Classical Numismatics Discussion Members' Coin Collection Photo Gallery

Image search results - "MATER"

OBVERSE - IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG
high-crested helmet, cuirassed, spear across right shoulder

REVERSE - VICTORIAE LAETE PRINC PERP
TWO VICTORIES RESTING SHIELD, INSCRIBED VOT P R ON ALTAR - CONCAVE ROUND TOP ALTAR, WITH GARLAND AND TOP DOT OF GARLAND JUST UNDER ROUND TOP.
UNKNOWN IN EX. ?? UNKNOWN MINT ??

DIMENSION = 19mm
WEIGHT = 3 grams
MATERIAL = BRONZE ?

MOEDA - 500 Réis - 1938 - Regente Feijó
________________________________________
Série Ilustres
Excelente estado de conservação

ANVERSO
O busto do Regente do Império Diogo António Feijó circundado pela inscrição REGENTE FEIJÓ. Em baixo, monograma do gravador Calmon Barreto.

REVERSO
No centro, uma coluna coríntia encimada pela inscrição circular BRASIL entre dois filetes. À esquerda do campo, o valor 500 e, à direita, a palavra RÉIS em posição horizontal. No exergo, a data e, ao lado direito, a sigla do gravador Walter Toledo.

PADRÃO MONETÁRIO
MIL-RÉIS (de 08/10/1833 a 31/10/1942)

PERÍODO POLÍTICO
República, Era Vargas (1930-1945)

ORIGEM
Casa da Moeda, Rio de Janeiro

CARACTERÍSTICAS
Material: bronze alumínio
Diâmetro: 22,5 mm
Peso: 5,00 g
Espessura: 1,80 mm
Bordo: serrilhado
Titulagem: Cu 910, Al 90
Eixo: reverso medalha (EV)
_____________________Antonivs Protti

Moeda Brasil 1935- 1000 Reis
Serie Ilustres - Padre Anchieta
Módulo Maior - Escassa
________________________________

ANVERSO
Efígie do Padre José de Anchieta, de perfil, onde
se ostenta a inscrição vertical ANCHIETA.
Missionário e fundador de São Paulo.
Sigla do gravador Calmon Barreto.

REVERSO
No centro, um livro aberto e o valor 1000 réis em
semicírculo. Sob o valor, a data. No exergo, a palavra
BRASIL. Sigla do gravador Walter Toledo.

PADRÃO MONETÁRIO
MIL-RÉIS (de 08/10/1833 a 31/10/1942)

PERÍODO POLÍTICO
República, Era Vargas (1930-1945)

ORIGEM
Casa da Moeda, Rio de Janeiro

CARACTERÍSTICAS
Material: bronze alumínio
Diâmetro: 26,7 mm
Peso: 8,00 g
Espessura: 2,10 mm
Bordo: serrilhadoAntonivs Protti

An 18 tray cabinet with brushed nickel finish hardware and locking doors. The collector specifically requested no felts in the trays, as he was going to look into a custom material for lining them.

CabinetsByCraig.netcmcdon0923

Caracalla, RIC 311d, Date 213-217 AD, Silver Antoninianus Rome, VENVS VICTRIX (with Helmet)
Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Caracalla
Antoninianus of the Roman Imperial Period 213/217 AD
Material: Silver
Diameter: 23mm
Weight: 5.19g
Mint: Rome
Reference: RIC IV Caracalla 311d var. (Rare, with Helmet)
Provenance: Ex Dr. Gernot Heinrich Collection

This ist the RIC 311d Version with Helmet under the shield. An fantastic Antoninianus with many details on obverse and reverse, fantastic Caracalla bust and a clear reverse Venus. Rare RIC, and more Rare in this condition.

Obverse:
You can see the right-facing bust of Caracalla with a radiant crown. The inscription reads: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM for Antoninus Pius Augustus Germanicus.

Reverse:
The goddess Venus can be seen standing to the left, leaning on a shield. In her left hand she holds a Victoriola, in her right hand a spear. Standing, she leans on her shield and helmet. The inscription reads: VENVS VICTRIX for Venus Victrix (the victorious Venus).

Comments:
In ancient Rome, Venus Victrix is the form of the goddess Venus as victor or „as the one who brings victory“. Especially Pompeius Magnus celebrated his military successes in their honor. This was probably inspired by the armed Aphrodite (nikephoros carrying victory) who protected the Acropolis in certain eastern regions of ancient Greece. In Rome, the victorious Venus was mainly in the third century BC increasingly invoked in the wars against Carthage. Iulius Caesar traced the descent of his family and thus his own from Venus (Venus Genitrix). Pompey, as his adversary, identified his glorious destiny with Venus Victrix in order to claim Venus‘ protection in the secret rivalry. After his victory in the war against Mithridates in 55 BC Pompeius celebrated his triumph „de orbi universo“ (over the whole world) and had a temple built for the victorious Venus, which unfortunately has not been preserved. The sanctuary of Venus Victrix stood on the Capitol, which was probably built during the war against the Samnites. Her feast days were August 12 and October 9, with an annual sacrifice being made on the latter date. At the same time, homage was also paid to Victoria, who closely connected the Romans with Venus Victrix.

Associating this type of coin directly with a specific historical event in the reign of Caracalla is difficult. This Antoninianus is between 213 and 217 AD dated. He could therefore retrospectively refer to the victories in the Germania campaign in 213 AD relate to the battles in Dacia against the Carps in 214 AD refer to or anticipate „the-victorious“ Venus Victrix to refer to the coming eastern campaign against the Parthians.1 commentspaul1888

Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius
Denarius of the Roman Republic Period 81 BC
Material: Silver
Diameter: 20mm
Weight: 3.84g
Mint: North Italy
Reference: Crawford RRC 374/2paul1888

JUSTINIAN I, AE Follis (40 Nummi), struck 529 - 533 at Antioch (Theoupolis)Obverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Justinian enthroned facing, holding long sceptre in his right hand and globus cruciger in his left.
Reverse: Large M, cross above and officina letter (Δ = 4th Officina) below, asterisk in field to left of M and outward facing crescent in field to right; in exergue, +THEUP
Diameter: 34mm | Weight: 18.69gms | Die Axis: 5
SBCV: 214 | DOC: 206d.1

Much of Antioch was destroyed by a great earthquake on 29th November 528 and, following this disaster, the city was renamed Theoupolis.

530: In the spring of this year Belisarius and Hermogenes (magister officiorum) defeated a combined Persian-Arab army of 50,000 men at the Battle of Dara in modern Turkey, and in the summer a Byzantine cavalry force under the command of Sittas defeated a major Persian invasion into Roman Armenia at the Battle of Satala.
531: On April 19th, at the Battle of Callinicum, a Byzantine army commanded by Belisarius, was defeated by the Persians at Raqqa in northern Syria. Nevertheless, Justinian negotiated an end to the hostilities and Belisarius was hailed as a hero.
532: On January 11th this year anger among the supporters of the most important chariot teams in Constantinople, the Blues and the Greens, escalated into violence towards the emperor. For the next five days the city was in chaos and the fires that started during the rioting resulted in the destruction of much of the city. This insurrection, known as the Nika riots, was put down a week later by Belisarius and Mundus resulting in 30,000 people being killed in the Hippodrome.
On February 23rd Justinian ordered the building of a new Christian basilica in Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia. More than 10,000 people were employed in the construction using material brought from all over the empire.
2 comments*Alex

JUSTINIAN I, AE Half-Follis (20 Nummi), struck 529 – 533 at Antioch (Theoupolis)Obverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Justinian I enthroned facing, holding long sceptre in his right hand and globus cruciger in his left.
Reverse: Large K, Large latin cross to left dividing letters T–H/Є–U/O/P; officina letter to right of K (Δ = fourth officina).
Diameter: 28mm | Weight: 8.4gms | Die Axis: 11
SBCV: 225 | DOC: 208.6
Rare

Much of Antioch was destroyed by a great earthquake on 29th November 528 and, following this disaster, the city was renamed Theoupolis.

530: In the spring of this year Belisarius and Hermogenes (magister officiorum) defeated a combined Persian-Arab army of 50,000 men at the Battle of Dara in modern Turkey, and in the summer a Byzantine cavalry force under the command of Sittas defeated a major Persian invasion into Roman Armenia at the Battle of Satala.
531: On April 19th, at the Battle of Callinicum, a Byzantine army commanded by Belisarius, was defeated by the Persians at Raqqa in northern Syria. Nevertheless, Justinian negotiated an end to the hostilities and Belisarius was hailed as a hero.
532: On January 11th this year anger among the supporters of the most important chariot teams in Constantinople, the Blues and the Greens, escalated into violence towards the emperor. For the next five days the city was in chaos and the fires that started during the rioting resulted in the destruction of much of the city. This insurrection, known as the Nika riots, was put down a week later by Belisarius and Mundus resulting in 30,000 people being killed in the Hippodrome.
On February 23rd Justinian ordered the building of a new Christian basilica in Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia. More than 10,000 people were employed in the construction using material brought from all over the empire.
1 comments*Alex

Î“ in rectangular punchLYDIA. Thyatira. Elagabalus. Æ 26. A.D. 218-222. Obv: AVTKMAAN-TÎ©NEINOC. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right; countermark on lower part of bust. Rev: (Î˜VA)TEIP-HNÎ©N. Tyche standing left, holding cornucopia and rudder. Ref: BMC -; cf. Sear 3072 (same obv. die). Axis: 165°. Weight: 7.92 g. CM: Î“ in rectangular punch, 4 x 5 mm. Howgego 772, 774 or 777 (?). Note: The coin is light for 772, has greater greater diamater than 774 and is not as late as 777. Collection Automan.
Automan

00 - 01 - Marco Junio BrutoMarcus Junius Brutus, al ser adoptado por su Tío toma el nombre de Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus

AR Denario 18,00 mm de 3,60 gr.

Anv: "BRVTVS", Busto a cabeza desnuda de Lucio Junio Bruto a der.
1er.Consul y fundador de la República Romana en el 509 A.C., luego de participar activamente en la conspiración para derrocar a Tarquino "El Soberbio", último Rey de Roma
Rev: "AHALA", Busto a cabeza desnuda de Cayo Servilio Ahala a der.
Magister Equitum (Maestro de caballos) en el 439 D.C., autor del magnicidio del Dictador Espurio Melio en defensa de la República auque muchos autores atribuyen este asesinato a su deseo de convertirse en Rey de Roma

Acuñada por, quizás, el mas famosos de los asesinos de Julio Cesar, unos 10 años antes y a la edad de 31 años cuando desempeñaba uno de sus primeros cargos públicos como Magistrado Monetario. A travéz de esta moneda se atribuye la descendencia paterna de Lucio Junio Bruto y Materna de Cayo Servilio Ahala, dos defensores de la República y magnicidas; además muestra su fuerte defensa de la Res Pública, oposición a la tiranía y convencimiento que existía el homicidio justificable, valores que pondría mas tarde en práctica.
También se cree que esta moneda es una advertencia a Pompeyo "El Grande", quien tenía intensiones de convertirse en Dictador.

Acuñada durante los años 54 A.C. (s/RRC) ó 59 A.C. (s/BMCRR)
Ceca: Roma.

Referencias: Craw.RRC 433/2 - Syd. CRR #907 - BMCRR Roma #3864 - RSC vol.I #Junia 30, p.56 y #Servilia 17, p.89 - Sear RCTV Vol.I #398, p.149 - Albert #1362 - Mabbott #4079 - Catalli #617, p.2001 - Vagi #82 - Harlan RRM #3-4, pag.20mdelvalle

001o. OctaviaOctavia was the elder sister of Octavian and due to a political marriage, the fourth wife of Marc Antony. She married him in 40 BC. After his death, she raised not only her children by him, but also his children by Cleopatra VII. She was the great-grandmother of the Emperor Caligula and Empress Agrippina the Younger, maternal grandmother of the Emperor Claudius, and paternal great-grandmother and maternal great-great-grandmother of the Emperor Nero. She died in 11 BC.

Coin: Cistophorus. 39 BC. Obv: M ANTONINVS IMP COS DESIG ITER ET TERT, Jugate busts of Marc Antony, wreathed with ivy and berries, and Octavia, bare-headed. Rev: III VIR RPCII VIR R P C, cista mystica between two coiled serpents, Dionysos (Bacchus) standing left above, holding kantharos and thyrsos. SNG Cop. 408; SNG von Aulock 6555; Franke KZR 472; RSC 3; Sydenham 1198; RPC 2202.lawrence c

01- 04 - AUGUSTO (27 A.C. - 14 D.C.) AR denario 3,27 gr.

Esta acuñación conmemora la famosa Victoria de Augusto sobre Marco Antonio y Cleopatra en la batalla de Actium, que indirectamente termina con la trágica muerte de estos dos últimos.

Anv: AVGVSTVS DIVI F - Cabeza laureada viendo a derecha.
Rev: IMP / XII - ACT en exergo - Apolo Citharoedus de Actium, de pié de frente viendo a izq., vistiendo larga vestimenta y portando Plectrum/Plectro (Pequeña púa hecha de diferentes materiales que se usa para tocar instrumentos de cuerda, como un reemplazo o ayuda de los dedos) en mano der. y Lira en izq.

Acuñada: Entre el 11 y 10 A.C.
Ceca: Lugdunum - Lyon
Rareza: R2

Referencias: RIC I 180; Lyon 37; RSC 165; BMCRE 478-9 = BMCRR Gaul 194-5; BN 1418-9.3 commentsmdelvalle

01- 04 - AUGUSTO (27 A.C. - 14 D.C.) AR denario 18 mm 3,27 gr.

Esta acuñación conmemora la famosa Victoria de Augusto sobre Marco Antonio y Cleopatra en la batalla de Actium, que indirectamente termina con la trágica muerte de estos dos últimos.

Anv: AVGVSTVS DIVI F - Cabeza laureada viendo a derecha.
Rev: IMP / XII - ACT en exergo - Apolo Citharoedus de Actium, de pié de frente viendo a izq., vistiendo larga vestimenta y portando Plectrum/Plectro (Pequeña púa hecha de diferentes materiales que se usa para tocar instrumentos de cuerda, como un reemplazo o ayuda de los dedos) en mano der. y Lira en izq.

Acuñada: Entre el 11 y 10 A.C.
Ceca: Lugdunum - Lyon
Rareza: R2

Referencias: RIC I 180 Pag.53; Lyon #37; RSC I #165 Pag.142; BMCRE #478-9 = BMCRR Gaul #194-5; BN #1418-9; SRCTV I #1611var Pag.319mdelvalle

027 - Julia Domna (c 170-217AD), denarius - RIC 564Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, draped bust right.
Rev: MATER DEVM, Cybele seated left, holding branch and scepter, lion on either side.
Minted in Rome 196-211 under Septimius Severus.pierre_p77

028 - ANTONIAAntonia

Antonia 36 BC - 37 was the younger of two daughters of Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. She was a niece of the Emperor Augustus, sister-in-law of the Emperor Tiberius, paternal grandmother of the Emperor Caligula and Empress Agrippina the Younger, mother of the Emperor Claudius, and both maternal great-grandmother and paternal great-aunt of the Emperor Nero

for obverse, reverse and coin details click hereshanxi

050 Julia Domna (170-217 A.D.), Rome, RIC IV-I 564, AR-Denarius, MATER DEVM, Cybele, towered, enthroned left, Scarce, #1050 Julia Domna (170-217 A.D.), Rome, RIC IV-I 564, AR-Denarius, MATER DEVM, Cybele, towered, enthroned left, Scarce, #1
avers: IVLIA AVGVSTA, Bust draped right.
reverse: MATER DEVM, Cybele, towered, enthroned left between two lions, leaning on the drum, and holding branch and scepter.
exergue: -/-//--, diameter: 18,5-19,0mm, weight: 2,88g, axis: 11h,
mint: Rome, date: 198 A.D.,
ref: RIC IV-I 564, p-169, RSC 123, BMC 51, Sear (2000-2002) 6593, Scarce,
Q-0012 commentsquadrans

050 Julia Domna (170-217 A.D.), Rome, RIC IV-I 565, AR-Denarius, MATER DEVM, Cybele seated left between two lions, Rare! #1050 Julia Domna (170-217 A.D.), Rome, RIC IV-I 565, AR-Denarius, MATER DEVM, Cybele seated left between two lions, Rare! #1
avers: IVLIA AVGVSTA, Bust draped right.
reverse: MATER DEVM, Cybele seated left between two lions, resting elbow on the drum, and holding branch (no sceptre).
exergue: -/-//-- , diameter: 17,0-18,5mm, weight: 2,17g, axis: 6h,
mint: Rome, date: 205 A.D.,
ref: RIC IV-I 565, p-, RSC 126a, Rare!
Q-001quadrans

056 Jozsef II., (Habsburg-Lotharingia), King of Hungary, (1780-1790 A.D.), H 1875, U 1324a, 1789 A, AR-1/2 Thaler, #1056 Jozsef II., (Habsburg-Lotharingia), King of Hungary, (1780-1790 A.D.), H 1875, U 1324a, 1789 A, AR-1/2 Thaler, #1
avers: IOS II•D•_G•R•IMP•S•A•_G•H•B•REX•A_•A•D•B•& L•, Two winged Angel holding Hungarian Crown over the Hungarian Shield.
reverse: S•MARIA_MATER DEI_ A _PATRONA HUNG•1789•X, Crowned Madonna (Virgin Marie) seated, child (Jesus) on the left arm.
diameter: 33,8mm, weight: 14,02g, axis: 0h,
exe, mint mark: -/-//A, mint: Wien, date: 1826 A.D.,
ref: Unger III 1324a, Huszár-1875,
Q-001
quadrans

07 - Faustina Jr. - AR Denarius - CERESAncient Roman Empire
Empress Faustina Jr. (161 - 175 AD)
also known as 'Faustina the Younger', daughter of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (138 - 161 AD) and Roman Empress Faustina Sr. (138 - 141 AD) also known as 'Faustina the Elder'.
Faustina Jr. was wife of the Roman Emperor, who also happened to be her maternal cousin, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161 - 180 AD).
She was also mother to the future Emperor 'Commodus' (180 - 192 AD, sole reign ).

obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA - Draped bust of Empress Faustina facing right.
rev: CERES - Ceres seated left, holding corn ears and long torch.

Size: 19 mm
Weight: 3.4 Grams
----
--------
----
Imperial Lifetime Issue Minted During the Reign of Marcus Aurelius.

References: RIC 669, RSC 35, BMC 79
---
-2 commentsrexesq

07 - Faustina Jr. - AR Denarius - CERES - with US 25 Cent coin.Ancient Roman Empire
Empress Faustina Jr. (161 - 175 AD)
also known as 'Faustina the Younger', daughter of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (138 - 161 AD) and Roman Empress Faustina Sr. (138 - 141 AD) also known as 'Faustina the Elder'.
Faustina Jr. was wife of the Roman Emperor, who also happened to be her maternal cousin, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161 - 180 AD).
She was also mother to the future Emperor 'Commodus' (180 - 192 AD, sole reign ).

obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA - Draped bust of Empress Faustina facing right.
rev: CERES - Ceres seated left, holding corn ears and long torch.

Size: 19 mm
Weight: 3.4 Grams
----
--------
----
Imperial Lifetime Issue Minted During the Reign of Marcus Aurelius.

References: RIC 669, RSC 35, BMC 79
---
-
--------------------------------
*US Quarter Dollar (25 cents) to right, for size comparison.
--------------------------------rexesq

077. Julia Domna.Denarius, ca 198 AD, Rome mint.
Obverse: IVLIA AVGVSTA / Bust of Domna.
Reverse: MATER DEVM / Cybele, sitting on throne between two lions, holding branch and sceptre, arm resting on drum.
3.29 gm., 19 mm.
RIC #564; Sear #6593

The appearance of Cybele on the above coin shows Domna's interest in eastern religions. The various attributes of personifications and gods on the reverse of Roman coins were often associated with the person pictured on the obverse of the coin. In this case, the words MATER DEVM (Mother of the gods) applied to Domna is interesting since her sons were Caracalla and Geta.Callimachus

1199 - 1216, John, AR Short cross penny, Struck 1205 - 1216 at Winchester, EnglandObverse: HENRICVS REX around central circle enclosing a crowned, draped and bearded facing bust of the king holding a sceptre tipped with a cross pommee in his right hand, bust extending to edge of flan.
Reverse: +ANDREV•ON•WI around voided short cross within circle, crosslets in each quarter. Moneyer: Andrev, cognate with the modern English name of Andrew.
Diameter: 19mm | Weight: 1.2gms | Die Axis: 4h
Class 5b
SPINK: 1351

The class four type short cross pennies of Henry II continued to be struck during the early years of John's reign, but in 1205 a recoinage was begun and new short cross pennies of better style replaced the older issues. Sixteen mints were initially employed for this recoinage but they were reduced to ten later on. All John's coins continued to bear his father's (Henry II) title of henricvs rex.

John was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. The baronial revolt at the end of John's reign led to the sealing of the first Magna Carta, a document sometimes considered an early step in the evolution of the constitution of the United Kingdom.
John, the youngest of the five sons of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, was not expected to inherit significant lands which resulted in him being given the nickname John Lackland. However, after the failed rebellion of his elder brothers between 1173 and 1174, John became Henry's favourite child. He was appointed Lord of Ireland in 1177 and given lands in England and on the continent. John's elder brothers William, Henry and Geoffrey died young and when Richard I became king in 1189, John was the potential heir to the throne. John unsuccessfully attempted a rebellion against Richard's administration whilst his brother was participating in the Third Crusade but despite this, after Richard died in 1199, John was proclaimed King of England.
Contemporary chroniclers were mostly critical of John's performance as king, and his reign has been the subject of much debate by historians from the 16th century onwards. These negative qualities have provided extensive material for fiction writers since the Victorian era, and even today John remains a recurring character within popular culture, primarily as a villain in films and stories regarding the Robin Hood legends.2 comments*Alex

12th Century Handwritten Vellum Leaf of the TalmudThis page of the Talmud predates publication of the first complete edition of the Talmud in 1540 by Daniel Bomberg. Bomberg employed rabbis, scholars, and apostates at his Venetian publishing house, and was responsible for the first Rabbinic Bible, as well as the first complete Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds. It was once customary for Jews to use old manuscripts as binding material for their newly printed and bound books. This piece is an example of that practice

Ex Living Torah Museum collection
Quant.Geek

130b. VerinaEmpress consort of Leo I. She was a sister of Basiliscus. Her daughter Ariadne was Empress consort of first Zeno and then Anastasius I. Verina was the maternal grandmother of Leo II.

Note: Verina also had her own coinage with her portrait on the obverse.lawrence c

144 AD: Antoninus Pius sestertius (rev. only) betrothal M.Aurelius and Faustina filia Orichalcum sestertius (28.4g, 35mm, 12h). Rome mint. Struck AD 144.
AN(TON)NVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III laur. head right
CONCORDIAE [/] S C [in ex.] M. Aurelius & Faustina Jr. clasping hands; large statues of Antoninus & Faustina behind
RIC 601 [S], Cohen 146, BMC 1236-40, Foss (Roman Historic Coins) 127/45a
This type was issued on the occasion of the betrothal of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina, which probably took place during the Hilaria festival celebrated on 25 March 144 (see RIC). The reverse represents Marcus Aurelius, l. and Faustina filia, daughter of Antoninus Pius and Faustina mater, r., as small figures, clasping hands over altar and before large figures representing statues on pedestals of Antoninus Pius and the late Faustina mater (died A.D. 141). The statues also clasp hands, and the that of Antoninus holds a Victory figurine.
The marriage took place the following year in A.D.145.2 commentsCharles S

146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), Alexandria, RIC VIII 021, -/-//SMALΓ, AE-4 Follis, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with one standard, #1146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), Alexandria, RIC VIII 021, -/-//SMALΓ, AE-4 Follis, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with one standard, #1
avers:- CONSTAN-S-PF-AVG, Cn17, D3, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
revers:- GLOR-IA-EXERC-ITVS, Two soldiers holding spears and shields with one standard between them.
exergo: -/-//SMALΓ, diamater:14,5mm, weight: 1,58g, axis: 10h,
mint: Alexandria, date: 340 A.D, ref: RIC-VIII-47, p-539,
Q-001quadrans

146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), Alexandria, RIC VIII 034, -/-//SMALΓ, AE-4 Follis, VOT/XX/MVLT/XXX, In four lines within laurel wreath, #1146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), Alexandria, RIC VIII 034, -/-//SMALΓ, AE-4 Follis, VOT/XX/MVLT/XXX, In four lines within laurel wreath, #1
avers:- CONSTAN-S-PF-AVG, Cn17, D3, Pearl-diademed bust right.
revers:- VOT/XX/MVLT/XXX, In four lines within laurel wreath.
exergo: -/-//SMALΓ, diamater:15,5mm, weight: 2,11g, axis: 11h,
mint: Alexandria, date: 340 A.D, ref: RIC-VIII-34, p-541,
Q-001quadrans

146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), Antioch, RIC VIII 047, -/-//SMANΔ, AE-4 Follis, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with one standard, Scarce!, #1146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), Antioch, RIC VIII 047, -/-//SMANΔ, AE-4 Follis, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with one standard, Scarce!, #1
avers:- CONSTAN-S-PF-AVG, Cn17, D2, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
revers:- GLOR-IA-EXERC-ITVS, Two soldiers holding spears and shields with one standard between them.
exergo: -/-//SMANΔ, diamater: 15-15,5mm, weight: 1,40g, axis: 6h,
mint: Antioch, date: 337-47 A.D, ref: RIC-VIII-47, p-515, Scarce !,
Q-001quadrans

146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), Siscia, RIC VIII 087, -/-//ΔSIS, AE-4 Follis, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with one standard, #1146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), Siscia, RIC VIII 087, -/-//ΔSIS, AE-4 Follis, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with one standard, #1
avers:- CONSTAN-S-PF-AVG, Cn3, D4, Diademed (rosettes), draped and cuirassed bust right.
revers:- GLOR-IA-EXERC-ITVS, two soldiers holding spears & shields with one standard between them.
exergo: -/-//ΔSIS, diamater: 16mm, weight: 1,54g, axis: 6h,
mint: Siscia, date: 337-40 A.D, ref: RIC-VIII-87-p355,
Q-001quadrans

146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), Siscia, RIC VIII 195, -/-//ΓSIS, AE-4 Follis, VICTORIAE DD AVG G Q NN, Two Victories standing, facing each other, #1146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), Siscia, RIC VIII 195, -/-//ΓSIS, AE-4 Follis, VICTORIAE DD AVG G Q NN, Two Victories standing, facing each other, #1
avers:- CONSTAN-S-PF-AVG, Cn3, D4, Diademed (rosettes), draped and cuirassed bust right.
revers:- VICTORIAE-DD-AVG-G-Q-NN, Two Victories standing, facing each other, each holding a wreath and palm.
exergo: -/-//ΓSIS, diamater: 17mm, weight: 1,35g, axis: h,
mint: Siscia, date: 347-48 A.D., ref: RIC-VIII-195-p363,
Q-001quadrans

147 Constantius II. (324-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-361 A.D. Augustus), Aquilea, RIC VIII 080, AE-4 Follis, A//AQS, VICTORIAE D D AVG G Q N N, Two Victories standing, facing each other,147 Constantius II. (324-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-361 A.D. Augustus), Aquilea, RIC VIII 080, AE-4 Follis, A//AQS, VICTORIAE D D AVG G Q N N, Two Victories standing, facing each other,
avers:- CONSTANTIVS P F AVG, Cs16, D5, Diademed (rosettes), draped and cuirassed bust right.
revers:- VICTORIAE D D AVG G Q N N, Two Victories standing, facing each other, each holding a wreath and palm.
exergo: A//AQS, diamater: 15mm, weight: 1,45g, axis: 0h,
mint: Aquilea, date: 347-48 A.D., ref: RIC-VIII-080, p-322,
Q-001quadrans

147. Carinus (283-285 A.D.)Av.: IMP CARINVS PF AVG
Rv.: FELICIT PVBLICA
Ex.: QXXI

AE Antoninian Ø21 / 3.7g
RIC V-2 295 Ticinum
Material appears to be bronze1 comments

14th Century Handwritten Vellum Leaf of the Torah This page of the Talmud predates publication of the first complete edition of the Talmud in 1540 by Daniel Bomberg. Bomberg employed rabbis, scholars, and apostates at his Venetian publishing house, and was responsible for the first Rabbinic Bible, as well as the first complete Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds. It was once customary for Jews to use old manuscripts as binding material for their newly printed and bound books. This piece is an example of that practice.

Ex Living Torah Museum collection
Quant.Geek

1938 JOHN II HYPERPYRON NOMISMA IV DOC 1 Constantinople First Coinage SBCV-1938OBV Christ Bearded and Nimbate , wearing tunic and kolobion, seated upon a throne without back: r. hand raised in benediction , holds gospels in l.

REV Half length figure of emperor on l. and of Virgin , holding between them Partriarcghal cross on long shaft. Emperor wears stemma, divitision, collar piece, and paneled loros of simplified type; holds anexikakia in r. hand. Virgin wears tunic and maphorion. Manus Dei in upeer left field.

Size 30mm

Weight 4.0gm
.
DOC lists 17 examples with weights from 4.04gm to 4.40gm and sizes ranging from 30mm to 36mm

Not a perfect example but had a wonderful Provenance, has original ticket from J Schulman coin dealers in Amsterdam before WWII, (From the start Jacques Schulman kept meticulous records of every coin and medal in his inventory, sales, and auctions. These were index cards that formed a database in the exact same way libraries kept their catalogue card index for books, and other printed materials.Simon

196_Julia_Domna_As_RIC_881_1Julia Domna (ca. 170 – 217 AD)
AE As/Dupondius, Rome, 196 – 209
IVLIA AVGVSTA;
Draped bust right
MATER CASTRORVM, SC in exergue;
Julia, diademed and veiled, standing left, sacrificing out of patera over altar and holding caduceus, three standards in front
10,16 gr, 26 mm
RIC IVa, 881; BMC V, 789; C. 121
Ex Friedinger-Pranter Collection. Purchased of Oberstleutnant Voetter, 29.01.1913 for 6 crownsga77

196_Julia_Domna_As_RIC_883_1Julia Domna (ca. 170 – 217 AD)
AE As/Dupondius, Rome, 196 – 209
IVLIA AVGVSTA;
Draped bust right
MATER DEVM, S-C;
Cybele, towered, seated left between two lions, holding branch and resting left arm on drum
10,95 gr, 24 mm
RIC IVa, 883; BMC V, 791; C. 127ga77

196_Julia_Domna_As_RIC_892a_1Julia Domna (ca. 170 – 217 AD)
AE As/Dupondius, Rome, 196 – 209
IVLIA AVGVSTA;
Bust draped right, hair waved and coiled at back
VESTA MATER, SC in exergue;
Six Vestals sacrificing in front of temple of Vesta
10,68 gr, 27 mm
RIC IVa, 892a; BMC V, 796 note; C. 243
Ex iNumis, Mail Bid Sale 22, lot 209ga77

1ab Conquest of JudeaA. Plautius, moneyer
c. 54 BC

Denarius

Turreted head of Cybele, A PLAVTIVS before, AED CVR SC behind
Bacchius kneels right with camel at his side, extending olive branch, BACCHIVS in ex., IVDAEVS in right

Seaby, Plautia 13

The reverse appears to Pompey's conquest of Judaea in 63 BC.

Josephus recorded of Pompey's conquest of Jerusalem: And when he was come to the city, he looked about where he might make his attack; for he saw the walls were so firm, that it would be hard to overcome them; and that the valley before the walls was terrible; and that the temple, which was within that valley, was itself encompassed with a very strong wall, insomuch that if the city were taken, that temple would be a second place of refuge for the enemy to retire to. . . . Aristobulus's party was worsted, and retired into the temple, and cut off the communication between the temple and the city, by breaking down the bridge that joined them together, and prepared to make an opposition to the utmost; but as the others had received the Romans into the city, and had delivered up the palace to him, Pompey sent Piso, one of his great officers, into that palace with an army, who distributed a garrison about the city, because he could not persuade any one of those that had fled to the temple to come to terms of accommodation; he then disposed all things that were round about them so as might favor their attacks, as having Hyrcanus's party very ready to afford them both counsel and assistance. . . . But Pompey himself filled up the ditch that was oil the north side of the temple, and the entire valley also, the army itself being obliged to carry the materials for that purpose. And indeed it was a hard thing to fill up that valley, by reason of its immense depth, especially as the Jews used all the means possible to repel them from their superior situation; nor had the Romans succeeded in their endeavors, had not Pompey taken notice of the seventh days, on which the Jews abstain from all sorts of work on a religious account, and raised his bank, but restrained his soldiers from fighting on those days; for the Jews only acted defensively on sabbath days. Blindado

1ah Marcus AgrippaDied 12 BC
As, minted by Caligula.

Head left wearing rostral crownt, M AGRIPPA L F COS III
Neptune standing facing, head left, naked except for cloak draped behind him & over both arms, holding small dolphin in right hand & vertical trident in left, SC

RIC 58

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (c 63 BC–12 BC) was a close friend, and defence minister of the future emperor Augustus. He was responsible for many of his military victories, most notably Actium against the forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII of Egypt. He was son-in-law to Augustus, maternal grandfather of the Emperor Caligula, father-in-law of the Emperors Tiberius and Claudius, and maternal great-grandfather of the Emperor Nero. He probably served in Caesar’s campaign of 46/45 BC against Pompey and Caesar regarded him highly enough to send him with Octavius in 45 BC to study at Apollonia. From then on Agrippa played a major part in Augustus’ career, as military commander and admiral, also undertaking major public works, and writing works on geography (following his survey of the Empire) and other subjects. He erected many fine buildings in Rome, including the original Pantheon on the Campus Martius (during his third consulship 27 BC). He married Claudia Marcella the Elder, daughter of Octavia the Younger in 28 BC, and Julia the Elder in 21 BC, with whom he had five children. His daughter Agrippina Vipsania the Younger the married Tiberius, and his daughter Agrippina Vipsania the Elder married Germanicus. His last campaign initiated the conquest of the upper Danube region, which would become the Roman province of Pannonia in 13 BC. Augustus had Agrippa’s remains placed in his own mausoleum. Ronald Syme offers a compelling case that Agrippa was much more co-ruler of the empire with Augustus than he was a subordinate.Blindado

1an GermanicusAdopted by Tiberius in 4 AD, died mysteriously in 19

As, struck by Caligula

Bare head, left, GERMANICVS CAESAR TI AVGVST F DIVI AVG N
C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT SC

RIC 57

Germanicus Julius Caesar (c16 BC-AD 19) was was born in Lugdunum, Gaul (modern Lyon). At birth he was named either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle. He received the agnomen Germanicus, in 9 BC, when it was posthumously awarded to his father in honour of his victories in Germania. Germanicus was the grandson-in-law and great-nephew of the Emperor Augustus, nephew and adoptive son of the Emperor Tiberius, father of the Emperor Caligula, brother of the Emperor Claudius, and the maternal grandfather of the Emperor Nero. He married his maternal second cousin Agrippina the Elder, a granddaughter of Augustus, between 5 and 1 BC. The couple had nine children. Two died very young; another, Gaius Julius Caesar, died in early childhood. The remaining six were: Nero Caesar, Drusus Caesar, the Emperor Caligula, the Empress Agrippina the Younger, Julia Drusilla, and Julia Livilla.

According to Suetonius: Germanicus, who was the son of Drusus the Elder and Antonia the Younger, was adopted (in 4AD) by Germanicus’s paternal uncle, Tiberius. He served as quaestor (in7AD) five years before the legal age and became consul (in12AD) without holding the intermediate offices. On the death of Augustus (in AD14) he was appointed to command the army in Germany, where, his filial piety and determination vying for prominence, he held the legions to their oath, though they stubbornly opposed Tiberius’s succession, and wished him to take power for himself.

He followed this with victory in Germany, for which he celebrated a triumph (in 17 AD), and was chosen as consul for a second time (18 AD) though unable to take office as he was despatched to the East to restore order there. He defeated the forces of the King of Armenia, and reduced Cappadocia to provincial status, but then died at Antioch, at the age of only thirty-three (in AD 19), after a lingering illness, though there was also suspicion that he had been poisoned. For as well as the livid stains which covered his body, and the foam on his lips, the heart was found entire among the ashes after his cremation, its total resistance to flame being a characteristic of that organ, they say, when it is filled with poison.

All considered Germanicus exceptional in body and mind, to a quite outstanding degree. Remarkably brave and handsome; a master of Greek and Latin oratory and learning; singularly benevolent; he was possessed of a powerful desire and vast capacity for winning respect and inspiring affection.

His scrawny legs were less in keeping with the rest of his figure, but he gradually fleshed them out by assiduous exercise on horseback after meals. He often killed enemy warriors in hand-to-hand combat; still pleaded cases in the courts even after receiving his triumph; and left various Greek comedies behind amongst other fruits of his studies.

At home and abroad his manners were unassuming, such that he always entered free or allied towns without his lictors.

Whenever he passed the tombs of famous men, he always offered a sacrifice to their shades. And he was the first to initiate a personal search for the scattered remains of Varus’s fallen legionaries, and have them gathered together, so as to inter them in a single burial mound.

As for Germanicus, Tiberius appreciated him so little, that he dismissed his famous deeds as trivial, and his brilliant victories as ruinous to the Empire. He complained to the Senate when Germanicus left for Alexandria (AD19) without consulting him, on the occasion there of a terrible and swift-spreading famine. It was even believed that Tiberius arranged for his poisoning at the hands of Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, the Governor of Syria, and that Piso would have revealed the written instructions at his trial, had Tiberius not retrieved them during a private interview, before having Piso put to death. As a result, the words: ‘Give us back Germanicus!’ were posted on the walls, and shouted at night, all throughout Rome. The suspicion surrounding Germanicus’ death (19 AD) was deepened by Tiberius’s cruel treatment of Germanicus’s wife, Agrippina the Elder, and their children.1 commentsBlindado

1aq Agrippina juniorMarried Claudius 49 AD

Diobol of Alexandria

Draped bust right, wreathed with corn, hair bound in plait behind, AGRIPPEINA CÐ„BACTH
Draped bust of Euthenia right, wreathed with corn, holding ears of corn, Ð„YQH-NIA across fields, L-IB below

Milne 124

Agrippina the Younger, Julia Agrippina, or Agrippinilla (Little Agrippina) after 50 AD known as Julia Augusta Agrippina (c16 AD –59) was sister of Caligula, niece and fourth wife of Claudius and the mother of Nero. In 28, Tiberius arranged for Agrippina to marry her paternal second cousin Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus. Their only son was named Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, after Domitius’s recently deceased father. This child would become the Emperor Nero. In 39, Agrippina and her sister Livilla, with their maternal cousin, Drusilla’s widower, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, were involved in a failed plot to murder Caligula, and make Lepidus emperor. Lepidus was executed. Agrippina and Livilla were exiled by their brother to the Pontine Islands.

Suetonius says, "But it was Agrippina the Younger, his brother Germanicus’s daughter, who ensnared him, assisted by a niece’s privilege of exchanging kisses and endearments. At the next Senate meeting, he primed a group of Senators to propose that he ought to marry Agrippina, as it was in the public interest, and that such marriages between uncle and niece should from then on be regarded as lawful, and no longer incestuous. He married her (AD 49) with barely a day’s delay, but only one freedman and one leading centurion married their respective nieces, to follow suit. Claudius himself, with Agrippina, attended the centurion’s wedding."

The Euthenia reverse reminds one of "euthanasia." which is what some suspect she did to Claudius to elevate her son Nero to the purple.Blindado

1bj Marcus Aurelius161-180

Sestertius

Laureate head, right, IMP CAES M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG PM
Salus stg, SALVTI AVGVSTOR TR P XVII COS III SC

RIC 843

The Historia Augusta relates: He was reared under the eye of Hadrian, who called him Verissimus. . . . And so he was adopted in his eighteenth year, and at the instance of Hadrian exception was made for his age and he was appointed quaestor for the year of the second consulship of Antoninus [Pius], now his father. . . . After Hadrian's death, Pius immediately got his wife to ask Marcus if he would break off his betrothal to the daughter of Lucius Commodus and marry their own daughter Faustina (whom Hadrian had wanted to marry Commodus' son, even though he was badly matched in age). After thinking the matter over, Marcus replied he was willing. And when this was done, Pius designated him as his colleague in the consulship, though he was still only quaestor, gave him the title of Caesar. . . .

When Antoninus Pius saw that the end of his life was drawing near, having summoned his friends and prefects, he commended Marcus to them all and formally named him as his successor in the empire. . . . Being forced by the senate to assume the government of the state after the death of the Deified Pius, Marcus made his brother his colleague in the empire, giving him the name Lucius Aurelius Verus Commodus and bestowing on him the titles Caesar and Augustus.

Eutropius summarizes: They carried on a war against the Parthians, who then rebelled for the first time since their subjugation by Trajan. Verus Antoninus went out to conduct that war, and, remaining at Antioch and about Armenia, effected many important achievements by the agency of his generals; he took Seleucia, the most eminent city of Assyria, with forty thousand prisoners; he brought off materials for a triumph over the Parthians, and celebrated it in conjunction with his brother, who was also his father-in-law. He died in Venetia. . . . After him MARCUS ANTONINUS held the government alone, a man whom any one may more easily admire than sufficiently commend. He was, from his earliest years, of a most tranquil disposition; so that even in his infancy he changed countenance neither for joy nor for sorrow. He was devoted to the Stoic philosophy, and was himself a philosopher, not only in his way of life, but in learning. . . .

Under his rule affairs were successfully conducted against the Germans. He himself carried on one war with the Marcomanni, but this was greater than any in the memory of man,so that it is compared to the Punic wars. . . . Having persevered, therefore, with the greatest labour and patience, for three whole years at Carnuntum,14 he brought the Marcomannic war to an end; a war which the Quadi, Vandals, Sarmatians, Suevi, and all the barbarians in that quarter, had joined with the Marcomanni in raising; he killed several thousand men, and, having delivered the Pannonians from slavery, triumphed a second time at Rome with his son Commodus Antoninus, whom he had previously made Caesar. . . . Having, then, rendered the state happy, both by his excellent management and gentleness of disposition, he died in the eighteenth year of his reign and the sixty-first of his life, and was enrolled among the gods, all unanimously voting that such honour should be paid him. 3 commentsBlindado

2009-Austria - CarnuntumWork and amusement. Perfume glasses, writing materials, dice, etc.berserker

201a. JULIA DOMNAJULIA DOMNA, mother of Caracalla.

When Septimius Severus claimed the empire after Didius Julianus had succeeded Pertinax in 193, two serious rivals challenged him, Pescennius Niger in the East and Clodius Albinus in the West. Julia accompanied her husband in the campaign against Pescennius, having been honored with the title mater castrorum. After this successful campaign, there was another campaign in the East, against the Parthians, in 197. Afterwards, she was with Severus on a journey to Egypt and other parts of the empire. She was widely honored with inscriptions throughout this period, and numerous coin issues emphasized her imperial position.

She opposed Plautianus, the praetorian prefect and father-in-law of Caracalla, and was partially responsible for his downfall and his daughter Plautilla's disgrace. She was often accused of adultery; nonetheless, the emperor chose to ignore these charges, if true, and the marriage continued. Among her passions were literature and philosophy; she gathered writers and philosophers in a kind of salon, and urged Philostratus to write the life of Apollonius of Tyana.

In 212, Caracalla murdered Geta while he sought succor in his mother's arms; covered with his blood, she was forbidden by Caracalla to grieve. Her relationship with Caracalla during the six years of his reign was mixed. She had some public duties but largely devoted herself to philosophy. She accompanied Caracalla to the east on campaign against the Parthians in 217; when she learned, in Antioch, that he had been assassinated, she resolved upon death, which followed her refusal to take food.

AR Denarius
(19mm, 2.86 gm). IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG, draped
bust right / VESTA, Vesta, veiled, seated left,
holding simpulum and sceptre. RIC IV 391 (Caracalla); BMCRE 31 (same); RSC 226. EF. Ex-CNG
1 commentsecoli

201a. Julia DomnaIn Rome, when the worship of Cybele, as Magna Mater, was formally initiated in 203 BC, Rome was embroiled in the Second Punic War. The previous year, an inspection had been made of the Sibylline Books, and some oracular verses had been discovered that announced that if a foreign foe should carry war into Italy, he could be driven out and conquered if the Mater Magna were brought from Pessinos to Rome. Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica was ordered to go to the port of Ostia, accompanied by all the matrons, to meet the goddess. He was to receive her as she left the vessel, and when brought to land he was to place her in the hands of the matrons who were to bear her to her destination, the Temple of Victory on the Palatine Hill. The day on which this event took place, 12 April, was observed afterwards as a festival, the Megalesian. (Livy, History of Rome, circa AD 10)

In Rome, her Phrygian origins were recalled by Catullus, whose famous poem on the theme of Attis includes a vivid description of Cybele's worship: "Together come and follow to the Phrygian home of Cybele, to the Phrygian forests of the goddess, where the clash of cymbals ring, where tambourines resound, where the Phrygian flute-player blows deeply on his curved reed, where ivy-crowned maenads toss their heads wildly."

Roman devotion to Cybele ran deep. Not coincidentally, when a Christian basilica was built over the site of a temple to Cybele, to occupy the site, it was dedicated as the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

The worship of Cybele penetrated as far as Mauretania, where, just outside Setif, the ceremonial "tree-bearers" and the faithful (religiosi) restored the temple of Cybele and Attis after a disastrous fire in AD 288. Lavish new fittings paid for by the private group included the silver statue of Cybele and the chariot that carried her in procession received a new canopy, with tassels in the form of fir cones. (Robin Lane Fox, Pagans and Christians, p 581.)

Today, a monumental statue of Cybele can be found in one of the principal traffic circles of Madrid, the Plaza de Cibeles (illustration, upper right).

In Roman mythology, Magna Mater deorum Idaea ("great Idaean mother of the gods") was the name for the originally Phrygian goddess Cybele, as well as Rhea.

Her cult moved from Phrygia to Greece from the 6th century to the 4th. In 205 BC, Rome adopted her cult.

Julia Domna Denarius. 212 AD. IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG, draped bust right / MATRI DEVM, Cybele standing left, leaning on column, holding drum & scepter, lion at foot. RSC 137. RIC 3821 commentsecoli

32-12 - FAUSTINA MADRE (138 - 141 D.C.)AE AS ó Dupondio 24 x 26 mm 9.7 gr.
Según cuál sea el material en que fué acuñada Cobre u oricalco (metal amarillo)

Anv: "DIVA FAVSTINA" - Busto laureado viendo a derecha.
Rev: "AETERNITAS - S C" - Pietas (La piedad) velada de pié a izquierda levantando su mano derecha sobre un altar y sosteniendo una caja de incienso o botellita de perfume en mano izquierda.

Acuñada 141 - 161 D.C.
Ceca: Roma

Referencias: RIC Vol.III #1161 Pag.166 - Sear RCTV Vol.II #4641 Pag.275 - BMCRE #1558 - Cohen Vol.II #43 Pag.416mdelvalle

32-16 - FAUSTINA MADRE (138 - 141 D.C.)AE AS ó Dupondio 24 mm 8.5 gr.
Según cuál sea el material en que fué acuñada Cobre u oricalco (metal amarillo)

Anv: "DIVA FAVSTIN[A]" - Busto laureado viendo a derecha.
Rev: "AVGVSTA - S C" - Aeternitas (La eternidad) o Diana (? Cohen)avanzando a izquierda, sosteniendo una antorcha corta con mano izquierda sobre su hombro y con la derecha sostiene su velo que vuela sobre y detrás de su cabeza.

Acuñada 141 - 161 D.C.
Ceca: Roma

Referencias: RIC Vol.III #1183 Pag.168 - Sear RCTV Vol.II #4650 Pag.276 - BMCRE #1587 - Cohen Vol.II #77 Pag.419/420mdelvalle

32-16 - FAUSTINA MADRE (138 - 141 D.C.)AE AS ó Dupondio 24 mm 8.5 gr.
Según cuál sea el material en que fué acuñada Cobre u oricalco (metal amarillo)

Anv: "DIVA FAVSTIN[A]" - Busto laureado viendo a derecha.
Rev: "AVGVSTA - S C" - Aeternitas (La eternidad) o Diana (? Cohen) avanzando a izquierda, sosteniendo una antorcha corta con mano izquierda sobre su hombro y con la derecha sostiene su velo que vuela sobre y detrás de su cabeza.

Acuñada 141 - 161 D.C.
Ceca: Roma

Referencias: RIC Vol.III #1183 Pag.168 - Sear RCTV Vol.II #4650 Pag.276 - BMCRE IV #1587 Pag.253 (Plate 38 #4) - Cohen Vol.II #77 Pag.419/420mdelvalle

33-10 - MARCO AURELIO como Cesar de Antonino Pio (139 - 161 D.C.)AE AS 27 x 22 mm 11.1 gr.
Según cuál sea el material en que fué acuñada Cobre u oricalco (metal amarillo)

Anv: "AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG P II FIL" - Busto a cabeza desnuda viendo a derecha.
Rev: "TR POT X COS II - S C" - Minerva/Pallas sentada a derecha, con el brazo en alto y una lanza en mano izquierda.

Acuñada 155 - 156 D.C.
Ceca: Roma

Referencias: RIC Vol.III (Antonino Pio) #1331 Pag.185 - Cohen Vol.III #692 Pag.69mdelvalle

33-10 - MARCO AURELIO como Cesar de Antonino Pio (139 - 161 D.C.)AE AS ó Dupondio 26 mm 11.1 gr.
Según cuál sea el material en que fué acuñada Cobre u oricalco (metal amarillo)

Anv: "AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG P II FIL COS II" - Busto a cabeza desnuda viendo a derecha.
Rev: "CONCORDIA - S C", Concordia estante a izquierda, portando Pátera en mano derecha extendida y descansando la izquierda sobre una Cornucopia asentada sobre un altar.

Acuñada 145 - 146 D.C.
Ceca: Roma

Referencias: RIC Vol.III (Antonino Pio) #1254 Pag.176 - Cohen Vol.III #63 Pag.8 - Sear RCV II #4826 Pag.297 - BMCRE IV #1788 ss Pag.289-90 - UCR #743 Pag.748mdelvalle

33-14 - MARCO AURELIO como Cesar de Antonino Pio (139 - 161 D.C.)AE AS ó Dupondio 27 mm 11.9 gr.
Según cuál sea el material en que fué acuñada Cobre u oricalco (metal amarillo)

Anv: "AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG P II FIL" - Busto a cabeza desnuda viendo a derecha.
Rev: "TR POT III COS II - S C", "PIETAS" en exergo - Pietas (La Piedad) estante a izquierda, acariciando la cabeza de un niño estante a su derecha y portando largo cetro vertical en izquierda.

Acuñada 148 - 149 D.C.
Ceca: Roma

Referencias: RIC Vol.III (Antonino Pio) #1294 Pag.180 - Cohen Vol.III #447 Pag.46 - Sear RCV II #4835 var. - BMCRE IV Nota * Pag.306mdelvalle

33-16 - MARCO AURELIO como Cesar de Antonino Pio (139 - 161 D.C.)AE AS ó dupondio 27 x 22 mm 11.1 gr.
Según cuál sea el material en que fué acuñada Cobre u oricalco (metal amarillo)

Anv: "AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG P II FIL" - Busto a cabeza desnuda viendo a derecha.
Rev: "TR POT X COS II - S C" - Minerva/Pallas sentada a derecha, con el brazo en alto y una lanza en mano izquierda.

Acuñada 155 - 156 D.C.
Ceca: Roma

Referencias: RIC Vol.III (Antonino Pio) #1331 Pag.185 - Cohen Vol.III #692 Pag.69 - BMCRE IV Nota.++ Pag.338mdelvalle

33-18 - MARCO AURELIO como Cesar de Antonino Pio (139 - 161 D.C.)AE AS ó dupondio 25 mm 9.6 gr.
Según cuál sea el material en que fué acuñada Cobre u oricalco (metal amarillo)

Anv: "AVRELIVS CAES - ANTON AVG P II F" - Busto a cabeza desnuda viendo a derecha.
Rev: "TR POT X COS II - S C" - Pietas (La Piedad) estante a izquierda, poniendo granos de incienso en un altar/candelabro con su mano derecha y portando caja de incienso en la izquierda.

Acuñada 155 - 156 D.C.
Ceca: Roma

Referencias: RIC Vol.III (Antonino Pio) #1333 Pag.185 - Cohen Vol.III #698 Pag.69mdelvalle

4" Spinosaurus ToothSpinosaurus (meaning "spine lizard") is a genus of theropod dinosaur which lived in what is now North Africa, from the lower Albian to Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous period, about 106 to 93.5 million years ago. This genus was first known from Egyptian remains discovered in the 1910s and described by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer. These original remains were destroyed in World War II, but additional skull material has come to light in recent years. It is unclear whether one or two species are represented in the described fossils. The best known species is S. aegyptiacus from Egypt, although a potential second species, S. maroccanus, has been recovered from Morocco. Spinosaurus is often postulated as a piscivore, and work using oxygen isotope ratios in tooth enamel suggests that it was semiaquatic, living both on land and in water like a modern crocodilian.ancientone

501. Constantine I Ostia SolOstia
Although Ostia was probably founded for the sole purpose of military defence — since through the Tiber's mouths armies could eventually reach Rome by water — in time the port became a commercial harbour, and a very important one too. Many of the goods that Rome received from its colonies and provinces passed through Ostia. In this role, Ostia soon replaced Pozzuoli (Puteoli, near Naples).

In 87 BC, the town was razed by Marius, and again in 67 BC it was sacked by pirates. After this second attack, the town was re-built and provided with protective walls by Cicero. The town was then further developed during the 1st century AD, mainly under the influence of Tiberius, who ordered the building of the first Forum. The town was also soon enriched by the construction of a new harbour on the northern mouths of the Tiber (which reaches the sea with a larger mouth in Ostia, Fiumara Grande, and a narrower one near to the current Fiumicino international airport). The new harbour, not surprisingly called Portus, was excavated from the ground at the orders of the emperor Claudius; it has an hexagonal form, in order to reduce the waves strength. The town was provided with all the services a town of the time could require; in particular, a famous lighthouse. Archaeologists also discovered the public latrinas, organised for collective use as a series of seats that lets us imagine today that the function was also a social moment. In addition, Ostia had a large theatre, public baths and a fire fighting service. You can still see the mosaic floors of the baths near today's entrance to the town.

Trajan too, required a widening of the naval areas, and ordered the building of another harbour, again pointing towards the north. It must be remembered that at a relatively short distance, there was also the harbour of Civitavecchia (Centum Cellae), and Rome was starting to have a significant number of harbours, the most important remaining Portus.

Ostia grew to 50,000 inhabitants in the 2nd century AD and in time focused its naval activities on Portus. With the end of the Roman Empire, Ostia fell slowly into decay, and was finally abandoned in the 9th century due to the fall of the Roman empire in combination with repeated invasions and sackings by Arab pirates; the inhabitants moved to Gregoriopolis. In the Middle Ages, bricks from buildings in Ostia were used for several other occasions. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was entirely built of material originally belonging to Ostia. A "local sacking" was carried out by baroque architects, who used the remains as a sort of marble store for the palazzi they were building in Rome. Soon after, foreign explorers came in search of ancient statues and objects. The Papacy started organising its own investigations with Pope Pius VII and the research still continues today. It has been estimated that two thirds of the ancient town have currently been found.

001. Constantine I Ostia

RIC VI Ostia 85 S

ecoli

503. ConstansFlavius Julius Constans (320 - January 18, 350), was a Roman Emperor who ruled from 337 to 350. Constans was the third and youngest son of Constantine the Great and Fausta, Constantine's second wife.

From 337, he was a joint ruler with his brothers Constantius II and Constantine II. Constantine II attempted to take advantage of his youth and inexperience by invading Italy in 340, but Constans defeated Constantine II at Aquileia, where the older brother died.

The writer Julius Firmicus Maternus mentioned that Constans visited Britain in the early months of 343, but did not explain why. The speed of his trip, paired with the fact he crossed the English Channel during the dangerous winter months, suggests it was in response to a military emergency of some kind.

In 350, the general Magnentius declared himself emperor with the support of the troops on the Rhine frontier, and later the entire Western portion of the Roman Empire. Constans lacked any support beyond his immediate household, and was forced to flee for his life. Magnentius' supporters cornered him in a fortification in southeastern Gaul, where he was killed.

Constans, AE3. 340-348 AD. DN CONSTANS P F AVG, diademed draped bust right / VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN, two Victories standing facing each other, each holding wreath & palm.ecoli

514. Valentinian IIValentinian II (371 - 392) was elevated as Western Roman Emperor at the age of four in 375, along with his half-brother Gratian.

Valentinian and his family lived in Milan, and the empire was nominally divided between them. Gratian took the trans- Alpine provinces, while Italy, Illyricum in part, and Africa were to be under the rule of Valentinian, or rather of his mother, Justina. Justina was an Arian, and the imperial court at Milan struggled against the Catholics of that city, led by their bishop Ambrose. The popularity of Ambrose was so great that the emperors' authority was materially shaken. In 387, Magnus Maximus, a Roman consul who had commanded an army in Briton, and in 383 (the year of Gratian's death) had declared himself emperor of Western Rome, crossed the Alps into the valley of the Po and threatened Milan.

The emperor Valentinian II and his mother fled to Theodosius I, the Eastern Roman Emperor and Valentinian's brother in law. Valentinian was restored in 388 by Theodosius, following the death of Magnus Maximus.

On May 15, 392, Valentinian was found hanged in his residence in the town of Vienne in Gaul. The Frankish soldier Arbogast, Valentinian's protector and magister militum, maintained that it was suicide. Arbogast and Valentinian had frequently disputed rulership over the Western Roman Empire, and Valentinian was also noted to have complained of Arbogast's control over him to Theodosius. Thus when word of his death reached Constantinople Theodosius believed, or at least suspected, that Arbogast was lying and that he had engineered Valentinian's demise. These suspicions were further fueled by Arbogast's elevation of a Eugenius, pagan official to the position of Western Emperor, and the veiled accusations which Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, spoke during his funeral oration for Valentinian.

Valentinian II's death sparked a civil war between Eugenius and Theodosius over the rulership of the West in the Battle of the Frigidus. The resultant Eastern victory there led to the final brief unification of the Roman Empire under Theodosius, and the ultimate irreparable division of the Empire after his death.

Bronze AE3, RIC 22, VF, 2.19g, 17.7mm, 0o, Arelate mint, 378-383 A.D.; obverse D N VALENTINIANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right; reverse VICTORIAE AVGGG, Victory advancing left holding wreath in right and palm frond in left, [S]CON in ex;Ex Aiello;Ex Forumecoli

706a, Nero, 13 October 54 - 9 June 68 A.D.6, Nero, 13 October 54 - 9 June 68 A.D. AE setertius, Date: 66 AD; RIC I 516, 36.71 mm; 25.5 grams; aVF. Obverse: IMP NERO CAESAR AVG PONT MAX TR POT PP, Laureate bust right; Reverse: S C, ROMA, Roma seated left, exceptional portrait and full obverse legends. Ex Ancient Imports.

NERO (54-68 A.D.)

It is difficult for the modern student of history to realize just how popular Nero actually was, at least at the beginning of his reign. Rome looked upon her new Emperor with hope. He was the student of Seneca, and he had a sensitive nature. He loved art, music, literature, and theatre. He was also devoted to horses and horse racing—a devotion shared by many of his subjects. The plebs loved their new Emperor. As Professor of Classics Judith P. Hallett (University of Maryland, College Park) says, “It is not clear to me that Nero ever changed or that Nero ever grew-up, and that was both his strength and his weakness. Nero was an extraordinarily popular Emperor: he was like Elvis” (The Roman Empire in the First Century, III. Dir. Margaret Koval and Lyn Goldfarb. 2001. DVD. PBS/Warner Bros. 2003).

De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families

Herbert W. Benario
Emory University

Introduction and Sources
The five Julio-Claudian emperors are very different one from the other. Augustus dominates in prestige and achievement from the enormous impact he had upon the Roman state and his long service to Rome, during which he attained unrivaled auctoritas. Tiberius was clearly the only possible successor when Augustus died in AD 14, but, upon his death twenty-three years later, the next three were a peculiar mix of viciousness, arrogance, and inexperience. Gaius, better known as Caligula, is generally styled a monster, whose brief tenure did Rome no service. His successor Claudius, his uncle, was a capable man who served Rome well, but was condemned for being subject to his wives and freedmen. The last of the dynasty, Nero, reigned more than three times as long as Gaius, and the damage for which he was responsible to the state was correspondingly greater. An emperor who is well described by statements such as these, "But above all he was carried away by a craze for popularity and he was jealous of all who in any way stirred the feeling of the mob." and "What an artist the world is losing!" and who is above all remembered for crimes against his mother and the Christians was indeed a sad falling-off from the levels of Augustus and Tiberius. Few will argue that Nero does not rank as one of the worst emperors of all.

The prime sources for Nero's life and reign are Tacitus' Annales 12-16, Suetonius' Life of Nero, and Dio Cassius' Roman History 61-63, written in the early third century. Additional valuable material comes from inscriptions, coinage, papyri, and archaeology.

Early Life
He was born on December 15, 37, at Antium, the son of Cnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbusand Agrippina. Domitius was a member of an ancient noble family, consul in 32; Agrippina was the daughter of the popular Germanicus, who had died in 19, and Agrippina, daughter of Agrippa, Augustus' closest associate, and Julia, the emperor's daughter, and thus in direct descent from the first princeps. When the child was born, his uncle Gaius had only recently become emperor. The relationship between mother and uncle was difficult, and Agrippina suffered occasional humiliation. But the family survived the short reign of the "crazy" emperor, and when he was assassinated, it chanced that Agrippina's uncle, Claudius, was the chosen of the praetorian guard, although there may have been a conspiracy to accomplish this.

Ahenobarbus had died in 40, so the son was now the responsibility of Agrippina alone. She lived as a private citizen for much of the decade, until the death of Messalina, the emperor's wife, in 48 made competition among several likely candidates to become the new empress inevitable. Although Roman law forbade marriage between uncle and niece, an eloquent speech in the senate by Lucius Vitellius, Claudius' closest advisor in the senatorial order, persuaded his audience that the public good required their union. The marriage took place in 49, and soon thereafter the philosopher Seneca [[PIR2 A617]] was recalled from exile to become the young Domitius' tutor, a relationship which endured for some dozen years.

His advance was thereafter rapid. He was adopted by Claudius the following year and took the name Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar or Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus, was preferred to Claudius' natural son, Britannicus, who was about three years younger, was betrothed to the emperor's daughter Octavia, and was, in the eyes of the people, the clear successor to the emperor. In 54, Claudius died, having eaten some poisoned mushrooms, responsibility for which was believed to be Agrippina's, and the young Nero, not yet seventeen years old, was hailed on October 13 as emperor by the praetorian guard.

The First Years of Rule
The first five years of Nero's rule are customarily called the quinquennium, a period of good government under the influence, not always coinciding, of three people, his mother, Seneca, and Sextus Afranius Burrus, the praetorian prefect. The latter two were allies in their "education" of the emperor. Seneca continued his philosophical and rhetorical training, Burrus was more involved in advising on the actualities of government. They often combined their influence against Agrippina, who, having made her son emperor, never let him forget the debt he owed his mother, until finally, and fatally, he moved against her.

Nero's betrothal to Octavia was a significant step in his ultimate accession to the throne, as it were, but she was too quiet, too shy, too modest for his taste. He was early attracted to Poppaea Sabina, the wife of Otho, and she continually goaded him to break from Octavia and to show himself an adult by opposing his mother. In his private life, Nero honed the musical and artistic tastes which were his chief interest, but, at this stage, they were kept private, at the instigation of Seneca and Burrus.

As the year 59 began, Nero had just celebrated his twenty-first birthday and now felt the need to employ the powers which he possessed as emperor as he wished, without the limits imposed by others. Poppaea's urgings had their effect, first of all, at the very onset of the year, with Nero's murder of his mother in the Bay of Naples.

Agrippina had tried desperately to retain her influence with her son, going so far as to have intercourse with him. But the break between them proved irrevocable, and Nero undertook various devices to eliminate his mother without the appearance of guilt on his part. The choice was a splendid vessel which would collapse while she was on board. As this happened, she swam ashore and, when her attendant, having cried out that she was Agrippina, was clubbed to death, Agrippina knew what was going on. She sent Nero a message that she was well; his response was to send a detachment of sailors to finish the job. When she was struck across the head, she bared her womb and said, "Strike here, Anicetus, strike here, for this bore Nero," and she was brutally murdered.

Nero was petrified with fear when he learned that the deed had been done, yet his popularity with the plebs of Rome was not impaired. This matricide, however, proved a turning point in his life and principate. It appeared that all shackles were now removed. The influence of Seneca and Burrus began to wane, and when Burrus died in 62, Seneca realized that his powers of persuasion were at an end and soon went into retirement. Britannicus had died as early as 55; now Octavia was to follow, and Nero became free to marry Poppaea. It may be that it had been Burrus rather than Agrippina who had continually urged that Nero's position depended in large part upon his marriage to Octavia. Burrus' successor as commander of the praetorian guard, although now with a colleague, was Ofonius Tigellinus, quite the opposite of Burrus in character and outlook. Tigellinus became Nero's "evil twin," urging and assisting in the performance of crimes and the satisfaction of lusts.

Administrative and Foreign Policy
With Seneca and Burrus in charge of administration at home, the first half-dozen years of Nero's principate ran smoothly. He himself devoted his attention to his artistic, literary, and physical bents, with music, poetry, and chariot racing to the fore. But his advisors were able to keep these performances and displays private, with small, select audiences on hand. Yet there was a gradual trend toward public performance, with the establishment of games. Further, he spent many nights roaming the city in disguise, with numerous companions, who terrorized the streets and attacked individuals. Those who dared to defend themselves often faced death afterward, because they had shown disrespect for the emperor. The die was being cast for the last phases of Nero's reign.

The Great Fire at Rome and The Punishment
of the Christians
The year 64 was the most significant of Nero's principate up to this point. His mother and wife were dead, as was Burrus, and Seneca, unable to maintain his influence over Nero without his colleague's support, had withdrawn into private life. The abysmal Tigellinus was now the foremost advisor of the still young emperor, a man whose origin was from the lowest levels of society and who can accurately be described as criminal in outlook and action. Yet Nero must have considered that he was happier than he had ever been in his life. Those who had constrained his enjoyment of his (seemingly) limitless power were gone, he was married to Poppaea, a woman with all advantages save for a bad character the empire was essentially at peace, and the people of Rome enjoyed a full measure of panem et circenses. But then occurred one of the greatest disasters that the city of Rome, in its long history, had ever endured.

The fire began in the southeastern angle of the Circus Maximus, spreading through the shops which clustered there, and raged for the better part of a week. There was brief success in controlling the blaze, but then it burst forth once more, so that many people claimed that the fires were deliberately set. After about a fortnight, the fire burned itself out, having consumed ten of the fourteen Augustan regions into which the city had been divided.

Nero was in Antium through much of the disaster, but his efforts at relief were substantial. Yet many believed that he had been responsible, so that he could perform his own work comparing the current fate of Rome to the downfall of Troy. All his efforts to assist the stricken city could not remove the suspicion that "the emperor had fiddled while Rome burned." He lost favor even among the plebs who had been enthusiastic supporters, particularly when his plans for the rebuilding of the city revealed that a very large part of the center was to become his new home.

As his popularity waned, Nero and Tigellinus realized that individuals were needed who could be charged with the disaster. It so happened that there was such a group ready at hand, Christians, who had made themselves unpopular because of their refusal to worship the emperor, their way of life, and their secret meetings. Further, at this time two of their most significant "teachers" were in Rome, Peter and Paul. They were ideal scapegoats, individuals whom most Romans loathed, and who had continually sung of the forthcoming end of the world.

Their destruction was planned with the utmost precision and cruelty, for the entertainment of the populace. The venue was Nero's circus near the Mons Vaticanus. Christians were exposed to wild animals and were set ablaze, smeared with pitch, to illuminate the night. The executions were so grisly that even the populace displayed sympathy for the victims. Separately, Peter was crucified upside down on the Vatican hill and Paul was beheaded along the Via Ostiensis. But Nero's attempt, and hope, to shift all suspicion of arson to others failed. His popularity even among the lower classes was irrevocably impaired.

[For a detailed and interesting discussion of Nero’s reign please see http://www.roman-emperors.org/nero.htm]

The End - Nero's Death and its Aftermath
Nero's and Tigellinus' response to the conspiracy was immediate and long-lasting. The senatorial order was decimated, as one leading member after another was put to death or compelled to commit suicide. The year 66 saw the suicides of perhaps the most distinguished victims of the "reign of terror," Caius Petronius and Thrasea Paetus. Petronius, long a favorite of Nero because of his aesthetic taste, had been an able public servant before he turned to a life of ease and indolence. He was recognized as the arbiter elegantiae of Nero's circle, and may be the author of the Satyricon. At his death, he left for Nero a document which itemized many of the latter's crimes. Thrasea, a staunch Stoic who had been for some years an outspoken opponent of Nero's policies, committed suicide in the Socratic manner. This scene is the last episode in the surviving books of Tacitus' Annals.

In the year 68, revolt began in the provinces. . . the end of Nero's reign became inevitable. Galba claimed the throne and began his march from Spain. Nero panicked and was rapidly abandoned by his supporters. He finally committed suicide with assistance, on June 9, 68, and his body was tended and buried by three women who had been close to him in his younger days, chief of whom was Acte. His death scene is marked above all by the statement, "Qualis artifex pereo," (What an artist dies in me.) Even at the end he was more concerned with his private life than with the affairs of state.

The aftermath of Nero's death was cataclysmic. Galba was the first of four emperors who revealed the new secret of empire, that an emperor could be made elsewhere than in Rome. Civil war ensued, which was only ended by the victory of the fourth claimant, Vespasian, who established the brief dynasty of the Flavians. The dynasty of the Julio-Claudians was at an end.

Nero's popularity among the lower classes remained even after his death.

. . . .

It is not excessive to say that he was one of the worst of Rome's emperors in the first two centuries and more of the empire. Whatever talents he had, whatever good he may have done, all is overwhelmed by three events, the murder of his mother, the fire at Rome, and his savage treatment of the Christians.

Precisely these qualities are the reasons that he has remained so well known and has been the subject of many writers and opera composers in modern times. These works of fiction particularly merit mention: Henryk Sienkiewicz's Quo Vadis, one of the finest works of the 1907 Nobel Laureate in Literature, and John Hersey's The Conspiracy. Nero unquestionably will always be with us.

Copyright (C) 2006, Herbert W. Benario.
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.

1 commentsCleisthenes

707a, Galba, 3 April 68 - 15 January 69 A.D.Galba AE As, 68-69 AD; cf. SRC 727, 729ff; 27.85mm, 12g; Rome: Obverse: GALBA IMP CAESAR…, Laureate head right; Reverse: S P Q R OB CIV SER in oak wreath; gF+/F Ex. Ancient Imports.

De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families

Galba (68-69 A.D.)

John Donahue
College of William and Mary

Introduction
The evidence for the principate of Galba is unsatisfactory. The sources either concentrate on the personality of the man, thereby failing to offer a balanced account of his policies and a firm chronological base for his actions; or, they focus on the final two weeks of his life at the expense of the earlier part of his reign. As a result, a detailed account of his principate is difficult to write. Even so, Galba is noteworthy because he was neither related to nor adopted by his predecessor Nero. Thus, his accession marked the end of the nearly century-long control of the Principate by the Julio-Claudians. Additionally, Galba's declaration as emperor by his troops abroad set a precedent for the further political upheavals of 68-69. Although these events worked to Galba's favor initially, they soon came back to haunt him, ending his tumultuous rule after only seven months.

Early Life and Rise to Power
Born 24 December 3 BC in Tarracina, a town on the Appian Way, 65 miles south of Rome, Servius Galba was the son of C. Sulpicius Galba and Mummia Achaica. Galba's connection with the noble house of the Servii gave him great prestige and assured his acceptance among the highest levels of Julio-Claudian society. Adopted in his youth by Livia, the mother of the emperor Tiberius, he is said to have owed much of his early advancement to her. Upon her death, Livia made Galba her chief legatee, bequeathing him some 50 million sesterces. Tiberius, Livia's heir, reduced the amount, however, and then never paid it. Galba's marriage proved to be a further source of disappointment, as he outlived both his wife Lepida and their two sons. Nothing else is known of Galba's immediate family, other than that he remained a widower for the rest of his life.

Although the details of Galba's early political career are incomplete, the surviving record is one of an ambitious Roman making his way in the Emperor's service. Suetonius records that as praetor Galba put on a new kind of exhibition for the people - elephants walking on a rope. Later, he served as governor of the province of Aquitania, followed by a six-month term as consul at the beginning of 33. Ironically, as consul he was succeeded by Salvius Otho, whose own son would succeed Galba as emperor. Over the years three more governorships followed - Upper Germany (date unknown), North Africa (45) and Hispania Tarraconensis, the largest of Spain's three provinces (61). He was selected as a proconsul of Africa by the emperor Claudius himself instead of by the usual method of drawing lots. During his two-year tenure in the province he successfully restored internal order and quelled a revolt by the barbarians. As an imperial legate he was a governor in Spain for eight years under Nero, even though he was already in his early sixties when he assumed his duties. The appointment showed that Galba was still considered efficient and loyal. In all of these posts Galba generally displayed an enthusiasm for old-fashioned disciplina, a trait consistent with the traditional characterization of the man as a hard-bitten aristocrat of the old Republican type. Such service did not go unnoticed, as he was honored with triumphal insignia and three priesthoods during his career.

On the basis of his ancestry, family tradition and service to the state Galba was the most distinguished Roman alive (with the exception of the houses of the Julii and Claudii) at the time of Nero's demise in 68. The complex chain of events that would lead him to the Principate later that year began in March with the rebellion of Gaius Iulius Vindex, the governor of Gallia Lugdunensis. Vindex had begun to sound out provincial governors about support for a rebellion perhaps in late 67 or early 68. Galba did not respond but, because of his displeasure with Neronian misgovernment, neither did he inform the emperor of these treasonous solicitations. This, of course, left him dangerously exposed; moreover, he was already aware that Nero, anxious to remove anyone of distinguished birth and noble achievements, had ordered his death. Given these circumstances, Galba likely felt that he had no choice but to rebel.

In April, 68, while still in Spain, Galba "went public," positioning himself as a vir militaris, a military representative of the senate and people of Rome. For the moment, he refused the title of Emperor, but it is clear that the Principate was his goal. To this end, he organized a concilium of advisors in order to make it known that any decisions were not made by him alone but only after consultation with a group. The arrangement was meant to recall the Augustan Age relationship between the emperor and senate in Rome. Even more revealing of his imperial ambitions were legends like LIBERTAS RESTITUTA (Liberty Restored), ROM RENASC (Rome Reborn) and SALUS GENERIS HUMANI (Salvation of Mankind), preserved on his coinage from the period. Such evidence has brought into question the traditional assessment of Galba as nothing more than an ineffectual representative of a bygone antiquus rigor in favor of a more balanced portrait of a traditional constitutionalist eager to publicize the virtues of an Augustan-style Principate.
Events now began to move quickly. In May, 68 Lucius Clodius Macer, legate of the III legio Augusta in Africa, revolted from Nero and cut off the grain supply to Rome. Choosing not to recognize Galba, he called himself propraetor, issued his own coinage, and raised a new legion, the I Macriana liberatrix. Galba later had him executed. At the same time, 68, Lucius Verginius Rufus, legionary commander in Upper Germany, led a combined force of soldiers from Upper and Lower Germany in defeating Vindex at Vesontio in Gallia Lugdunensis. Verginius refused to accept a call to the emperorship by his own troops and by those from the Danube, however, thereby creating at Rome an opportunity for Galba's agents to win over Gaius Nymphidius Sabinus, the corrupt praetorian prefect since 65. Sabinus was able to turn the imperial guard against Nero on the promise that they would be rewarded financially by Galba upon his arrival. That was the end for Nero. Deposed by the senate and abandoned by his supporters, he committed suicide in June. At this point, encouraged to march on Rome by the praetorians and especially by Sabinus, who had his own designs on the throne, Galba hurriedly established broad-based political and financial support and assembled his own legion (subsequently known as the legio VII Gemina). As he departed from Spain, he abandoned the title of governor in favor of "Caesar," apparently in an attempt to lay claim to the entire inheritance of the Julio-Claudian house. Even so, he continued to proceed cautiously, and did not actually adopt the name of Caesar (and with it the emperorship) until sometime after he had left Spain.

The Principate of Galba
Meanwhile, Rome was anything but serene. An unusual force of soldiers, many of whom had been mustered by Nero to crush the attempt of Vindex, remained idle and restless. In addition, there was the matter concerning Nymphidius Sabinus. Intent on being the power behind the throne, Nymphidius had orchestrated a demand from the praetorians that Galba appoint him sole praetorian prefect for life. The senate capitulated to his pretensions and he began to have designs on the throne himself. In an attempt to rattle Galba, Nymphidius then sent messages of alarm to the emperor telling of unrest in both the city and abroad. When Galba ignored these reports, Nymphidius decided to launch a coup by presenting himself to the praetorians. The plan misfired, and the praetorians killed him when he appeared at their camp. Upon learning of the incident, Galba ordered the executions of Nymphidius' followers. To make matters worse, Galba's arrival was preceded by a confrontation with a boisterous band of soldiers who had been formed into a legion by Nero and were now demanding legionary standards and regular quarters. When they persisted, Galba's forces attacked, with the result that many of them were killed.
Thus it was amid carnage and fear that Galba arrived at the capital in October, 68, accompanied by Otho, the governor of Lusitania, who had joined the cause. Once Galba was within Rome, miscalculations and missteps seemed to multiply. First, he relied upon the advice of a corrupt circle of advisors, most notably: Titus Vinius, a general from Spain; Cornelius Laco, praetorian prefect; and his own freedman, Icelus. Second, he zealously attempted to recover some of Nero's more excessive expenditures by seizing the property of many citizens, a measure that seems to have gone too far and to have caused real hardship and resentment. Third, he created further ill-will by disbanding the imperial corps of German bodyguards, effectively abolishing a tradition that originated with Marius and had been endorsed by Augustus. Finally, he seriously alienated the military by refusing cash rewards for both the praetorians and for the soldiers in Upper Germany who had fought against Vindex.

This last act proved to be the beginning of the end for Galba. On 1 January 69 ("The Year of the Four Emperors"), the troops in Upper Germany refused to declare allegiance to him and instead followed the men stationed in Lower Germany in proclaiming their commander, Aulus Vitellius, as the new ruler. In response, Galba adopted Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi Licinianus to show that he was still in charge and that his successor would not be chosen for him. Piso, although an aristocrat, was a man completely without administrative or military experience. The choice meant little to the remote armies, the praetorians or the senate, and it especially angered Otho, who had hoped to succeed Galba. Otho quickly organized a conspiracy among the praetorians with the now-familiar promise of a material reward, and on 15 January 69 they declared him emperor and publicly killed Galba; Piso, dragged from hiding in the temple of Vesta, was also butchered.

Assessment
In sum, Galba had displayed talent and ambition during his lengthy career. He enjoyed distinguished ancestry, moved easily among the Julio-Claudian emperors (with the exception of Nero towards the end of his principate), and had been awarded the highest military and religious honors of ancient Rome. His qualifications for the principate cannot be questioned. Even so, history has been unkind to him. Tacitus characterized Galba as "weak and old," a man "equal to the imperial office, if he had never held it." Modern historians of the Roman world have been no less critical. To be sure, Galba's greatest mistake lay in his general handling of the military. His treatment of the army in Upper Germany was heedless, his policy towards the praetorians short sighted. Given the climate in 68-69, Galba was unrealistic in expecting disciplina without paying the promised rewards. He was also guilty of relying on poor advisors, who shielded him from reality and ultimately allowed Otho's conspiracy to succeed. Additionally, the excessive power of his henchmen brought the regime into disfavor and made Galba himself the principal target of the hatred that his aides had incited. Finally, the appointment of Piso, a young man in no way equal to the challenges placed before him, further underscored the emperor's isolation and lack of judgment. In the end, the instability of the post-Julio-Claudian political landscape offered challenges more formidable than a tired, septuagenarian aristocrat could hope to overcome. Ironically, his regime proved no more successful than the Neronian government he was so eager to replace. Another year of bloodshed would be necessary before the Principate could once again stand firm.

Copyright (C) 1999, John Donahue.
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.

Cleisthenes

708a, OthoOtho (69 A.D.)
John Donahue
College of William and Mary

Introduction
In January 69 Otho led a successful coup to overthrow the emperor Galba. Upon advancing to the throne, he hoped to conciliate his adversaries and restore political stability to the Empire. These ambitions were never to be realized. Instead, our sources portray a leader never fully able to win political confidence at Rome or to overcome military anarchy abroad. As a result, he was defeated in battle by the forces of Vitellius, his successor, and took his own life at the conclusion of the conflict. His principate lasted only eight weeks.
Early Life and Career
Marcus Salvius Otho was born at Ferentium on 28 April 32 A. D. His grandfather, also named Marcus Salvius Otho, was a senator who did not advance beyond the rank of praetor. Lucius Otho, his father, was consul in 33 and a trusted administrator under the emperors Tiberius, Gaius and Claudius. His mother, Albia Terentia, was likely to have been nobly born as well. The cognomen "Otho" was Etruscan in origin, and the fact that it can be traced to three successive generations of this family perhaps reflects a desire to maintain a part of the Etruscan tradition that formed the family's background.
Otho is recorded as being extravagant and wild as a youth - a favorite pastime involved roving about at night to snare drunkards in a blanket. Such behavior earned floggings from his father, whose frequent absences from home on imperial business suggest little in the way of a stabilizing parental influence in Otho's formative years. These traits apparently persisted: Suetonius records that Otho and Nero became close friends because of the similarity of their characters; and Plutarch relates that the young man was so extravagant that he sometimes chided Nero about his meanness, and even outdid the emperor in reckless spending.
Most intriguing in this context is Otho's involvement with Nero's mistress, Poppaea Sabina, the greatest beauty of her day. A relationship between the two is widely cited in the ancient sources, but the story differs in essential details from one account to the next. As a result, it is impossible to establish who seduced whom, whether Otho ever married Poppaea, and whether his posting to Lusitania by Nero should be understood as a "banishment" for his part in this affair. About the only reliable detail to emerge is that Otho did indeed become governor of Lusitania in 59, and that he assumed the post as a quaestor, a rank below that of praetor or consul, the minimum usually required for the office. From here he would launch his initial thrust towards the imperial throne.
Overthrow of Galba
Nero's suicide in June 68 marked the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and opened up the principate to the prerogatives of the military beyond Rome. First to emerge was Servius Sulpicius Galba, governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, who had been encouraged to revolt by the praetorians and especially by Nymphidius Sabinus, the corrupt and scheming praetorian prefect at Rome. By this time Otho had been in Spain for close to ten years. His record seems to have been a good one, marked by capable administration and an unwillingness to enrich himself at the expense of the province. At the same time, perhaps seeing this as his best chance to improve his own circumstances, he supported the insurrection as vigorously as possible, even sending Galba all of his gold and his best table servants. At the same time, he made it a point to win the favor of every soldier he came in contact with, most notably the members of the praetorian guard who had come to Spain to accompany Galba to Rome. Galba set out from Spain in July, formally assuming the emperorship shortly thereafter. Otho accompanied him on the journey.
Galba had been in Rome little more than two months when on 1 January 69 the troops in Upper Germany refused to declare allegiance to him and instead followed the men stationed in Lower Germany in proclaiming their commander, Aulus Vitellius, as the new ruler. To show that he was still in charge Galba adopted his own successor, Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi Licinianus, an aristocrat completely without administrative or military experience. The choice meant little to the remote armies, the praetorians or the senate and particularly angered Otho, who had hoped to succeed Galba. Otho quickly organized a conspiracy among the praetorians with promise of a material reward, and on 15 January 69 they declared him emperor and publicly killed Galba; Piso, dragged from hiding in the temple of Vesta, was also butchered. On that same evening a powerless senate awarded Otho the imperial titles.
Otho's Principate in Rome
It is not possible to reconstruct a detailed chronology of Otho's brief eight and a half weeks as princeps in Rome (15 January-15 March). Even so, Galba's quick demise had surely impressed upon Otho the need to conciliate various groups. As a result, he continued his indulgence of the praetorian guard but he also tried to win over the senate by following a strict constitutionalist line and by generally keeping the designations for the consulship made by Nero and Galba. In the provinces, despite limited evidence, there are some indications that he tried to compensate for Galba's stinginess by being more generous with grants of citizenship. In short, Otho was eager not to offend anyone.
Problems remained, however. The praetorians had to be continually placated and they were always suspicious of the senate. On the other hand, the senate itself, along with the people, remained deeply disturbed at the manner of Otho's coming to power and his willingness to be associated with Nero. These suspicions and fears were most evident in the praetorian outbreak at Rome. Briefly, Otho had decided to move from Ostia to Rome a cohort of Roman citizens in order to replace some of Rome's garrison, much of which was to be utilized for the showdown with Vitellius. He ordered that weapons be moved from the praetorian camp in Rome by ship to Ostia at night so that the garrison replacements would be properly armed and made to look as soldierly as possible when they marched into the city. Thinking that a senatorial counter-coup against Otho was underway, the praetorians stormed the imperial palace to confirm the emperor's safety, with the result that they terrified Otho and his senatorial dinner guests. Although the praetorians' fears were eventually calmed and they were given a substantial cash payment, the incident dramatically underscored the unease at Rome in the early months of 69.
Otho's Offensive against Vitellius
Meanwhile, in the Rhineland, preparations for a march on Rome by the military legions that had declared for Vitellius were far advanced. Hampered by poor intelligence gathering in Gaul and Germany and having failed to negotiate a settlement with Vitellius in early 69, Otho finally summoned to Italy his forces for a counterattack against the invading Vitellian army. His support consisted of the four legions of Pannonia and Dalmatia, the three legions of Moesia and his own imperial retinue of about 9,000. Vitellius' own troops numbered some 30,000, while those of his two marshals, Aulus Caecina Alienus and Fabius Valens, were between 15,000 and 20,000 each.
Otho's strategy was to make a quick diversionary strike in order to allow time for his own forces to assemble in Italy before engaging the enemy. The strategy worked, as the diversionary army, comprised of urban cohorts, praetorians and marines all from Rome or nearby, was successful in Narbonese Gaul in latter March. An advance guard sent to hold the line on the Po River until the Danubian legions arrived also enjoyed initial success. Otho himself arrived at Bedriacum in northern Italy about 10 April for a strategy session with his commanders. The main concern was that the Vitellians were building a bridge across the Po in order to drive southward towards the Apennines and eventually to Rome. Otho decided to counter by ordering a substantial part of his main force to advance from Bedriacum and establish a new base close enough to the new Vitellian bridge to interrupt its completion. While en route, the Othonian forces, strung out along the via Postumia amid baggage and supply trains, were attacked by Caecina and Valens near Cremona on 14 April. The clash, know as the Battle of Bedriacum, resulted in the defeat of the Othonian forces, their retreat cut off by the river behind them. Otho himself, meanwhile, was not present, but had gone to Brixellum with a considerable force of infantry and cavalry in order to impede any Vitellian units that had managed to cross the Po.
The plan had backfired. Otho's strategy of obtaining victory while avoiding any major battles had proven too risky. Realizing perhaps that a new round of fighting would have involved not only a significant re-grouping of his existing troops but also a potentially bloody civil war at Rome, if Vitellius' troops reached the capital, Otho decided that enough blood had been shed. Two weeks shy of his thirty-seventh birthday, on 16 April 69, he took his own life.
Assessment
To be sure, Otho remains an enigma - part profligate Neronian wastrel and part conscientious military commander willing to give his life for the good of the state. Our sources are at a loss to explain the paradox. Perhaps, like Petronius, he saw it was safer to appear a profligate in Nero's court? In the final analysis, Otho proved to be an organized and efficient military commander, who appealed more to the soldier than to the civilian. He also seems to have been a capable governor, with administrative talents that recalled those of his father. Nevertheless, his violent overthrow of Galba, the lingering doubts that it raised about his character, and his unsuccessful offensive against Vitellius are all vivid reminders of the turbulence that plagued the Roman world between the reigns of Nero and Vespasian. Regrettably, the scenario would play itself out one more time before peace and stability returned to the empire.
Copyright (C) 1999, John Donahue
Edited by J.P.Fitzgerald, Jr.

Cleisthenes

Abduction of the Sabine women.AR denarius. 89 BC. 3,65 grs. Bare-headed, bearded head of King Tatius righ. TA (ligate) below chin. SABIN behind / Two Roman soldiers, each carrying off a sabine woman in his arms. L TITVRI in exergue.
Crawford 344/1a. RSC Tituria 1.

Livy. History of Rome. 1.9.
The Roman state had become strong enough to hold its own in war with all the peoples along its borders, but a shortage of women meant that its greatness was fated to last for a single generation, since there was no prospect of offspring at home nor any prospect of marriage with their neighbours. Then, in accordance with the decision of the senate, Romulus sent messengers to the neighbouring peoples to ask for alliance and the right of marriage for the new people: cities, like everything else, start small but later if their own excellence and the gods assist them, they grow in strength and in fame. It was certain that at the beginning of Rome the gods had been propitiated and that it would not lack in valour. Therefore, men should not disdain to join blood and family ties with other men.
But nowhere were the emissaries given a fair hearing. Some scorned, others feared the great power growing in their midst, both for themselves and for their descendants. In more than one place the emissaries were asked, even as they were being sent packing, why they hadn't offered asylum to women (criminals) too: that way they'd have had their marriage and with others of their own rank! The youth of Rome took this insult badly and began to think seriously about the use of force. Romulus, to gain time till he found the right occasion, hid his concern and prepared to celebrate the Consualia, the solemn games in honour of equestrian Neptune. He then ordered that the spectacle be announced to the neighbouring peoples. He gave the event great publicity by the most lavish means possible in those days. Many people came, some simply out of curiosity to see the new city, and especially the nearest neighbours, from Caenina, Crustuminum and Antemnae; the entire Sabine population came, wives and children included. Received with hospitality in the houses, after having seen the position of the city, its walls, and the large number of buildings, they marvelled that Rome had grown so fast. When it was time for the show, and everybody was concentrating on this, a prearranged signal was given and all the Roman youths began to grab the women. Many just snatched the nearest woman to hand, but the most beautiful had already been reserved for the senators and these were escorted to the senators' houses by plebeians who had been given this assignment. The story goes that one woman, far and away the most beautiful, was carried off by the gang of a certain Thalassius, and because many wanted to know where they were taking her, they repeatedly shouted that they were taking her to Thalassius, and that it how the nuptial cry came to be.

The party was over, and the grieving parents of the girls ran away, accusing the Romans of having violated the laws of hospitality and invoking the god who was supposed to have been honoured at that day's festival. Nor did the girls themselves hold much hope. But Romulus went among them in person to assure them that none of this would have happened if their fathers hadn't been so inflexible in not letting them marry their neighbours. But now they would have the status of wives with all the material rewards and civil rights of citizenship and they would have children, than which nothing is dearer. They should cool their anger and give their hearts to the men who had already taken their bodies. A good relationship often begins with an offence, he said. And their husbands would treat them with extra kindness in hope of making up for the parents and country they so missed. The men added their blandishments, saying that they'd been motivated by love and passion, entreaties which are very effective with women.

benito

Alexander III the Great 336 - 323 BC. Alexander III the Great 336 - 323 BC. Region of Macedonia

Obv: Alexander as Herakles clad in lion's skin head-dress right

Rev: AÎ›EÎžANÎ”Î¡OY, club right above, bow in case below, >E above.

Diameter: 17 mm. / Weight: 5,35 gms. / Material: Æ Bronze

Refs: Muller 1709; Price 316
emporiton

Alexander III the Great 336 - 323 BC.Alexander III the Great 336 - 323 BC. Region of Macedonia

Obv: Alexander as Herakles clad in lion's skin head-dress right

Rev: AÎ›EÎžANÎ”Î¡OY, club right above, bow in case below, Î above.

Diameter: 18 mm. / Weight: 6,59 gms. / Material: Æ Bronze

Refs: Price 310; Muller 1702; SNG Cop 1042; cf Sear 6739.
emporiton

Alexander III the Great 336 - 323 BC.Alexander III the Great 336 - 323 BC. Region of Macedonia

Obv: Herakles clad in lion's skin head-dress right

Rev: AÎ›EÎžANÎ”Î¡OY, club right above, bow in case below, dolphin left below.

Diameter: 17 mm. / Weight: 6,07 gms. / Material: Æ Bronze

Refs: Mueller 541, SNG Cop. 1057. Price 323
emporiton

Alexandria, RIC VIII 021, 146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), AE-4 Follis, -/-//SMALΓ, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with one standard,Alexandria, RIC VIII 021, 146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), AE-4 Follis, -/-//SMALΓ, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with one standard,
avers:- CONSTAN-S-PF-AVG, Cn17, D3, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
revers:- GLOR-IA-EXERC-ITVS, Two soldiers holding spears and shields with one standard between them.
exergo: -/-//SMALΓ, diamater:14,5mm, weight: 1,58g, axis: 10h,
mint: Alexandria, date: 340 A.D, ref: RIC-VIII-47, p-539,
Q-001quadrans

Alexandria, RIC VIII 034, 146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), AE-4 Follis, -/-//SMALΓ, VOT/XX/MVLT/XXX, In four lines within laurel wreath,Alexandria, RIC VIII 034, 146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), AE-4 Follis, -/-//SMALΓ, VOT/XX/MVLT/XXX, In four lines within laurel wreath,
avers:- CONSTAN-S-PF-AVG, Cn17, D3, Pearl-diademed bust right.
revers:- VOT/XX/MVLT/XXX, In four lines within laurel wreath.
exergo: -/-//SMALΓ, diamater:15,5mm, weight: 2,11g, axis: 11h,
mint: Alexandria, date: 340 A.D, ref: RIC-VIII-34, p-541,
Q-001quadrans

Aluminium-Bronze 1 Kroon.Estonia. Republic (1918-1941) Aluminium-Bronze 1 Kroon

Denomination 1 Kroon
Date Struck 1934
Mint Tallinn
Obv: Arms of State, date in exe.
Rev: Norse Longboat sailing left.
Weight 5 gm.
Diameter 25 mm
Grade VF.
Material Aluml-Bronze
Mintage 3406066, Reference Eesti Vabariigi mündid ja paberrahad, Gunnar Haljak. Väljaandja Tallinn 2008
3 commentsWill Hooton

AMMONITE FOSSIL (CRETACEOUS) MADAGASCAR L:2.5" W:2.2" Thickes:20.0mm
Material AMMONITE FOSSIL
Weight 120g _soldAntonivs Protti

Amyntas III 393 - 369 BC. Amyntas III 393 - 369 BC. Region of Macedonia

Was paternal grandfather of Alexander the Great

Obv: Head of Herakles right in lion skin.

Rev: Eagle standing left, head reverted. All within linear square.

Diameter: 10 mm. / Weight: 1,12 gms. / Material: Silver

Denomination: AR Trihemiobol

Refs: SNGANS 95
emporiton

Amyntas III 393 - 369 BC.Amyntas III 393 - 369 BC. Region of Macedonia

Was paternal grandfather of Alexander the Great

Obv: Head of Herakles right in lion skin.

Rev: AMYNTA, eagle right, serpent in its claws, bending down to devour it.

Diameter: 16 mm. / Weight: 3,0 gms. / Material: Bronze

Refs: SEAR 1512
emporiton

Antioch, RIC VIII 047, 146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), AE-4 Follis, -/-//SMANΔ, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with one standard, Scarce !Antioch, RIC VIII 047, 146 Constans (333-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-350 A.D. Augustus), AE-4 Follis, -/-//SMANΔ, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with one standard, Scarce !
avers:- CONSTAN-S-PF-AVG, Cn17, D2, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
revers:- GLOR-IA-EXERC-ITVS, Two soldiers holding spears and shields with one standard between them.
exergo: -/-//SMANΔ, diamater: 15-15,5mm, weight: 1,40g, axis: 6h,
mint: Antioch, date: 337-47 A.D, ref: RIC-VIII-47, p-515, Scarce !,
Q-001quadrans

ANTIQUITIES, Roman, Legionary tomb materialsTomb found on 9 Sept. 1874 in Chassenard (130 km from Lyon) by a ploughing farmer. The items are from a Gallic nobleman having served in the Roman army, with his decorations (Torque), armour (chain mail), belt, accessories (strigils, ...), and a distinguished attribute of his former role : 4 iron dies (2 for Tiberius, 2 unrecognized).Roma_Orbis

Antoninus Pius, RIC 601, Sestertius of AD 144 (betrothal M.Aurelius & Faustina)Æ Sestertius (28.4g, Ø35mm, 12h). Rome mint. Struck AD 144.
Obv.: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III, laureate head of Antoninus Pius facing right.
Rev.: CON COR DIAE (around) S C (in ex.), Marcus Aurelius, left and Faustina Filia, daughter of Antoninus Pius and Faustina Mater, right, as small figures, clasping hands over altar and before large statues on pedestals of Antoninus Pius and the Faustina Mater (died AD 141). The statues also clasp hands, and the that of Antoninus holds a Victory figurine.
RIC 601 (S); BMCRE IV 1236-40; Cohen 146; Strack 826 (5 collections); Banti (I Grandi Bronzi Imperiali II-3) 60 (14 spec.); Foss (Roman Historical Coins) 127:45a; Sear (Roman Coins and their Values II) 4158

This type was issued on the occasion of the betrothal of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina II, which probably took place during the Hilaria festival celebrated on 25 March 144. According to the Life of Marcus, ch. 6, the real betrothel took place as early as 139, but this may refer to the private arrangement, the coin to the public ceremony (see RIC).Charles S

Antoninus Pius, RIC 601, Sestertius of AD 144 (betrothal M.Aurelius & Faustina) Æ Sestertius (22.3g, Ø33mm, 12h). Rome mint. Struck AD 144.
Obv.: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III, laureate head of Antoninus Pius facing right.
Rev.: CON COR DIAE (around) S C (in ex.), Marcus Aurelius, left and Faustina Filia, right, as small figures, clasping hands over altar and before large statues on pedestals of Antoninus Pius and the Faustina Mater (died AD 141). The statues also clasp hands, and that of Antoninus holds a Victory figurine.
RIC 601 (S); BMCRE IV 1236-40; Cohen 146; Strack 826 (5 collections); Banti (I Grandi Bronzi Imperiali II-3) 60 (14 spec.); Foss (Roman Historical Coins) 127:45a; Sear (Roman Coins and their Values II) 4158

This type was issued on the occasion of the betrothal of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina II, which probably took place during the Hilaria festival celebrated on 25 March 144. According to the Life of Marcus, ch. 6, the real betrothel took place as early as 139, but this may refer to the private arrangement, the coin to the public ceremony (see RIC).
1 commentsCharles S

Antonius - Legionary Coinage, Legio V AlaudaeObv. [ANT AVG] IIIVIR RPC, galley right, mast with banners at prow;
Rev. LEG V, legionary eagle between two standards;
18mm, 3,40 gr.
Patrae, military mint of Antony, 31 B.C.
References: RRC544, RSC 32, Sear 1479

Legio V Alaudae was the first legion to be raised from non-Romans. These men were transalpine Gauls, enrolled by Caesar in 52 B.C, and took to wearing lark's feathers on their helmets - hence their epithet, Alaudae, "the Larks". The Fifth was long believed to have been destroyed in, or dissolved after the Batavian Revolt of 69/70 AD, where they participated with the rest of the Rhine legions and the Treveri and Lingones in the uprising. However, epigraphic material now indicates the presence of the Fifth on the Danube in Flavian times. Records disappear again soon afterward, and it may have been lost in the Dacian Wars under Domitian. Syltorian

Aquilea, RIC VIII 080, 147 Constantius-II. (324-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-361 A.D. Augustus), AE-4 Follis, A//AQS, VICTORIAE DD AVG G Q NN, Two Victories standing, facing each other,Aquilea, RIC VIII 080, 147 Constantius-II. (324-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-361 A.D. Augustus), AE-4 Follis, A//AQS, VICTORIAE DD AVG G Q NN, Two Victories standing, facing each other,
avers:- CONSTANTIVS-P-F-AVG, Cs16, D5, Diademed (rosettes), draped and cuirassed bust right.
revers:- VICTORIAE-DD-AVG-G-Q-NN, Two Victories standing, facing each other, each holding a wreath and palm.
exergo: A//AQS, diamater: 15mm, weight: 1,45g, axis: 0h,
mint: Aquilea, date: 347-48 A.D., ref: RIC-VIII-080, p-322,
Q-001quadrans

AugustusAugustus, denarius.
RIC I 207, RSC 43.
Lugdunum mint.
19.5 mm, 3.8 g
Obv. CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE, laureate head right.
Rev. AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT, C L CAESARES below, Gaius and Lucius standing front, each with a hand resting on a round shield, a spear, and in field above, a lituus right and simpulum left.

Gaius and Lucius were adopted in 17 BC by their maternal grandfather Augustus, who named the two boys his heirs. They were raised and educated by their grandparents. Lucius died in Gaul of an illness in 2 A.D and Gaius died two years later in Lycia, after being wounded during a campaign in Artagira. The death of both Gaius and Lucius, the Emperor's two most favored heirs, compelled Augustus to adopt his stepson, Tiberius, and his sole remaining grandson, Postumus Agrippa as his new respective heirs.

I love this Augustus portrait!3 commentsMarsman

AugustusDate: 16 BCE
Denomination: As
Material: Bronze
Authority: Augustus
Issuer: C. Cassius Celer
Mint: Rome
Region: Italy
Obverse
Legend: CAESAR AVGVSTVS TRIBVNIC POTEST
Type: Head of Augustus, bare, right
Portrait: Augustus
Reverse
Legend: C CASSIVS C F CELER IIIVIR A A A F F
Type: Legend surrounding S C
Weight: 8,8g
Dimensions: 27mmFlamur H

AUGUSTUS & PTOLEMY OF NUMIDIA AE semisAVGVSTVS DIVI F
bare head of Augustus right

C LAETILIVS APALVS II V Q, REX PTOL (Ptolemy, King) within diadem

Carthago Nova, Spain, under sole 'duovir quinqunennales' C Laetilius Apalus.

18.5mm, 5.3g.
RPC 172.

Ex-Incitatus

Ptolemy of Numidia was the son of King Juba II of Numidia and Cleopatra Selene II. He was also the grandson of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII on his mohter's side. He was named in honor of the memory of Cleopatra VII, the birthplace of his mother and the birthplace of her relatives. In choosing her son's name, Cleopatra Selene II created a distinct Greek-Egyptian tone and emphasized her role as the monarch who would continue the Ptolemaic dynasty. She by-passed the ancestral names of her husband. By naming her son Ptolemy instead of a Berber ancestral name, she offers an example rare in ancient history, especially in the case of a son who is the primary male heir, of reaching into the mother's family instead of the father's for a name. This emphasized the idea that his mother was the heiress of the Ptolemies and the leader of a Ptolemaic government in exile.

Through his parents he received Roman citizenship and was actually educated in Rome. Amazingly he grew up in the house of his maternal aunt, and Antony's daughter Antonia Minor, the youngest daughter of Mark Antony and the youngest niece of Augustus. Antonia was also a half-sister of Ptolemy's late mother, also a daughter of Mark Antony. Antonia Minor's mother was Octavia Minor, Mark Antony's fourth wife and the second sister of Octavian (later Augustus). Ptolemy lived in Rome until the age of 21, when he returned to the court of his aging father in Mauretania.

Ptolemy was a co-ruler with his father Juba II until Juba's death and was the last semi-autonomous ruler of Africa. On a visit to Rome in 40 AD he was seen by the Emperor Caligula in an amphitheather wearing a spectacular purpal cloak. A jealous Caligula had him murdered for his fashionable purple cloak.

Sold to Calgary Coin Feb 20172 commentsJay GT4

Bow in caseTarsos, region of Cilicia 2nd-1st century BC.

Obv: Turreted head of Tyche right;

Countemark BOW IN CASE

Rev: TAÎ¡Î£EÎ©N, Zeus in himation seated left on throne,

holding eagle-tipped sceptre

Diameter: 20 mm. / Weight: 5,84 gms. / Material: Æ-Bronze

Refs: SNG France 1285ff. var.
emporiton

Britannicus SestertiusObv: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG F BRITANNICVS - Bare headed and draped bust left
Rev. S C - Mars advancing left, holding spear and shield.
Year: 50-54 AD
Material: AE
Weight: 24.05g
Ref: Cohen 2
Notes: Extremely rare; authenticity verified by Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge) experts.oa

Bronze Ã¼ks Sent.Estonia. Republic (1918-1941) Bronze 1 Sent

Denomination 1Sent.
Date Struck 1929
Mint Tallinn
Obv: Arms of State, date below.
Rev: Oak leaves and acorns in field, value centre
Weight 2 gm.
Diameter 16 mm
Grade VF.
Material Bronze
Mintage 23548300, Reference Eesti Vabariigi mündid ja paberrahad, Gunnar Haljak. Väljaandja Tallinn 2008
Will Hooton

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