The complete series of Plautilla's denari from the Rome mint

[Potator II]

Hi,

From my point of view, there are five main portrait types for Plautilla’s denarii at the Rome mint in the short period they were issued (from AD 202 to 205) :

A - With a draped bust right, hair coiled in horizontal ridges and fastened in bun in high position. Her facial expression is juvenile
B - Hair being coiled in vertical ridges, with bun in low position. Plautilla looks here more like a young beautiful woman
C - The third bust shows a thinner face of Plautilla with hair in vertical ridges and no bun but braids covering her neck
D - The fourth type has a similar appearance with the former, but the vertical ridges disappear, hair being plastered down, still showing the right ear
E - Plautilla appears with mid long hair plastered down and covering her ears

And also there are seven different reverses :

1 - CONCORDIAE AETERNAE
2 - PROPAGO IMPERI
3 - CONCORDIA AVGG
4 - CONCORDIA FELIX
5 - PIETAS AVGG
6 - VENVS VICTRIX
7 - DIANA LVCIFERA

Noticeable also is an evolution of the obverse legend, being PLAVTILLAE AVGVSTAE (a) in 202, and becoming PLAVTILLA AVGVSTA (b) soon after.

Not every combination exists, but some of the above reverses can be shared by several obverse portraits. This means that some combinations are rarer than others (one can find my conclusions about this in a study I published, either in the review OMNI and HERE (in french, I’m afraid)) describing the fourteen different types known today. I’m proud to tell they are now all fourteen in my collection

You can see the evolution of this interesting coinage in this gallery.


aA1


aA2


aA3


aB3


bB3


bB4


bC3


bC4


bC5


bD5


bE4


bE5


bE6


bE7

[mihali84]

Beautiful coins, congratulations on your completion of the series, must feel great.

Best Regards
Mike

[Chut]

A beautiful succes Potator !! 

[mix_val]

Nice photography.  Thanks for this series! 

[Randygeki(h2)]

very nice!

[Joe Sermarini]

I added the first post (with one small modification) to the NumisWiki Plautilla page.

[ickster]

Many thanks for this very interesting post. A very nice set of examples you have there.

If I may ask a question, as I have no knowledge of Latin: Is the removal of the "e" from "AUGUSTAE" to make "AUGUSTA" of significance? Does it alter the meaning of the title?

Thanks!

E

[quadrans]

Yes great collection ..

 Q.

[Robert_Brenchley]

AVGVSTA is singular, AVGVSTAE plural.

[curtislclay]

Robert,

Correct, but there was only one Plautilla!

The same -AE feminine ending was also used for the genitive singular and dative singular cases.

In Plautilla's case, the dative singular was meant, equivalent to the -O ending for most male names, for example TRAIANO, DIVO PIO, DIVO SEPTIMIO SEVERO PIO. The genitive case, in contrast, was almost never used for Roman obverse legends.

The dative case was used for indirect objects and dedications. If something was given or dedicated to me, that "to me" would be in the dative case in Latin, namely mihi.

So Plautilla's first obv. legend, PLAVTILLAE AVGVSTAE, was dedicatory: [this coin, or the devotion of the Roman people, or something similar, is dedicated] "To Plautilla the Augusta".

Her second legend, PLAVTILLA AVGVSTA, was in the nominative case, simply naming her: [this is] "Plautilla the Augusta".

[quadrans]

I agree Curtis 

 Regards
 Q.

[ickster]

Wow, that answer was more complicated than I anticipated, but I end today more educated than I began it. Thanks for the answers Robert and Curtis.

[Meepzorp]

Hi Pot,

Nice collection!!!

Meepzorp

[Robert_Brenchley]

hows how awful my Latin is! I need a primer for this stuff, and don't have one.