Hi Joe!
Thanks for the new
gallery theme! But I have a problem with the place for informations! Therefore I use this
thread for my latest acquisation which I want to share. I
hope you are interested like me!
It is a denar of
Augustus, but without a
portrait of the emperor (my first such coin!)
AR - Denar, 3.83g, 20mm
Rome 19 BC, by moneyer Q Rustius
obv. Q RVSTIVS - FORTVNA (above),
ANTIAT (below, hard to see!)
Busts, draped,
jugate, r., of
Fortuna Victrix, helmeted, and
Fortuna Felix, wearing
stephane;
Fortuna Victrix holds
patera in r. hand;
both busts rest on
bar terminating at each end in a ram' s
head (sometimes interpreted as
Lectisternium or upper
part of a
baldachin)
rev. CAESARI . AVGVSTO
A highly ornamented rectangular
altar, inscribed in front
FOR.RE in
one line
ex.: EX.S.C.
RIC I, 322; BMCR 2
R2; about VF,
tonedThis coin is very interesting for it has so much allusions on it.
First to the
obv.(?). Q. Rustius was a moneyer, but never member of the IIIviri monetales. The important information is the
legend in the ex.
ANTIAT. This is short for ANTIATIS, genetivus of ANTIAS, and this means
Antium. This is a small town in
Latium south of
Rome, formerly a town of the Volsci, but 388 BC conquered by the
Romans. The prows of their
ships were brought to
Rome for the
Rostrum (speakerplace, named after these prows, Latin
rostra pl.) on the
Forum Romanum.
Later it was the
home of many famous and rich
Romans.
Cicero has a house in
Antium,
Caligula and
Nero were born in
Antium. Many palaces stood there.
Augustus live in
Antium when the
Senatus came to him to give him the title
Pater Patriae. 1943 it was heavy destroyed by the unfortunate assault of the Allies in WWII. Q.Rustius came from
Antium too.
Now
Antium has together with
Praeneste the most important Fortuna-cult. FORTVNA ANCIATIS, the
Fortuna of
Antium, was worshipped as two goddesses together, one with a helmet, the
Fortuna Victrix, the other with a diadem, the
Fortuna Felix.
According to some scholars, these two images of the goddess, which Martial used to call sorores or sisters, signified that each one of them
had different functions and qualities: the first one was more feminine, the second one was more masculine and bellicose. The authoritative scholar J. Champeaux, authoress of a wide and very interesting essay on the goddess of Fortune in the ancient world, does not share this opinion. She believes instead that the two images belonging to a sole goddess might both be at the same time forms of an oracular patroness, a
fertility goddess and a protectress of
man during the diverse moments of
his life. This dualism is characteristic of the religion and of the animistic beliefs of the Latin-Roman world which felt the need to point out two faces or two aspects of the same essence.
Moreover we know (from some of Horace’s odes) that the goddess was also in charge of the execution of two other important functions: to do with the cultivation of the land and to do with the sea. To the town of
Antium the latter function is obviously predominant
as is pointed out from the coins of Rustius and from the statue kept in Villa Spigarelli, where the “
Fortuna” is holding the helm of a ship by her right hand.
The
reverse shows an
altar with
FOR RE, short for
FORTVNA REDVX or
FORTVNAE REDVCI. That means
Fortuna of the lucky return. In 19 BC
Augustus came back from the orient and brought back the 53 standards from the
Parthians, which were captured from Cassius at
Carrhae.
This event was the last classical triumph in
Rome. After that
Augustus closed the lists of triumphes to show that he started a new peaceful century, the
PAX AVGVSTA. To celebrate
the return from the orient the
Senatus errected an
altar of
FORTVNA REDVX in
Rome near the
Porta Capuana. The
altar on the
reverse seems to show this
altar.
So these coins were issued by Q. Rustius to celebrate the triumphant return of
Augustus and at the same time to honour
his hometown
Antium.
Regards,
Jochen
