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Author Topic: An Imperator Period Provincial Coin  (Read 673 times)

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Offline lawrence c

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An Imperator Period Provincial Coin
« on: December 24, 2021, 10:45:38 pm »
Thought I would share a provincial from the Imperator days I just received from an auction. It's from one of the lesser, but somewhat interesting, figures.

Coin description:
L. Sempronius Atratinus.
Æ 27mm of Lilybaeum, Sicily. 36 BC. [ΛΙΛΥΒΑΙ]ΙΤΑΙϹ, veiled and turreted head to right, within triangular ornament / ΑΤΡΑΤΙΝΟ [ΠΥΘΙΩΝ], tripod with serpent coiled around. RPC I 655; SNG Copenhagen 376; BMC 4. 18.19g, 27mm, 12h. Roma Numismatics Auction 92, Lot 725.

Note: L. Sempronius Atratinus was a supporter of Marc Antony and was one of Marc Antony’s legates, serving as propraetor in Greece in 39 BC. In 36 BC he was given command of a portion of a fleet which Antony had sent to help Octavianus deal with Sextus Pompey. In 34 BC, he was elected as suffect consul. Prior to the Battle of Actium, Atratinus switched his support to Octavianus. He was made proconsular governor of Africa around 23 BC, and he was awarded a triumph for his actions there in 21 BC. He died in 7 AD.


Offline PMah

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Re: An Imperator Period Provincial Coin
« Reply #1 on: December 24, 2021, 11:24:24 pm »
An interesting and under-examined topic.  Bronze coinage was so "off the radar" of the competing power-brokers of the late Republican leaders or "Imperators" that the few issues are quite enigmatic.   Why would the millions of people throughout the western Mediterranean seemingly be content to get by for decades mostly with highly worn bronze small change, yet one or two  of a handful of local quasi-governors find it expedient to issue bronze with his name on it?  A belated attempt to get into the historical record the traditional way, or a crisis of liquidity that needed to be addressed to retain local goodwill?  And if the latter, why not just knock out well-accepted imitations?
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Offline Jay GT4

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Re: An Imperator Period Provincial Coin
« Reply #2 on: December 24, 2021, 11:57:09 pm »
An historically important coin.  Fantastic addition.  I've always been fascinated by the Imperatorial period, especially Antony and his supporters.

 

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