SCYTHIA As of Antoninus Pius

[curtislclay]

     The Province series of Antoninus Pius appears, on his bronze coins only, in 139, the second year of his reign.  Since each of the provinces shown holds out a crown or diadem, Eckhel suggested that the series commemorates the traditional gift of a golden crown to a new emperor upon his accession from all of the cities and provinces in the empire, the so-called aurum coronarium.  We happen to be told that Pius remitted the entire accession gift made to him by Italian cities, and half of the gifts made by the provinces.
     Apart from the provinces or regions of the empire, like AFRICA, DACIA, PHOENICE, and SYRIA, and one city, ALEXANDRIA, Pius' province series is noteworthy for including two client kingdoms, PARTHIA and SCYTHIA.  Four ancient historians, cited by Strack in his note 104, attest that client kingdoms too indeed traditionally sent accession gifts to the emperors.
     SCYTHIA is probably the rarest "province" of the series.  Cohen knew the sestertius and As of this province only from Vaillant's work of c. 1690, and left them unpriced, as though uncertain of their existence.  However, Strack 795 found a single sest. of the type, in BM, and a single As, in Florence.  BMC reports a second spec. of the As from the Oxford collection.
      This new specimen of the As (below) is from the same dies as the Florence coin, which Strack illustrates on his pl. IX.  Unfortunately it is rather roughly cleaned, and tooled in the hair on the emperor's neck and temple.  Scythia holds a large sword in scabbard in her left hand.  The BM sestertius, BMC pl. 27.2,  also shows the sword-belt which is attached to the scabbard.
      The sestertius is the main denomination of Pius' province series.  Dupondii and asses are attested for only a few provinces, and are normally much rarer that the corresponding sestertii.
      The Scythians living north of the Black Sea are frequently mentioned by ancient historians, but apparently this is their only explicit appearance in ancient numismatics.  Some Scythian kings seem to have minted coins, but without naming the people or country they ruled.  It is unknown why a city on the river Jordan in distant Samaria was called Scythopolis, later Nysa.

[slokind]

When a new Provincia type comes up, not previously considered in this connection (Provinciae Fideles, ed. M. Spinelli, Electa, 1999, most recently), I hasten to see whether it helps to clarify the uncertain identification of Parthia, Phrygia, and Scythia in the reliefs (those in question are among the ones in Naples; more are in the Conservatori in Rome), because the Hadrianic series does not quite match those set up by Antoninus Pius shortly after Hadrian's death probably in the Hadrianeum, as part of its decorative program.  The Antoninus Pius As was evidently not known to the several authors of that monograph, though they might well have considered his types rather than Hadrian's series as models for work done in Antoninus's reign (seeing that the sculptures don't really match Hadrian's).  Making due allowance for wear and crude cleaning, though, this coin doesn't identify any of them.
My point in posting negative correlation is that types do not always match, though sometimes they do!  It is never surprising whether they do or not.  Evidently, there was not a fixed tradition for the Provinciae and some license was given to imagination.
a Scythia painting or relief may yet be unearthed to be identified by this coin.
Pat L.

[basemetal]

How interesting!  When gods and goddesses go head to head...it's best for the rest of us to find a sheltered place and watch!

[slokind]

Hi, Base!  My post was just a way of expressing interest in the SCYTHIA.  I don't know whether Curtis is even interested in the Provinciae Fideles reliefs that Antoninus Pius had set up for Hadrian.  After all, repeated attempts to use coins to figure out which figure is which province have not succeeded very well.  I am sure Curtis doesn't actually object to what I said, unless it seems irrelevant to the coin.  As for divine infatuation, I doubt whether either of us is guilty of it.
Pat L.
Anyhow, I attach one of them--not Scythia or Parthia or Phrygia, which are in Naples, but one of those in Rome, in the Conservatori.  Of course the designs carved on them and the legends are modern, nothing that the museum can alter now.  This one may be Achaia.

[Marius]

The Ae As is such a 'normal' looking coin when one doesn't know the background, and such a wonderful one when one does (everything Curtis and Pat said was completely new me).  It is always hard to remember generic information, but specific information like this really sticks in my mind - Antoninus 2nd year, returning the gifts, and Scythia's only appearance, and Cohen's innability to find one.  Thanks for giving us such a good 'story'.

I am sure that there must be a few more of these lurking around, hidden because of their mundane appearance.

Richard

[curtislclay]

In his first edition of 1674, which names sources for the coins described, Vaillant knew the SCYTHIA type as a sestertius only, in the collection of the Duke of Vernoly.  I don't know whether that might be the same coin as the one that the BM acquired from the Wigan Collection in 1872.
In his edition of 1694, from which the sources were eliminated, Vaillant cites the type on both sestertius and As.  That added As may well have been the one in the Medici Coll. in Florence, which Vaillant certainly visited.

[basemetal]

Slokind, you are always a goddess to me. 
Your knowledge of ancient coins so beggars mine that I stand in a combination of attraction and awe of you always.  I've seen  your face on the post a pic section and if no die-maker has yet, he or she should start inscriping immediately if not sooner. 
I once wrote that before I started collecting ancients, I thought I knew roman history.  Then after I started, I knew that I knew roman history at about the level of someone who says:
"Nero...mm..well I guess violins were more primitive back then"
After a bit I learned more. 
But when I read your posts, I realize that I'm still at the Nero/fiddle stage compared to you.

I see you occaisonally become exasperated at the chat on this forum. Please know that all are not as knowledgeable as you but most of us are trying.   
To you it must often  be as if someone were asking the rest of  us:
"So, like since this coin is a Valens and it's almost 1800 years old, it must be like way valuable right?"

Regars and admiration
Basemetal

[basemetal]

And as for Mr. Clay, I'm so apprehinsive about him since the "post a pic" debacle when I posted a randomly selected image as a, as he put it,  "frivioulus" action, that I'm merely grateful when he ever even  degins to reply to an Id request from me.

[slokind]

Hi Base: you can't reach my age without gathering a lot of moss, especially when you enjoy wallowing in moss, but you would be surprised (maybe) at what I don't know.  I have lots of breadth, but my depth is scattered, rather like the pilings on which a raised building is supported.  My brother had dyslexia, but I don't; that is handy.  I have spent my life with students some of whom are so nice as to think the old lady would like an Abercrombie calendar for Christmas; that enabled me to 'read' your photo as you intended.  But you must never dread Curtis just because he rapped your knuckles!  That's paying you the honor of taking the trouble to do it.  Pat L.