorded the legends more accorately, and the Berlin typesetters a century ago provided full epigraphic fonts.  P.L.

[curtislclay]

Arminius,

Isn't your "Hera" bearded and with bare chest, therefore really Zeus, AMNG 1023 var.?  Note also drapery leaving lower calves bare, whereas for ladies it should extend right to the ground.

I don't find other specimens from this rev. die in a quick look through my file.  It's in H-J, however, p. 165 bottom, two specimens from the same die pair as yours, the first clearly showing Zeus!

Curtis Clay

Pat,

Yes, your two, bought one day apart in 1999 (you already sent me images), are gov. Philopappus, Hera, same dies as Varb. (Bulg.) 1421. 

[Arminius]

Curtis,

you are definitely right - it´s Zeus, AMNG 1023.

Thanks

[Joe Sermarini]

Severus Alexander in NumisWiki...https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Severus%20Alexander