Hi!
Today I came across this
follis of
Maxentius from
Rome showing the temple of
Roma with the most cmplex
pediment I have ever seen, and clear, I couldn't resist!
Maxentius, AD 306-312
AE -
Follis, 24.52, 6.1g
Rome, 4th
officina, AD 308-310
obv. IMP C MAXENTIVS PF AVG
head, laureate, r.
rev. CONSERV - VRB SVAE
Hexastyle temple with
Roma std. within, holding
sceptre and small
Victory on globe,
shield beside(?);
architrave decorated with wave-line and dots;
pediment see below! as l.
acroterion a
wreath, as r.
acroterion a male figure with long torch.
in ex. RBQ
Ref.
RIC VI,
Rome 206
var.(?)
about VF,
weak strike on upper right
obv. and lower right
rev.A plate coin from the
Failmezger coll. too from which several are for sale today!
The
pediment is decorated with a group of four figures. The l. figure in the centre male, stg. facing and holding
sceptre, r. hand extended; the r. figure in the centre male, stg. facing, resting with r. hand on club, holding in l. hand unknown object; in the l. angle the upper
part of the body of a river-god; in the r. angle
Sol,
radiate, in extended l. hand holding globe(?)
[1]
RIC 208 should have sometimes a sculptured
pediment and Victories as
acroteria. No direct match!
[2] From
RIC 205 (with different mint-marks!)
Dioscuri flanked by river-gods are known. But I don't know a Dioscur resting on a club. For me the figures look more like
Jupiter l. and
Hercules r.! And the figure in the r. angle is obviously
Sol wearing
radiate crown. So no match!
[3] From
RIC 213 (coll.
Mossop) - according to note 6, p.378 - male figures with long torch are known as
acroteria. But not
wreath l. and male figure with torch r.! No match!
I'm very confused! Do you have any suggestions to the depictions in the
pediment and the
acroteria? And how this coin should be listed?
Any opinion highly welcomed!
Best regards