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JAMES IV OF SCOTLAND
James IV was the King of Scotland from June 1488 until his death in battle at the age of 40 on the 9th September, 1513.
James IV's mother, Margaret of Denmark, was more popular than his father, James III, and though somewhat estranged from her husband she raised their sons at Stirling Castle until she died in 1486. Two years later, a rebellion broke out, where the rebels set up the 15-year-old Prince James as their nominal leader. The rebels fought James III at the Battle of Sauchieburn where, on 11th June 1488, the king was killed. Prince James assumed the throne as James IV and was crowned at Scone on 24th of June. However he continued to bear an intense guilt for the indirect role which he had played in the death of his father.
James maintained Scotland's traditional good relations with France, and this occasionally created diplomatic problems with England, but James recognised nonetheless that peace between Scotland and England was in the interest of both countries, and established good diplomatic relations with England as well. First he ratified the Treaty of Ayton in 1497, then, in 1502 James signed the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with Henry VII which was sealed by his marriage to Henry's daughter Margaret Tudor the next year. Anglo-Scottish relations generally remained stable until the death of Henry VII in 1509.
James saw the importance of building a fleet that could provide Scotland with a strong maritime presence, he founded two new dockyards and acquired a total of 38 ships for the Royal Scots Navy. These including the "Great Michael" which, built at great expense, was launched in 1511 and was at that time the largest ship in the world.
When war broke out between England and France, James found himself in a difficult position as an ally by treaty to both countries. But relations with England had worsened since the accession of Henry VIII, and when Henry invaded France, James reacted by declaring war on England.
James sent the Scottish navy, including the "Great Michael", to join the ships of Louis XII of France and, hoping to take advantage of Henry's absence at the siege of Thérouanne, he himself led an invading army southward into Northumberland. However, on 9th September 1513 at the disastrous Battle of Flodden James IV was killed, he was the last monarch in Great Britain to be killed in battle. His death, along with many of his nobles including his son the archbishop of St Andrews, was one of the worst military defeats in Scotland's history and the loss of such a large portion of the political community was a major blow to the realm. James IV's corpse was identified after the battle and taken to Berwick, where it was embalmed and placed in a lead coffin before being transported to London. Catherine of Aragon, wife of Henry VIII, sent the dead king's slashed, blood-stained surcoat to Henry, who was fighting in France, with the recommendation that he use it as a war banner.
James IV's son, James V, was crowned three weeks after the disaster at Flodden, but he was not yet two years old, and his minority was to be fraught with political upheaval.*Alex
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2 Augustus IrippoAUGUSTUS
Æ Semis of Irippo, Spain, 27 BC - 14 AD
IRIPPO, Bare head of Augustus right within wreath / Female figure seated left, holding pine-cone and cornucopia; all within wreath.
RPC 55; SNG Cop. 152-4. VF, green patina
RI0010Sosius
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6.75 Revolt of VindexRevolt Against Nero, Gaius Iulius Vindex, Governor of Gallia Lugdunensis, c. Late 67 - May 68 A.D.
Struck by Gaius Iulius Vindex, the Roman governor of Gallia Lugdunensis, who rebelled against Nero's tax policy and declared allegiance to Galba, the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, as the new emperor. Vindex was defeated and killed in battle near Vesontio (modern Besançon), but the military continued to support Galba. On 9 June 68, deserted by the Praetorian Guard, Nero stabbed himself in the throat.
Silver denarius, Unpublished, civil war restitution of Augustus, gF, porosity, marks, uncertain (Lugdunum?) mint, weight 3.167g, maximum diameter 19.0mm, die axis 180o, c. late 67 - May 68 A.D.; obverse CAESAR, bare head of Augustus right; reverse AVGVSTVS, young bull walking right, head turned facing; ex Roma Numismatics e-auction 6, lot 321; only two examples known to Forum
Purchased from FORVMSosius
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(03) TIBERIUS14 - 37 AD
AE 28.5 mm; 11.46 g
O: His bare head left
R: Confronted heads of Caesars Nero and Drusus
Spain (Hispania Tarraconensis), Carthago Nova mint
cf RPC 179, SNG Cop 500 Scarcelaney
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(610-641) Heraclius [Sear 811]Heraclius 610-641 AD
AE Follis (4.71 gm ; 22 mm)
Constantinople Mint
Obv: No Legend. Heraclius (center)� in military dress with long beard and mustache, Heraclius Constantine, and Heraclonas, all standing facing.
Rev: Large M between ANNO and numeric regnal year,� B (officina 2)� below; CONE in exergueB*Numis
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002p Augustus (63 B.C.-14 A.D.), Spain, Caesaraugusta, Tarraconensis, RPC I 0322, AE-26, Magistrate: Mn. Kaninius Iter and L. Titius, duoviri, CAESAR AVG MN KANINIO ITER L TITIO / II VIR, Priest plowing right with the yoke of two oxen, #1002p Augustus (63 B.C.-14 A.D.), Spain, Caesaraugusta, Tarraconensis, RPC I 0322, AE-26, Magistrate: Mn. Kaninius Iter and L. Titius, duoviri, CAESAR AVG MN KANINIO ITER L TITIO / II VIR, Priest plowing right with the yoke of two oxen, #1
avers: AVGVSTVS DIVI F, Laureate head right; simpulum to left, lituus to right.
reverse: CAESAR AVG MN KANINIO ITER L TITIO / II VIR, Priest plowing right with yoke of two oxen.
exergue: -/-//--, diameter: 26,0-27,0 mm, weight: 10,85g, axis:6h,
mint: City: Caesaraugusta, Region: Hispania, Province: Tarraconensis,
Magistrate: L Titius (duovir); Mn Kaninius Iter (duovir),
date: B.C.,
ref: RPC I 0322, SNG Cop 544, Vives 148–1, 2, Hill 14–5, Beltrán 9, NAH 979,
Q-001quadrans
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002p Augustus (63 B.C.-14 A.D.), Spain, Tarraconensis, Bilbilis, RPC 0392, AE-27, MVN AVGVSTA BILBILIS M SEMP TIBERI I LICI VARO around II VIR in wreath, #1002p Augustus (63 B.C.-14 A.D.), Spain, Tarraconensis, Bilbilis, RPC 0392, AE-27, MVN AVGVSTA BILBILIS M SEMP TIBERI I LICI VARO around II VIR in wreath, #1
Magistrate: L Lici Varus (duovir); M Semp Tiberi (duovir).
avers: AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE, Laureate head right.
reverse: MVN AVGVSTA BILBILIS M SEMP TIBERI L LICI VARO (MVN, and AV, MP, and VA are legate) around II VIR in a wreath.
exergue: -/-//--, diameter: 27,0-27,5 mm, weight: 12,19g, axis:6h,
mint: City: Bilbilis Region: Hispania Province: Tarraconensis date: 2 B.C.,
ref: RPC I (online) 0392, Vives 139–1, GMI 545, NAH 964,
Q-001quadrans
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003a01. TiberiusTarraconensis, Hispania Citerior. Turiaso. AE 27 (27.4 mm, 10.78 g, 7 h). Romano-Celtiberian coinages. C Caecilius Sere M Valerius Qvad IIviri. TI CAES[AR AVGVST F IMPERAT], Laureate head of Tiberius right / MVN [TVR C] / CAEC SER [M VAL QVAD / II / VIR], bull standing right, head turned towards viewer / right; uncertain object (?) beneath bull. RPC I 417. Agora Auction 102, Lot 96.lawrence c
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007. Phocas, 602-610. AE 40 Nummi.Obv. Bust of Phocas.
Rev. XXXX ANNO II, CONE below
Constantinople Mint, 607.LordBest
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014p Nero (54-68 A.D.), Lydia, Maeonia, Asia (conventus of Sardis), RPC I 3015, AE-16, Mên (Lunus), standing left, #1014p Nero (54-68 A.D.), Lydia, Maeonia, Asia (conventus of Sardis), RPC I 3015, AE-16, Mên (Lunus), standing left, #1
avers: NЄPΩИ KAIΣAP, Laureate head right.
reverse: MAIONΩN MENEKPATOYΣ / ЄΠ TI KΛ, Mên (Lunus), standing left, holding pine cone and scepter.
exergue: -/-//--, diameter: 16,0-16,5mm, weight: 3,09g, axes: 0h,
mint: City: Maeonia, Region: Lydia, Province: Asia (conventus of Sardis),
date: c. 65 A.D.,
ref: RPC I 3015, BMC 35,
Q-001quadrans
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020p Vespasian (69-79 A.D.), Lydia, Sardis, Asia (conventus of Sardis), RPC II 1312, AE-21, Mên standing left, holding pine cone and scepter, #1020p Vespasian (69-79 A.D.), Lydia, Sardis, Asia (conventus of Sardis), RPC II 1312, AE-21, Mên standing left, holding pine cone and scepter, #1
avers: AYTOK KAIC OYЄCΠACIANΩ, Laureate head of Vespasian right.
reverse: ЄΠI T ΦΛ ЄICΓONOV CAPΔIANΩN, Mên standing left, holding pine cone and scepter, to left, monogram (CTRA) above the lighted altar. (Magistrate: T Fl Eisigonos (strategos)).
exergue: -/-//--, diameter: 20,0-21,0mm, weight: 6,97g, axis: 6h,
mint: City: Sardis, Region: Lydia, Province: Asia (conventus of Sardis).
date: 69-79 A.D., Magistrate: T Fl Eisigonos (strategos)
ref: RPC II 1312, Waddington 5248,
Q-001quadrans
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025p Domitia Longina, (Augusta, 81-96 A.D.), Lydia, Silandos, RPC II 1354, AE-16, CIΛAN ΔEΩN, Men standing left, #1 025p Domitia Longina, (Augusta, 81-96 A.D.), Lydia, Silandos, RPC II 1354, AE-16, CIΛAN ΔEΩN, Men standing left, #1
avers: ΔOMITIA AYΓOYCTA, draped bust right.
reverse: CIΛAN ΔEΩN, Men standing left, holding pine cone and sceptre.
exergue: -/-//--, diameter: 15,0-17,0mm, weight: 2,40g, axis: 6h,
mint: Lydia, Silandos, date: 82-96 A.D.,
ref: RPC II 1354, BMC 17,
Q-001quadrans
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07 01 Galba RIC 204Galba. 8 June 68-15 Jan. 69 A.D. AR Denarius. Rome Mint. (3.22g, 19.3mm, 6 h). Obv: IMP SER GALBA CAESAR AVG, bust, laureate draped right. Rev: ROMA RENASCES, Roma standing left, holding Victory on globe and transverse eagle tipped scepter. RIC 204. Ex HBJ.
Galba’s reign marked the end of the Julio-Claudian’s rule of Rome. Rated R3 in the RIC, this type appears fairly scarce with 2 examples in the Reka Devnia hoard, and only 2 in Berk’s photofile. Galba, the first of the 4 emperors of 69 A.D, was governor of Hispania Tarraconensis during Nero’s reign. He was assassinated after 7 months of rule and succeeded by his former supporter, OthoLucas H
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07 Galba RIC I 189Galba April 3-Jan. 15, 69 A.D. AR Denarius. Rome Mint 69 A.D. (3.15g, 18.9m, 6h). Obv: [I]MP SER GALBA CAESAR AVG, laureate and draped bust right. Rev: [DI]VA AVGVSTA, Livia standing left, holding patera and scepter. RIC I 189, RSC 55a. ACCG IV, 59.
Upon Nero’s death, Galba was governor of Hispania Terraconensis, and marched to Rome. His short reign was ended by his murder in a plot hatched by Otho and the Praetorians. Many of his economic measures had been unpopular, including his refusal to “bribe” the Praetorians upon his ascension.Lucas H
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07 Galba, RIC I 167Galba July, 68-Jan., 69. AR Denarius. Rome Mint. Aug-Oct 68 A.D. (3.07g, 17.8mm, 6h). Obv: IMP SER GALBA AVG, bare head right. Rev: SPQR OB CS in 3 lines within oak wreath. RIC I 167, RSC 287, Sear 2109.
Upon the death of Nero, Galba’s troops proclaimed him emperor on April 3, 68 A.D. Governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, he marched on Rome and assumed the throne, but was assassinated in a plot by Otho on January 15, 69 beginning the year of 4 emperors.Lucas H
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112 Probus (276-282 A.D.), Siscia, Alföldi 0027.0064, -/-//XXIVI, Bust H2/H, RIC V-II 670, AE-Antoninianus, CONSERVAT AVG, Sol standing left, #1112 Probus (276-282 A.D.), Siscia, Alföldi 0027.0064, -/-//XXIVI, Bust H2/H, RIC V-II 670, AE-Antoninianus, CONSERVAT AVG, Sol standing left, #1
avers: IMP C M AVR PROBVS P F AVG, Radiate bust left in imperial mantle, holding sceptre surmounted by an eagle. (H2/H).
reverse: CONSERVAT AVG, Sol standing left, right hand raised, left holding the globe.
exergue: -/-//XXIVI, diameter: 22,5mm, weight: 3,46g, axis: 0h,
mint: Siscia, 5th. emission of Siscia, date: 278 A.D., ref: RIC V-II 670, p-89, Alföldi 0027.0064,
Q-001quadrans
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1272 - 1307, EDWARD I, AR Farthing, Struck 1279 - 1299 at London, EnglandObverse: + EDWARDVS REX. Crowned bust of Edward I facing within circle of pellets. Cross pattée in legend.
Reverse: LONDONIENSIS. Long cross dividing legend into quarters, trefoil in each quarter of inner circle.
Undated Farthing, Class 3c
Diameter: 13mm | Weight: 0.42gms | Die Axis: 2h
SPINK: 1445
This is an early issue farthing with the reverse legend “LONDONIENSIS” which was later replaced by the ubiquitous legend “CIVITAS LONDON” for the London mint. Edward I began a major recoinage in 1279 which consisted not only of pennies, but new round half-pennies and farthings as well, and also introduced a new denomination, the fourpenny piece called the "Groat".
Edward I was King of England from 1272 - 1307. He was the eldest surviving son of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence. The contests between his father and the barons led by Simon de Montfort called Edward early into active life when he restored the royal authority within months by defeating and killing de Montfort at the battle of Evesham in 1265. He then proceeded to Palestine, where no conquest of any importance was achieved. After further campaigns in Italy and France he returned to England on his father's death and was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1274.
Edward was popular because he identified himself with the growing tide of nationalism sweeping the country, displayed later in his persecution and banishment of the Jews which was the culmination of many years of anti-semitism in England.
Edward now turned his attention to the west and so, following a revolt in the Principality of Wales against English influence, Edward commenced a war which ended in the annexation of the Principality to the English Crown in 1283. He secured his conquest by building nine castles to watch over it and created his eldest son, Edward the Prince of Wales in 1301.
Edward's great ambition, however, was to gain possession of Scotland, but the death of Margaret, the Maid of Norway, who was to have been married to Edward's son, for a time frustrated the king's designs. However the sudden death of the King of Scotland, Alexander III, and the contested succession soon gave him the opportunity to intervene. He was invited by the Scots to arbitrate and choose between the thirteen competitors for the Scottish throne. Edward's choice, John Balliol, who he conceived as his puppet, was persuaded to do homage for his crown to Edward at Newcastle but was then forced to throw off Edward's overlordship by the indignation of the Scottish people. An alliance between the French and the Scots now followed, and Edward, then at war with the French king over possession of Gascony, was compelled to march his army north. Edward invaded Scotland in 1296 and devastated the country, which earned him the sobriquet 'Hammer of the Scots'. It was at this time that the symbolic Stone of Destiny was removed from Scone. Edward's influence had tainted Balliol's reign and the Scottish nobility deposed him and appointed a council of twelve to rule instead. Balliol abdicated and was eventually sent to France where he retired into obscurity, taking no more part in politics. Scotland was then left without a monarch until the accession of Robert the Bruce in 1306.
Meanwhile Edward assumed the administration of the country. However the following summer a new opposition to Edward took place under William Wallace whose successes, notably at Stirling Bridge, forced Edward to return to Scotland with an army of 100,000 men. Although he defeated Wallace's army at Falkirk, and Wallace himself was betrayed, Edward's unjust and barbaric execution of him as a traitor in London made Wallace a national hero in Scotland, and resistance to England became paramount among the people. All Edward's efforts to reduce the country to obedience were unravelling, and after the crowning of Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, as Robert I of Scotland in 1306 an enraged Edward assembled another army and marched yet again against the Scots. However, Edward only reached Burgh-on-Sands, a village near Carlisle, when he died. His body was taken back to London and he was buried at Westminster Abbey.
Edward I was married twice: to Eleanor of Castile, by whom he had sixteen children, and Margaret of France by whom he had three. Twelve memorials to his first wife stood between Nottingham and London to mark the journey taken by her funeral cortege. Three of those memorials, known as "Eleanor Crosses", can still be seen today.*Alex
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1272 - 1307, EDWARD I, AR Penny, Struck 1296 - 1306 at Berwick-on-Tweed, EnglandObverse: + EDWAR ANGL DNS HYB. Crowned bust of Edward I facing within circle of pellets. Cross pattée in legend.
Reverse: VILLA BEREVVICI. Long cross dividing legend into quarters, trefoil in each quarter of inner circle.
Undated Penny, Class 10 Berwick Type II (Local dies). Issues from this mint are quite rare.
Diameter: 21.5mm | Weight: 1.0gms | Die Axis: 2h
SPINK: 1415
BERWICK
In September 1290, upon the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, there arose a number of claimants to the throne of Scotland. The Guardians of Scotland, who were the de facto heads of state until a king was chosen, asked Edward I of England to conduct the court proceedings in the dispute because the late King Alexander III had been married to Edward's sister, Margaret of England.
John Balliol, a descendant of King David I, was chosen and he was inaugurated at Scone, on St. Andrew's Day, 30 November 1292. But Edward I treated both Baliol and Scotland with contempt and demanded military support for his war against France. The Scottish response was to form an alliance with the French, invade England, and launch an attack on Carlisle.
After the failure of the Scottish attack on Carlisle, Edward I marched north and, on 28th March 1296, he crossed the river Tweed which borders the two countries, with his troops. On the following day he marched on the town of Berwick, which was Scotland's most important trading port and second only to London in economic importance in medieval Britain at that time.
Contemporary accounts of the number slain range anywhere from 4,000 to 20,000. "When the town had been taken in this way and its citizens had submitted, Edward spared no one, whatever the age or sex, and for two days streams of blood flowed from the bodies of the slain, for in his tyrannous rage he ordered 7,500 souls of both sexes to be massacred...So that mills could be turned by the flow of their blood." - Account of the Massacre of Berwick, from Bower's Scotichronicon.
Berwick's garrison was commanded by William the Hardy, Lord of Douglas, whose life and those of his garrison were spared after he surrendered and the English took the castle.
Berwick was recaptured by the Scots in 1318 but the town changed hands between the two countries several times during the following years until it was finally captured for the English by Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the future Richard III of England, in 1482. The Scots however, did not accept this conquest for at least two centuries after this date as is evidenced by innumerable charters.
*Alex
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1272 - 1307, EDWARD I, AR Penny, Struck 1305 - 1306 at London, EnglandObverse: + EDWAR ANGL DNS HYB. Crowned bust of Edward I facing within circle of pellets. Cross pattée in legend.
Reverse: CIVITAS LONDON. Long cross dividing legend into quarters, trefoil in each quarter of inner circle.
Undated Penny, type 10cf1
Diameter: 18.5mm | Weight: 1.2gms | Die Axis: 9h
SPINK: 1410
Edward I began a major recoinage in 1279 which consisted not only of pennies and new round half-pennies and farthings, but also introduced a new denomination, a fourpenny piece called the "Groat".
Edward I was King of England from 1272 - 1307. He was the eldest surviving son of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence. The contests between his father and the barons led by Simon de Montfort called Edward early into active life when he restored the royal authority within months by defeating and killing de Montfort at the battle of Evesham in 1265. He then proceeded to Palestine, where no conquest of any importance was achieved. After further campaigns in Italy and France he returned to England on his father's death and was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1274.
Edward was popular because he identified himself with the growing tide of nationalism sweeping the country, displayed later in his persecution and banishment of the Jews which was the culmination of many years of anti-semitism in England.
Edward now turned his attention to the west and so, following a revolt in the Principality of Wales against English influence, Edward commenced a war which ended in the annexation of the Principality to the English Crown in 1283. He secured his conquest by building nine castles to watch over it and created his eldest son, Edward the Prince of Wales in 1301.
Edward's great ambition, however, was to gain possession of Scotland, but the death of Margaret, the Maid of Norway, who was to have been married to Edward's son, for a time frustrated the king's designs. However the sudden death of the King of Scotland, Alexander III, and the contested succession soon gave him the opportunity to intervene. He was invited by the Scots to arbitrate and choose between the thirteen competitors for the Scottish throne. Edward's choice, John Balliol, who he conceived as his puppet, was persuaded to do homage for his crown to Edward at Newcastle but was then forced to throw off Edward's overlordship by the indignation of the Scottish people. An alliance between the French and the Scots now followed, and Edward, then at war with the French king over possession of Gascony, was compelled to march his army north. Edward invaded Scotland in 1296 and devastated the country, which earned him the sobriquet 'Hammer of the Scots'. It was at this time that the symbolic Stone of Destiny was removed from Scone. Edward's influence had tainted Balliol's reign and the Scottish nobility deposed him and appointed a council of twelve to rule instead. Balliol abdicated and was eventually sent to France where he retired into obscurity, taking no more part in politics. Scotland was then left without a monarch until the accession of Robert the Bruce in 1306.
Meanwhile Edward assumed the administration of the country. However the following summer a new opposition to Edward took place under William Wallace whose successes, notably at Stirling Bridge, forced Edward to return to Scotland with an army of 100,000 men. Although he defeated Wallace's army at Falkirk, and Wallace himself was betrayed, Edward's unjust and barbaric execution of him as a traitor in London made Wallace a national hero in Scotland, and resistance to England became paramount among the people. All Edward's efforts to reduce the country to obedience were unravelling, and after the crowning of Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, as Robert I of Scotland in 1306 an enraged Edward assembled another army and marched yet again against the Scots. However, Edward only reached Burgh-on-Sands, a village near Carlisle, when he died. His body was taken back to London and he was buried at Westminster Abbey.
Edward I was married twice: to Eleanor of Castile, by whom he had sixteen children, and Margaret of France by whom he had three. Twelve memorials to his first wife stood between Nottingham and London to mark the journey taken by her funeral cortege. Three of those memorials, known as "Eleanor Crosses", can still be seen today.*Alex
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1329 - 1371, David II, AR Groat struck 1367 - 1371 at Edinburgh, ScotlandObverse: + DAVID ‡ DEI ‡ GRA ‡ REX ‡ SCOTORVM. Crowned bust of David II facing left, sceptre topped with a lis and with a star at its base before, within double tressure of six arches broken at the king's neck, small trefoils in spandrels, surrounded by beaded inner circle. Mintmark, cross pattée in legend and two small crosses in spaces between words. The whole within beaded outer circle.
Reverse: + DnS PTECTOR MS LIBATOR MS (God is my protector and redeemer) / VILLA EDINBURGh. Long cross pattée dividing two concentric legends separated by two beaded circles into quarters, pierced mullet in each quarter of inner circle. Mintmark, cross pattée in outer legend. The whole within beaded outer circle.
Diameter: 28mm | Weight: 3.55gms | Die Axis: 6h | Class D, third (light) coinage
SPINK: 5125
David Bruce, Robert the Bruce's only surviving son, was King of Scotland for nearly 42 years, from 1329 until his death in 1371. David was born in 1324 when Bruce was aged 50 and at the age of four he was married to Joan, the seven year old sister of Edward III of England at a time when Robert the Bruce was trying to forge better relations with England. However David was only five years old when, in 1329, his father died, he was crowned as King David II at Scone on 24 November 1331, holding a small sceptre that had been specially made for him.
Edward Balliol, son of John Balliol, supported by a number of nobles who had been disinherited by Robert the Bruce, soon started a rebellion. In August 1332 at the Battle of Dupplin Moor, near Perth, Balliol defeated David's Regent, the Earl of Mar, and in September Balliol was crowned at Scone. He was soon deposed by the supporters of David II but, in 1333, after the Scottish army led by Archibald, Lord of Douglas, attacked Balliol and lost at the Battle of Halidon Hill, Balliol was restored to power. But this Scottish game of thrones continued for several more years, Balliol was deposed again in 1334 only to be restored in 1335. The young King David was driven into exile in France, but returned from there in 1341, and finally deposed Edward Balliol for the last time.
In 1346, responding to an appeal for help from France, David II invaded England. But, at the Battle of Neville's Cross, he was captured and remained a prisoner at the English court until 1357 when he was returned to Scotland on the promise of payment of a large ransom.
David II ruled with authority and trade increased during his rule. He continued to pursue the goal of a final peace with England and, at the time of his death, the Scottish monarchy was stronger, and the kingdom and the royal finances more prosperous than might have seemed possible.
David II died unexpectedly, in Edinburgh Castle, on 22 February 1371. He was buried in Holyrood Abbey, pictured above. David II left no children and he was succeeded by his nephew, Robert II, the son of David's half-sister, Marjorie Bruce.
*Alex
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1371 - 1390, Robert II, AR Groat minted at Perth, ScotlandObverse: + ROBERTVS DEI GRA REX SCOTORVM. Crowned bust of Robert II facing left, sceptre topped with a lis and with a star at its base before, within double tressure of six arches broken at the king's neck, small trefoils in spandrels, surrounded by beaded inner circle. Mintmark, cross pattée in legend and small crosses in spaces between words. The whole within beaded outer circle.
Reverse: + DnS PTECTOR MS LIBATOR MS (God is my protector and redeemer) / VILLA DE PERTh X. Long cross pattée dividing two concentric legends separated by two beaded circles into quarters, pierced mullet in each quarter of inner circle. Mintmark, cross pattées in both inner and outer legends, but cross set as saltire in inner legend, small cross over crescent after DnS in outer legend. The whole within beaded outer circle.
Diameter: 30mm | Weight: 3.87gms | Die Axis: 12h
SPINK: 5136 | SCBI: 35, 460-72
Robert II's coinage was maintained at the same standard and in the same general style as that of David's last issue, but coins were struck at Perth and Dundee in addition to those of the Edinburgh mint.
Robert II was the first Scottish king of the Stuart line, he was the son of Walter, the sixth hereditary High Steward of Scotland, and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert the Bruce. Robert II acted as regent during part of the period of imprisonment in England of David II and was himself imprisoned in England when Edward III was declared to be David's successor. The Scots never accepted this arrangement and, after several years of secret negotiations between David II and Edward III, in 1370 Robert was released. He peacefully succeeded to the throne on David II's death the following year.
Robert II succeeded to the throne at the age of 54 and was viewed by many in his kingdom as past his best. In November 1384 he was effectively deposed by his eldest son John, Earl of Carrick. John, however, was seriously injured after being kicked by a horse, and Robert II's second son, Robert, Earl of Fife, later the Duke of Albany, was appointed as Guardian of Scotland instead. Robert II died at Dundonald Castle on 19 April 1390, and was buried at Scone. He was succeeded by his son John, who confusingly took the name Robert III, probably because in Scotland "John" was a name too closely associated with John Balliol, the erstwhile protégé of Edward I.*Alex
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1422 - 1461, HENRY VI (First Reign), AR Halfpenny, Struck 1430 - 1434 at Calais, FranceObverse: HENRICVS (pinecone) REX (mascle) ANGL. Crowned facing bust of Henry VI within circle of pellets. Mintmark: Cross patonce in legend.
Reverse: VIL(mascle)LA CALISIE (pinecone). Long cross pattée dividing legend around inner circle of pellets into quarters, trefoil in each quarter of circle.
Diameter: 15mm | Weight: 0.45gms | Axis: 6h
SPINK: 1885
This issue of coins is known as the pinecone-mascle issue because these symbols are incorporated in the obverse and reverse legends. This issue was struck between 1430 and 1434 at the mints of London and Calais.
CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW FOR INFO ON HENRY VI
 *Alex
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161 Aelia Flaccilla (???- 386 A.D.), Constantinopolis, RIC IX 061-3, -/-//CONE, AE-4, SALVS REIPVBLICAE, Victory seated right, #1161 Aelia Flaccilla (???- 386 A.D.), Constantinopolis, RIC IX 061-3, -/-//CONE, AE-4, SALVS REIPVBLICAE, Victory seated right, #1
Wife of Theodosius I and mother of Honorius and Arcadius.
avers:- AEL FLACILLA AVG, Diademed, draped bust bust right.
revers:- SALVS REIPVBLICAE, Victory seated right, inscribing Chi-Rho on shield.
exe: -/-//CONE, diameter: 10-10,5mm, weight: 0,80g, axis: 6h,
mint: Constantinopolis, date: 379-388 A.D., ref: RIC IX 61-3, p-229,
Q-001quadrans
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1625 - 1649, CHARLES I, AR Twenty Pence, Struck 1637 - 1638 at Edinburgh, ScotlandObverse: CAR•D:G•SCOT•ANG•FR•ET•HIB•R•. Crowned bust of Charles I, which goes to the edge of the coin, facing left, XX with a small lozenge above and below behind bust; small B (for Briot) below.
Reverse: IVSTITIA•THRONVM•FIRMAT• small B (off flan, for Briot) at end of legend. Thistle with Scottish crown above. The reverse legend translates as 'Justice strengthens the Throne'.
This coin was produced using Briot's new coining press during the third coinage period which ran from 1637 to 1642.
Diameter: 17mm | Weight: 0.8gms | Die Axis: 6h
SPINK: 5581
Nicholas Briot, a Frenchman previously employed by the French and English mints, was appointed Master of the Scottish mint in August 1634. He was later joined by his son-in-law John Falconer, who succeeded him in 1646.
Briot's work was of the highest calibre, and his introduction of the mill and screw press gave the Scottish series of coins a technical excellence previously unknown.
After Briot's departure from Scotland in 1638 there was a rapid falling off from his high standard of workmanship. Although considerable use was made of Briot's punches for Falconer's third coinage issues, many of the dies were badly executed, and there was even more of a deterioration during the fourth coinage period which resulted in poorly produced coins of no artistic merit.
CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW FOR INFO ON CHARLES I
 *Alex
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1933-D Oregon Trail Memorial Silver Half DollarUSA, Oregon Trail Memorial Silver Half Dollar, 50 Cents, 1933-D, Oregon Trail Memorial commemorative, Breen 7471, SCWC KM 159, BU, first commemorative coin struck at mint, slight strike softness on rear of wagon and pioneer, edge milled, weight 12.5g (ASW 0.3617oz), composition 0.9 Ag, 0.1 Cu, diameter 30.6mm, thickness 2.15mm, die axis 180°, Denver, CO mint, 1933; obverse UNITED-STATES/OF-AMERICA in two lines across fields, Native American chief standing half-right, nude but for double-trailing eagle-feathered war bonnet, blanket draped over left shoulder, breechcloth and moccasins, holding bow in right hand, with left arm outstretched and hand upraised towards the east, before US map, with miniature Conestoga wagon train heading west along Oregon Trail above left, Hudson Bay visible above right, HALF-DOLLAR arcing below, mint mark D at bottom left behind Indian's moccasined feet, engraved by Laura Gardin Fraser, raised border surrounding; reverse IN GOD WE TRUST arcing above, Conestoga wagon carrying mother and child, drawn by two oxen, led by pioneer, holding staff with left hand over right shoulder, heading west over brow of hill towards large setting nine-rayed sun to left, OREGON TRAIL MEMORIAL/*****/1933 arcing in three lines in exergue, five stars for the Oregon Territory states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, JEF/LGF (James Earle Fraser/Laura Gardin Fraser) monograms in two lines to right behind wagon, engraved by James Earle Fraser, raised border surrounding; from the Roger Belmar Collection; ex Baldwin's (8 Sep 2023); ex Sovereign Rarities auction 6 (28 Jun 2022), lot 322; £650.00.Serendipity
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1937-D Oregon Trail Memorial Silver Half DollarUSA, Oregon Trail Memorial Silver Half Dollar, 50 Cents, 1937-D, Oregon Trail Memorial commemorative, Breen 7475, SCWC KM 159, BU, edge milled, weight 12.5g (ASW 0.3617oz), composition 0.9 Ag, 0.1 Cu, diameter 30.6mm, thickness 2.15mm, die axis 180°, Denver, CO mint, 1937; obverse UNITED-STATES/OF-AMERICA in two lines across fields, Native American chief standing half-right, nude but for double-trailing eagle-feathered war bonnet, blanket draped over left shoulder, breechcloth and moccasins, holding bow in right hand, with left arm outstretched and hand upraised towards the east, before US map, with miniature Conestoga wagon train heading west along Oregon Trail above left, Hudson Bay visible above right, HALF-DOLLAR arcing below, mint mark D at bottom left behind Indian's moccasined feet, engraved by Laura Gardin Fraser, raised border surrounding; reverse IN GOD WE TRUST arcing above, Conestoga wagon carrying mother and child, drawn by two oxen, led by pioneer, holding staff with left hand over right shoulder, heading west over brow of hill towards large setting nine-rayed sun to left, OREGON TRAIL MEMORIAL/*****/1937 arcing in three lines in exergue, five stars for the Oregon Territory states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, JEF/LGF (James Earle Fraser/Laura Gardin Fraser) monograms in two lines to right behind wagon, engraved by James Earle Fraser, raised border surrounding; from the Roger Belmar Collection; ex Coin Trust (31 Jul 2023), acquired from UK Collection; £215.00.Serendipity
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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 382ecoli
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2262A CARIA Trapezopolis Sabina Ae 19 Mên standingReference.
RPC --; apparently unpublished.
Magistrate Ti. Fla. Max. Lysias
Obv: CABЄINA CЄBACTH
Draped bust of Sabina, r., hair coiled and piled on top of head above triple stephane
Rev: ΔΙΑ Τ Φ ΜΑΞ ΛVСΙΟV TPAΠEZOΠ/ OΛITΩN.
Mên standing, l., wearing Phrygian cap, holding pine cone and sceptre, behind his shoulders, crescent
4.22 gr
19 mm
12hokidoki
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2621 PHRYGIA, Palaeobeudus. Hadrian, Mên Reference.
RPC III, 2621/4; vA, Phryg. I, 851-3; BMC 2
Obv. ΑΥ ΚΑΙ ΤΡΑ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟС
Laureate and cuirassed bust of Hadrian, r., with paludamentum, seen from rear.
Rev. ΠΑΛΑΙΟΒΕΥΔΗΝΩΝ
Mên standing l., wearing short chiton and cloak, with crescent behind shoulders, holding pine-cone in his r. hand, resting with l. on spear
5.40 gr
23 mm
6hokidoki
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2783 PISIDIA, Conana. Hadrian, Mên standingReference.
RPC III, 2783/4; vA Pisid. II, 782-3
Obv. ΑΥ ΤΡΑ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟС
Laureate and cuirassed bust of Hadrian, right
Rev. ΚΟΝΑΝΕΩΝ
Mên standing l. holding pine-cone on his r. hand, l. resting on staff
3.49 gr
16 mm
12hokidoki
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2817 PISIDIA, Timbriada. Hadrian. Mên standingReference. very rare
RPC III, 2817A
unpublished in the standard references.
CNG eAuction 354 lot 342; Gitbud & Naumann Auction 29 lot 468 ; Heidelberger Münzhandlung Herbert Grün Auction 64 lot 2119
Obv. TPA AΔPIA
Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
Rev. TIMBPIAΔЄΩN
Mên standing left with phrygian cap , holding pine cone and sceptre.
3.06 gr
16 mm
6hokidoki
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46-11 - SEPTIMIO SEVERO (193 - 211 D.C.)AR Denario 19 mm 2.8 gr.
Anv: "SEVERVS PIUS AVG" - Busto laureado viendo a derecha.
Rev: "INDVLGENTIA AVGG // IN CARTH" en exergo (La Benevolencia del Augusto hacia Cartago) - La Diosa Celestial de Cartago sentada de frente sobre un león que corre hacia la derecha, sostiene un rayo en mano derecha y un cetro en la izquierda. Debajo se vé aguas saliendo de una roca. Esta acuñación recuerda algún favor especial de los Emperadores a Carthage, capital de la provincia nativa de los Severos. Parece estar conectada con el abastecimiento de agua de la ciudad (quizás un acueducto nuevo), pero los detalles no se saben. El diosa principal de Carthage era conocida por los romanos como "Dea Caelestis", la “Diosa celestial”, aunque no es nombrada en las monedas y de allí surge una pequeña duda si Ella realmente es quien monta el león.
Acuñada 17ava. Emisión 204 D.C.
Ceca: Roma (Off.1ra)
Referencias: RIC Vol.IV Parte I #266D Pag.125 - Sear RCTV Vol.II #6285 Pag.459 - BMCRE #335/8 Pag.218 - Cohen Vol.III #219 Pag.27 - DVM #47 Pag.183 - RSC Vol.III #222 Pag.28 - Hill CSS #655 - Foss #62 mdelvalle
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46-11 - SEPTIMIO SEVERO (193 - 211 D.C.)AR Denario 19 mm 2.8 gr.
Anv: "SEVERVS PIUS AVG" - Busto laureado viendo a derecha.
Rev: "INDVLGENTIA AVGG // IN CARTH" en exergo (La Benevolencia del Augusto hacia Cartago) - La Diosa Celestial de Cartago sentada de frente sobre un león que corre hacia la derecha, sostiene un rayo en mano derecha y un cetro en la izquierda. Debajo se vé aguas saliendo de una roca. Esta acuñación recuerda algún favor especial de los Emperadores a Carthage, capital de la provincia nativa de los Severos. Parece estar conectada con el abastecimiento de agua de la ciudad (quizás un acueducto nuevo), pero los detalles no se saben. El diosa principal de Carthage era conocida por los romanos como "Dea Caelestis", la “Diosa celestial”, aunque no es nombrada en las monedas y de allí surge una pequeña duda si Ella realmente es quien monta el león.
Acuñada 17ava. Emisión 204 D.C.
Ceca: Roma (Off.1ra)
Referencias: RIC Vol.IV Parte I #266D Pag.125 - Sear RCTV Vol.II #6285 Pag.459 - BMCRE #335/8 Pag.218 (Plate 35 #11y14) - Cohen Vol.III #219 Pag.27 - DVM #47 Pag.183 - RSC Vol.III #222 Pag.28 - Hill CSS #655 - Foss #62 - Salgado II/1 #4126.a.2 Pag.85mdelvalle
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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
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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
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710a, Vespasian, 1 July 69 - 24 June 79 A.D.Silver denarius, RIC II, 10, aVF, 3.5 g, 18mm, Rome mint, 69-71 AD; Obverse: IMP CAESA[R] VESPASIANV[S AV]G - Laureate head right; Reverse: COS ITER [T]R POT - Pax seated left holding branch and caduceus. Ex Imperial Coins.
De Imperatoribus Romanis:
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families
Titus Flavius Vespasianus (A.D. 69-79)
John Donahue
College of William and Mary
Introduction
Titus Flavius Vespasianus (b. A.D. 9, d. A.D. 79, emperor A.D. 69-79) restored peace and stability to an empire in disarray following the death of Nero in A.D. 68. In the process he established the Flavian dynasty as the legitimate successor to the Imperial throne. Although we lack many details about the events and chronology of his reign, Vespasian provided practical leadership and a return to stable government - accomplishments which, when combined with his other achievements, make his emperorship particularly notable within the history of the Principate.
Early Life and Career
Vespasian was born at Falacrina near Sabine Reate on 17 November, A.D. 9, the son of T. Flavius Sabinus, a successful tax collector and banker, and Vespasia Polla. Both parents were of equestrian status. Few details of his first fifteen years survive, yet it appears that his father and mother were often away from home on business for long periods. As a result, Vespasian's early education became the responsibility of his paternal grandmother, Tertulla. [[1]] In about A.D. 25 Vespasian assumed the toga virilis and later accepted the wearing of the latus clavus, and with it the senatorial path that his older brother, T. Flavius Sabinus, had already chosen. [[2]] Although many of the particulars are lacking, the posts typically occupied by one intent upon a senatorial career soon followed: a military tribunate in Thrace, perhaps for three or four years; a quaestorship in Crete-Cyrene; and the offices of aedile and praetor, successively, under the emperor Gaius. [[3]]
It was during this period that Vespasian married Flavia Domitilla. Daughter of a treasury clerk and former mistress of an African knight, Flavia lacked the social standing and family connections that the politically ambitious usually sought through marriage. In any case, the couple produced three children, a daughter, also named Flavia Domitilla, and two sons, the future emperors Titus and Domitian . Flavia did not live to witness her husband's emperorship and after her death Vespasian returned to his former mistress Caenis, who had been secretary to Antonia (daughter of Marc Antony and mother of Claudius). Caenis apparently exerted considerable influence over Vespasian, prompting Suetonius to assert that she remained his wife in all but name, even after he became emperor. [[4]]
Following the assassination of Gaius on 24 January, A.D. 41, Vespasian advanced rapidly, thanks in large part to the new princeps Claudius, whose favor the Flavians had wisely secured with that of Antonia, the mother of Germanicus, and of Claudius' freedmen, especially Narcissus. [[5]] The emperor soon dispatched Vespasian to Argentoratum (Strasbourg) as legatus legionis II Augustae, apparently to prepare the legion for the invasion of Britain. Vespasian first appeared at the battle of Medway in A.D. 43, and soon thereafter led his legion across the south of England, where he engaged the enemy thirty times in battle, subdued two tribes, and conquered the Isle of Wight. According to Suetonius, these operations were conducted partly under Claudius and partly under Vespasian's commander, Aulus Plautius. Vespasian's contributions, however, did not go unnoticed; he received the ornamenta triumphalia and two priesthoods from Claudius for his exploits in Britain. [[6]]
By the end of A.D. 51 Vespasian had reached the consulship, the pinnacle of a political career at Rome. For reasons that remain obscure he withdrew from political life at this point, only to return when chosen proconsul of Africa about A.D. 63-64. His subsequent administration of the province was marked by severity and parsimony, earning him a reputation for being scrupulous but unpopular. [[7]] Upon completion of his term, Vespasian returned to Rome where, as a senior senator, he became a man of influence in the emperor Nero's court. [[8]] Important enough to be included on Nero's tour of Greece in A.D. 66-67, Vespasian soon found himself in the vicinity of increasing political turbulence in the East. The situation would prove pivotal in advancing his career.
Judaea and the Accession to Power
In response to rioting in Caesarea and Jerusalem that had led to the slaughter in the latter city of Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers, Nero granted to Vespasian in A.D. 66 a special command in the East with the objective of settling the revolt in Judaea. By spring A.D. 67, with 60,000 legionaries, auxiliaries, and allies under his control, Vespasian set out to subdue Galilee and then to cut off Jerusalem. Success was quick and decisive. By October all of Galilee had been pacified and plans for the strategic encirclement of Jerusalem were soon formed. [[9]] Meanwhile, at the other end of the empire, the revolts of Gaius Iulius Vindex, governor of Gallia Lugdunensis, and Servius Sulpicius Galba , governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, had brought Nero's reign to the brink of collapse. The emperor committed suicide in June, A.D. 68, thereby ensuring chaos for the next eighteen months, as first Galba and then Marcus Salvius Otho and Aulus Vitellius acceded to power. Each lacked broad-based military and senatorial support; each would be violently deposed in turn. [[10]]
Still occupied with plans against Jerusalem, Vespasian swore allegiance to each emperor. Shortly after Vitellius assumed power in spring, A.D. 69, however, Vespasian met on the border of Judaea and Syria with Gaius Licinius Mucianus, governor of Syria, and after a series of private and public consultations, the two decided to revolt. [[11]] On July 1, at the urging of Tiberius Alexander, prefect of Egypt, the legions of Alexandria declared for Vespasian, as did the legions of Judaea two days later. By August all of Syria and the Danube legions had done likewise. Vespasian next dispatched Mucianus to Italy with 20,000 troops, while he set out from Syria to Alexandria in order to control grain shipments for the purpose of starving Italy into submission. [[12]] The siege of Jerusalem he placed in the hands of his son Titus.
Meanwhile, the Danubian legions, unwilling to wait for Mucianus' arrival, began their march against Vitellius ' forces. The latter army, suffering from a lack of discipline and training, and unaccustomed to the heat of Rome, was defeated at Cremona in late October. [[13]] By mid-December the Flavian forces had reached Carsulae, 95 kilometers north of Rome on the Flaminian Road, where the Vitellians, with no further hope of reinforcements, soon surrendered. At Rome, unable to persuade his followers to accept terms for his abdication, Vitellius was in peril. On the morning of December 20 the Flavian army entered Rome. By that afternoon, the emperor was dead. [[14]]
Tacitus records that by December 22, A.D. 69, Vespasian had been given all the honors and privileges usually granted to emperors. Even so, the issue remains unclear, owing largely to a surviving fragment of an enabling law, the lex de imperio Vespasiani, which conferred powers, privileges, and exemptions, most with Julio-Claudian precedents, on the new emperor. Whether the fragment represents a typical granting of imperial powers that has uniquely survived in Vespasian's case, or is an attempt to limit or expand such powers, remains difficult to know. In any case, the lex sanctioned all that Vespasian had done up to its passing and gave him authority to act as he saw fit on behalf of the Roman people. [[15]]
What does seem clear is that Vespasian felt the need to legitimize his new reign with vigor. He zealously publicized the number of divine omens that predicted his accession and at every opportunity he accumulated multiple consulships and imperial salutations. He also actively promoted the principle of dynastic succession, insisting that the emperorship would fall to his son. The initiative was fulfilled when Titus succeeded his father in A.D. 79.[[16]]
Emperorship
Upon his arrival in Rome in late summer, A.D. 70, Vespasian faced the daunting task of restoring a city and a government ravaged by the recent civil wars. Although many particulars are missing, a portrait nevertheles emerges of a ruler conscientiously committed to the methodical renewal of both city and empire. Concerning Rome itself, the emperor encouraged rebuilding on vacated lots, restored the Capitol (burned in A.D. 69), and also began work on several new buildings: a temple to the deified Claudius on the Caelian Hill, a project designed to identify Vespasian as a legitimate heir to the Julio-Claudians, while distancing himself from Nero ; a temple of Peace near the Forum; and the magnificent Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheatre), located on the site of the lake of Nero 's Golden House. [[17]]
Claiming that he needed forty thousand million sesterces for these projects and for others aimed at putting the state on more secure footing, Vespasian is said to have revoked various imperial immunities, manipulated the supply of certain commodities to inflate their price, and increased provincial taxation. [[18]] The measures are consistent with his characterization in the sources as both obdurate and avaricious. There were occasional political problems as well: Helvidius Priscus, an advocate of senatorial independence and a critic of the Flavian regime from the start, was exiled after A.D. 75 and later executed; Marcellus Eprius and A. Alienus Caecina were condemned by Titus for conspiracy, the former committing suicide, the latter executed in A.D. 79.
As Suetonius claims, however, in financial matters Vespasian always put revenues to the best possible advantage, regardless of their source. Tacitus, too, offers a generally favorable assessment, citing Vespasian as the first man to improve after becoming emperor. [[19]] Thus do we find the princeps offering subventions to senators not possessing the property qualifications of their rank, restoring many cities throughout the empire, and granting state salaries for the first time to teachers of Latin and Greek rhetoric. To enhance Roman economic and social life even further, he encouraged theatrical productions by building a new stage for the Theatre of Marcellus, and he also put on lavish state dinners to assist the food trades. [[20]]
In other matters the emperor displayed similar concern. He restored the depleted ranks of the senatorial and equestrian orders with eligible Italian and provincial candidates and reduced the backlog of pending court cases at Rome. Vespasian also re-established discipline in the army, while punishing or dismissing large numbers of Vitellius ' men. [[21]]
Beyond Rome, the emperor increased the number of legions in the East and continued the process of imperial expansion by the annexation of northern England, the pacification of Wales, and by advances into Scotland and southwest Germany between the Rhine and the Danube. Vespasian also conferred rights on communities abroad, especially in Spain, where the granting of Latin rights to all native communities contributed to the rapid Romanization of that province during the Imperial period. [[22]]
Death and Assessment
In contrast to his immediate imperial predecessors, Vespasian died peacefully - at Aquae Cutiliae near his birthplace in Sabine country on 23 June, A.D. 79, after contracting a brief illness. The occasion is said to have inspired his deathbed quip: "Oh my, I must be turning into a god!" [[23]] In fact, public deification did follow his death, as did his internment in the Mausoleum of Augustus alongside the Julio-Claudians.
A man of strict military discipline and simple tastes, Vespasian proved to be a conscientious and generally tolerant administrator. More importantly, following the upheavals of A.D. 68-69, his reign was welcome for its general tranquility and restoration of peace. In Vespasian Rome found a leader who made no great breaks with tradition, yet his ability ro rebuild the empire and especially his willingness to expand the composition of the governing class helped to establish a positive working model for the "good emperors" of the second century.
Bibliography
Since the scholarship on Vespasian is more comprehensive than can be treated here, the works listed below are main accounts or bear directly upon issues discussed in the entry above. A comprehensive modern anglophone study of this emperor is yet to be produced.
Atti congresso internazionale di studi Flaviani, 2 vols. Rieti, 1983.
Atti congresso internazionale di studi Vespasianei, 2 vols. Rieti, 1981.
Bosworth, A.B. "Vespasian and the Provinces: Some Problems of the Early 70s A.D." Athenaeum 51 (1973): 49-78.
Brunt, P. A. "Lex de imperio Vespasiani." JRS (67) 1977: 95-116.
D'Espèrey, S. Franchet. "Vespasien, Titus et la littérature." ANRW II.32.5: 3048-3086.
Dudley, D. and Webster, G. The Roman Conquest of Britain. London, 1965.
Gonzalez, J. "The Lex Irnitana: A New Copy of the Flavian Municipal Law." JRS 76 (1986): 147-243.
Grant, M. The Roman Emperors: A Biographical Guide to the Rulers of Rome, 31 B.C. - A.D. 476. New York, 1985.
Homo, L. Vespasien, l'Empereur du bons sens (69-79 ap. J.-C.). Paris, 1949.
Levi, M.A. "I Flavi." ANRW II.2: 177-207.
McCrum, M. and Woodhead, A. G. Select Documents of the Principates of the Flavian Emperors Including the Year of the Revolution. Cambridge, 1966.
Nicols, John. Vespasian and the Partes Flavianae. Wiesbaden, 1978.
Scarre, C. Chronicle of the Roman Emperors. The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial Rome. London, 1995.
Suddington, D. B. The Development of the Roman Auxiliary Forces from Caesar to Vespasian, 49 B.C. - A.D. 79. Harare: U. of Zimbabwe, 1982.
Syme, R. Tacitus. Oxford, 1958.
Wardel, David. "Vespasian, Helvidius Priscus and the Restoration of the Capitol." Historia 45 (1996): 208-222.
Wellesley, K. The Long Year: A.D. 69. Bristol, 1989, 2nd ed.
Notes
[[1]] Suet. Vesp. 2.1. Suetonius remains the major source but see also Tac. Hist. 2-5; Cass. Dio 65; Joseph. BJ 3-4.
[[2]] Suetonius (Vesp. 2.1) claims that Vespasian did not accept the latus clavus, the broad striped toga worn by one aspiring to a senatorial career, immediately. The delay, however, was perhaps no more than three years. See J. Nicols, Vespasian and the Partes Flavianae (Wiesbaden, 1978), 2.
[[3]] Military tribunate and quaestorship: Suet. Vesp. 2.3; aedileship: ibid., 5.3, in which Gaius, furious that Vespasian had not kept the streets clean, as was his duty, ordered some soldiers to load him with filth;,they complied by stuffing his toga with as much as it could hold. See also Dio 59.12.2-3; praetorship: Suet. Vesp. 2.3, in which Vespasian is depicted as one of Gaius' leading adulators, an account consistent with Tacitus' portrayal (Hist 1.50.4; 2.5.1) of his early career. For a more complete discussion of these posts and attendant problems of dating, see Nicols, Vespasian, 2-7.
[[4]] Marriage and Caenis: Suet. Vesp. 3; Cass. Dio 65.14.
[[5]] Nicols, Vespasian, 12-39.
[[6]] Suet. Vesp. 4.1 For additional details on Vespasian's exploits in Britain, see D. Dudley and G. Webster, The Roman Conquest of Britain (London, 1965), 55 ff., 98.
[[7]] Concerning Vespasian's years between his consulship and proconsulship, see Suet. Vesp. 4.2 and Nicols, Vespasian, 9. On his unpopularity in Africa, see Suet. Vesp. 4.3, an account of a riot at Hadrumentum, where he was once pelted with turnips. In recording that Africa supported Vitellius in A.D. 69, Tacitus too suggests popular dissatisfaction with Vespasian's proconsulship. See Hist. 2.97.2.
[[8]] This despite the fact that the sources record two rebukes of Vespasian, one for extorting money from a young man seeking career advancement (Suet. Vesp. 4.3), the other for either leaving the room or dozing off during one of the emperor's recitals (Suet. Vesp. 4.4 and 14, which places the transgression in Greece; Tac. (Ann. 16.5.3), who makes Rome and the Quinquennial Games of A.D. 65 the setting; A. Braithwaite, C. Suetoni Tranquilli Divus Vespasianus, Oxford, 1927, 30, who argues for both Greece and Rome).
[[9]] Subjugation of Galilee: Joseph. BJ 3.65-4.106; siege of Jerusalem: ibid., 4.366-376, 414.
[[10]] Revolt of Vindex: Suet. Nero 40; Tac. Ann. 14.4; revolt of Galba: Suet. Galba 10; Plut. Galba, 4-5; suicide of Nero: Suet. Nero 49; Cass. Dio 63.29.2. For the most complete account of the period between Nero's death and the accession of Vespasian, see K. Wellesley, The Long Year: A.D. 69, 2nd. ed. (Bristol, 1989).
[[11]] Tac. Hist. 2.76.
[[12]] Troops in support of Vespasian: Suet. Vit. 15; Mucianus and his forces: Tac. Hist. 2.83; Vespasian and grain shipments: Joseph. BJ 4.605 ff.; see also Tac. Hist. 3.48, on Vespasian's possible plan to shut off grain shipments to Italy from Carthage as well.
[[13]] On Vitellius' army and its lack of discipline, see Tac. Hist. 2.93-94; illness of army: ibid., 2.99.1; Cremona: ibid., 3.32-33.
[[14]] On Vitellius' last days, see Tac. Hist. 3.68-81. On the complicated issue of Vitellius' death date, see L. Holzapfel, "Römische Kaiserdaten," Klio 13 (1913): 301.
[[15]] Honors, etc. Tac. Hist. 4.3. For more on the lex de imperio Vespasiani, see P. A. Brunt, "Lex de imperio Vespasiani," JRS (67) 1977: 95-116.
[[16]] Omens: Suet. Vesp. 5; consulships and honors: ibid., 8; succession of sons: ibid., 25.
[[17]] On Vespasian's restoration of Rome, see Suet. Vesp. 9; Cass. Dio 65.10; D. Wardel, "Vespasian, Helvidius Priscus and the Restoration of the Capitol," Historia 45 (1996): 208-222.
[[18]] Suet. Vesp. 16.
[[19]] Ibid.; Tac. Hist. 1.50.
[[20]] Suet. Vesp. 17-19.
[[21]] Ibid., 8-10.
[[22]] On Vespasian's exploits in Britain, see esp. Tac., Agricola, eds. R. M. Ogilvie and I. A. Richmond (1967), and W. S. Hanson, Agricola and the Conquest of the North (1987); on the granting of Latin rights in Spain, see, e.g., J. Gonzalez, "The Lex Irnitana: a New Copy of the Flavian Municipal Law." JRS 76 (1986): 147-243.
[[23]] For this witticism and other anecdotes concerning Vespasian's sense of humor, see Suet. Vesp. 23.
Copyright (C) 1998, John Donahue. Published on De Imperatoribus Romanis, an Online Encyplopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families.
http://www.roman-emperors.org/vespasia.htm
Used by permission.
Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
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Aelia FlaccillaAE4, 378-383 AD, Constantinople mint.
Obv-AEL FLACCILLA AVG, Diademmed , draped bust right.
Rev: SALVS REIPVBLICAE, Victory seated inscribing shield with Chi-Rho.
CONE in exergue
13mm.
RIC 61 , CJerome Holderman
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Aelia Flaccilla RIC 61AE4, Constantinople mint, 383-388 AD
Obverse: AEL FLACCILLA AVG, Diademed, draped bust right.
Reverse: SALVS REIPVBLICAE: Victory seated right inscribing Chi Rho on shield which rests in her lap.
CONE in exergue
13mm , 0.9gm
Jerome Holderman
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Aelia VerinaAelia Verina AE2
13 mm 1.04 gm
O: AEL FLACCILLA AVG
Pearl-diademed and draped bust right
R: SALVS REIPVBLICAE
Victory seated right, inscribing Christogram on shield; CONEKoffy
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American Civil war bullets2 American civil war Era rifle bullets.
The American civil war saw the development of these cone shaped bullets and new riffling built inside the rifle barrels for much greater accuracy. Dk0311USMC
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Antoninus Pius - Pappa-Tiberiopolis138-161 AD
laureate head right
AVT KAI AΔP__ANTωNEINOC
Mên half left wearing Phrygian cap, crescent behind shoulders, foot on Bucranium, holding pine cone and long scepter
ΤΙΒƐΡΙE_ω_Ν ΠΑΠΠΗΝ(ωΝ)
vA Pisid. I, 1149-73, BMC 1-2, Cop 176-7; Volume IV, № 7694
5,5g 20mmJ. B.
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AS OF IRIPPO. Hispania, Irippo (area of Seville), 25 mm, 5.07 g. Semis. ca.30 BC. IRIPPO,
inscription before bare head of Augustus (Octavian) right / female seated left holding pine cone and cornucopiae.
RPC 55; Burgos 1238; Mionnet 402. _2050Antonivs Protti
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AS de Augusto SPAINRPC 271 Augustus AE As Lepida-Celsa, Tarraconensis. AVGVSTVS DIVI F, bare head right / C V I CEL L SVRA L BVCCO IIVIR, bull standing right.Antonivs Protti
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AS OF IRIPPO. Hispania, Irippo (area of Seville), CA.30 BC. IRIPPO INSCRIPTION BEFORE BARE HEAD OF AUGUSTUS (OCTAVIAN) RIGHT / FEMALE SEATED LEFT HOLDING PINE CONE AND CORNUCOPIAE.
RPC 55; BURGOS 1238; MIONNET 402.Antonivs Protti
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Asia Minor, Mysia, Pergamon, Apollo, bull’s heads, pine coneMysia, Pergamon
AE10, 420-400 BC
Obv.: Laureate head of Apollo right
Rev.: Confronted bull’s heads; Pine cone above, ΠΕΡΓA below.
AE, 0.81g, 9.5mm
Ref.: ?shanxi
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Assyria: Išme-Dagān (1776-1736 BCE) Cuneiform Foundation Cone, Isin1) ᵈiš-me-ᵈda-gan
2) nita-kala-ga
3) lugal-i-si-in.Ki-na
4) lugal-an-ub-da-límmu-ba-ke₄
5) u₄ nibru.Ki
6) uru-ki-ág-
7) den-1í1-1á-
8) gú-bi
9) mu-un-du₈
10) éren-bi kaskal-ta
11) ba-ra-an-zi-ga-a
12) bàd-gal-
13) ì-si-in.Ki-na
14) mu-un-dù
15) bàd-ba
16) ᵈiš-me-ᵈda-gan
17) ᵈen-líl-da á-an-gal
18) mu-bi-im
1-4) Išme-Dagān, mighty man, king of Isin, king of the four quarters,
5-11) when he cancelled the tribute of Nippur, the city beloved of the god Enlil, (and) relieved its men of military service,
12-14) he built the great wall of Isin.
15-18) The name of that wall is 'Išme-Dagan is a great ... beside the god Enlil.' Quant.Geek
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AugustusProvince Tarraconensis
City Ercavica
Region Hispania
Reign Augustus
Obverse inscription AVGVSTVS DIVI F
Obverse design laureate head of Augustus, r.
Reverse inscription MVN ERCAVICA
Reverse design bull, r.
RPC I, 461 Waldemar S
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AUGUSTUS AE as. Turiaso, Tarraconensis, Spain, after 2 BC. MVN TVRIASO, oak wreath.AUGUSTUS AE as. Turiaso, Spain, after 2 BC. IMP AVGVSTVS P P, laureate head right. Reverse - MVN within oak wreath; TVRIASO below.
RPC I 405. 30mm, 13.9g _5700Antonivs Protti
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Augustus As RPC 135 29mm 12.2 gmsAugustus As RPC 135 29mm 12.2 gms Acci (Hispania
Tarraconensis) Obv. Bust right laureate AVGVSTVS
DIVI F. Rev. C I G ACCI L I II, two aquilae between
two signa. Coin #146
cars100
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BCC BW49 Bronze Islamic Weight 1 DinarIslamic Bronze Weight?
Caesarea Maritima 1 Dinar
7th -12th Century CE?
Probable Islamic bronze weight, cut from
a sheet of metal or cast in the form of two
truncated cones, set base to base. The edges
and faces have file-adjustment or finishing
marks, with three punch marks on each side.
Holland lists two nearly identical objects in his
chapter on "uncertain" weights. He also lists a
very similarly shaped 1/2 dinar weight marked
'IMRAN in his section on "Dinar Series-Discoids".
Dia: 13.2 x 12.9mm. Ht: 4.2mm. Wt: 4.20gm.
cf. Holland W.W.O.C.M. chapter 10 #262-263,
and chapter 8 #155.
Surface find Caesarea Maritima, 1970's
J. Berlin Caesarea Collectionv-drome
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BCC BW51 Bronze Islamic Weight 1/2 DinarIslamic Bronze Weight
Caesarea Maritima 1/2 Dinar
7th -12th Century CE
Flattened barrel shaped (discoid) bronze
weight in the form of two truncated cones
set base to base. Decorated with five
concentric grooves surrounding a central dot.
Dia: 9.5mm. Ht: 4.25mm. Wt: 2.14gm.
cf. Holland W.W.O.C.M. chapter 8 and
Holland, "ANSMN 31 (1986)" #164-191.
Surface find Caesarea Maritima, 1970's
J. Berlin Caesarea Collectionv-drome
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BCC BW52 Bronze Islamic? Weight 1/2 Dinar with Bird?Islamic or Early Byzantine? Bronze Weight
Caesarea Maritima 1/2 Dinar or possibly
1/2 Nomisma. 5th -12th Century CE?
Obv: Bird? or other figure with a circular
border in an incuse circular punch mark.
Rev: Blank. Roughly circular flattened
barrel shaped (discoid) bronze weight
in the form of two truncated cones
set base to base. File marks on edges.
Dia: 9.1 x 8.25mm. Ht: 4.5mm. Wt: 2.05gm.
No parallels in Holland W.W.O.C.M. chapter 8,
but similar in shape to his "Discoid Series"
of dinar weights.
Surface find Caesarea Maritima, 1970's
J. Berlin Caesarea Collectionv-drome
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BCC G5 Roman War GalleyRoman Gem Stone
Caesarea Maritima
Intaglio 1st-2nd century CE
Intricately detailed War Galley
to left, including three helmeted
soldiers w/ shields, two vexilla,
commander (Mars?) standing at
prow, and rows of oars.
Transparent red/orange Carnelian
or Garnet? Profile:F2/F3v.
Truncated cone, horizontal oval,
flat bottom and slightly convex top.
10.25 x 8.5 x 2.75mm 0.45gm.
Extremely rare type, previously
unpublished from Caesarea.
Surface find, 1972
(Click for larger pic)
v-drome
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BCC G5 Roman War GalleyRoman Gem Stone
Caesarea Maritima
Intaglio 1st-2nd century CE
Intricately detailed War Galley
to left, including three helmeted
soldiers w/ shields, two vexilla,
commander (Mars?) standing at
prow, and rows of oars.
Transparent red/orange Carnelian
or Garnet? Profile:F2/F3v.
Truncated cone, horizontal oval,
flat bottom and slightly convex top.
10.25 x 8.5 x 2.75mm 0.45gm.
Extremely rare type, previously
unpublished from Caesarea.
Surface find, 1972
J. Berlin Caesarea Collection
(Click for larger pic)v-drome
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BCC LT16Lead Token
Obv: C E in
incuse square punch
Rev: Blank
Struck on a thick flan cast
in the shape of a truncated
cone. 13.0x11.5x3.0mm.
2.46gm.v-drome
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Bithynia, Tion, Trajan, Rec.Gen.II, 28 varTrajan, AD 98-117
AE 27, 11.47g, 26.8mm, 210°
obv. AVT NER TRAIANOC - KAICAR CEB GER
Bust, laureate, r.
rev. DIONYCOC - K - T - ICT TIANWN
Dionysos, wearing himation and wreathed, stg. frontal, head l., holding in l. hand filleted
thyrsos decorated with pine-cones on both ends and in lowered r. hand
kantharos; on his l. side a panther std. l., looking up to him.
Rec. Gen. II, p.620, 28 var., pl. CVII, 2 (has DINYCOC!)
F+/about VF, nice green patinaJochen
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Brooklyn Hebrew Home & Hospital for the Aged (Brooklyn, New York)White metal token, 27 mm., undated.
Obv: BROOKLY HEBREW HOME & HOSPITAL/FOR THE AGED, above Jewish star above, above ברוקלינ ??ש לזקבים (Brooklyn _____ for the Elderly) above row of buildings, above HOWARD & DUMONT/AVENUES/BROOKLYN, N.Y.
Rev: FIFTY CENTS WILL BUY along rim above, ONE/MEAL/FOR in center above wheat ears, AN AGED COUPLE, along rim below, AM.EMB. CO UTICA NY in tiny letters along rim at bottom.
Ref: None known.
Note: Incorporated in 1907 as Brooklyn Ladies’ Home for the Aged, its name changed to Brooklyn Hebrew Home for the Aged in 1913 and to Brooklyn Hebrew Home and Hospital for the Aged in 1918. By then it was already located at 813 Howard Avenue, at the intersection of Howard and Dumont Avenues, in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. It relocated in 1953 to the former Half Moon Hotel at West 29th Street and the Boardwalk, in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. In 1968 it changed its name to Metropolitan Jewish Geriatric Center, and currently operates as Metropolitan Jewish Health System Foundation.
Note: Manufactured by the American Emblem Co., Utica, New York.Stkp
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Campania, Neapolis. (Circa 300 BC)AR Didrachm
20 mm, 6.98 g
Obverse: Head of nymph r., wearing taenia, triple-pendant earring and necklace; four dolphins around (only the bottom two around the neck visible).
Reverse: Man-headed bull walking r., being crowned by Nike; ΘE below bull. [NE]OΠOΛI[TΩN] in exergue
Sambon 457; HNItaly 576; SNG ANS 336.
Neapolis was founded ca. 650 B.C. from Cumae (a nearby city and the first Greek colony on mainland Italy). Ancient tradition records that it had originally been named after the siren Parthenope, who had been washed ashore on the site after failing to capture Odysseus (Sil. Pun. 12.33-36). The early city, which was called Palae(o)polis, developed in the SW along the modern harbor area and included Pizzofalcone and Megaris (the Castel dell'Ovo), a small island in the harbor. Megaris itself may have been the site of a still older Rhodian trading colony (Strab. 14.2.10). Owing to the influx of Campanian immigrants, the town began to develop to the NE along a Hippodamian grid plan. This new extension was called Neapolis, while Palae(o)polis became a suburb. Incited to a war with Rome by the Greek elements, the city was captured in 326 B.C. by the proconsul Quintus Publilius Philo (Liv. 8.22.9), and the suburb ceased to exist. Neapolis then became a favored ally of the Romans; it repulsed Pyrrhos, contributed naval support during the First Punic War, and withstood the attacks of Hannibal. Nathan P
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Campania. Neapolis AR NomosCirca 275-250 BC. AR Nomos (21mm, 7.21 g, 11h). Sambon–; HN Italy 586; BMC 87; SNG France–; SNG ANS–. Obverse: Diademed head of nymph left, wearing triple-pendant earring and necklace; to right, Artemis standing right, holding torch in both hands. Reverse: Man-headed bull walking right; above, Nike flying right, placing wreath on bull's head; IΣ below; [N]EOÎ OΛITΩN in exergue. Good VF, toned. Scarce symbol for issue.
Ex Gorny & Mosch 125 (13 October 2003), lot 21
Ex Classical Numismatic Review XXXIX No. 2 Summer 2014, lot 979726
The obverse of early Neapolitan coins represent the siren Parthenope who, according to legend, committed suicide after her failed attempt to seduce Odysseus and his shipmates as they passed the Sorrento peninsula. Her body was washed up on the shore of nearby Megaride, a tiny island in the Bay of Naples. The locals interred her in Mount Echia, now the hill of Pizzofalcone. The Sirens were originally the islands found at the mouth of the river Achelöos in Greece which flowed into the Ionian Sea between Akarnania and Aetolia. The man-headed bull on the reverse of the coins was meant to represent Achelöos, the greatest water god of ancient Greece and father of Parthenope. This coin, however, belongs to a later group known as Class VI (Numismatic Circular, vol. 14, 1906). The latest coins with the obverse head always facing left may well be identified as the head of Dia-Hebe. She is associated with Dionysus Hebon and the Neapolitan bull on the reverse was reinterpreted as the bull with which Dionysus Hebon was always depicted.
Jason T
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Caria, Attuda, Men / temple, AE2323mm, 5.31g
obv: MHN KAROV; bust of Mên Karou right, wearing Phrygian cap, uncertain countermark
rev: A-TTOV-Δ - EΩN, large garlanded altar of Mên, on it, three pinecones, two small flaming altars between
BMC 18, p. 65, #18areich
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Civil Wars RIC 12Civil Wars 68-69 CE. AR Denarius (17.50 mm, 3.39 g). Spanish mint, April-June 68 CE.
O: BONI EVENTVS, Female bust right, wearing fillet; hair rolled and looped above neck
R: VICTORIA P R, Victory standing left on globe, holding wreath in right hand and palm in left
- BMCRE I 292 Note + Taf 50.2; P.-H. Martin, the anonymous coins of the year 68 AD (1974) 82 # 99 PL 9; E. P. Nicolas, De Néron à Vespasien (1979) 1308 No. 31; 1435 f 1456 # 107 Taf 14.107 B; RIC I² Nr. 12 (Spain, 68 n. Chr.) R5 (Group I). Evidently the second known. The above references are all to one example found in Münzkabinett Berlin.
Likely struck by Galba in Spain between April 6 and early June, 68 AD, that is, between the dates of his acceptance of the offer from Vindex and of his receiving news of his recognition by the Senate.
The civil wars at the end of Nero’s reign began with the revolt of the governor of Gallia Lugdunensis, Gaius Julius Vindex, probably around the beginning of March of AD 68. Vindex had claimed that he had a force of 100,000 men, and a substantial coinage was certainly needed to pay them.
Vindex offered the leadership of the revolt to Servius Sulpicius Galba, then governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, who was hailed imperator by the Spanish legions at Carthago Nova in April of the same year. The title was cautiously refused, but Galba did declare himself the legatus of the senate and people of Rome. Just a month later, Galba’s confidence would be shaken by the crushing defeat of Vindex near Besançon by the general Lucius Verginius Rufus, governor of Germania Superior. By 9 June Nero was dead, having taken his own life. Galba began his march to Rome, and his brief reign was underway.
Without an emperor to strike in the name of (save for that in honor of the “model emperor” of Roman history, Augustus) the coinage was struck with messages suiting the political climate. The coinage under Vindex possesses a more aggressive air that underscores the militant nature of his revolt, while Galba’s tends to be more constitutional and optimistic in tone. Originally struck in large numbers, as indicated by the number of types employed, the coins of the civil wars are all rare today, having been recalled after the final victory of Vespasian in 69 AD. Nemonater
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commerical trade weight?19mm wide
10mm tall
cone shaped
no marking
15.68g
wileyc
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EB0621 Antoninus Pius / TempleAntoninus Pius 138-161 AD, AE Drachm of Alexandria. Year 17 = 153-154 AD.
Obv: V _ AVT K T AI AΔPI ANTWNINOC CEVE, laurate and bearded bust right of Antoninus Pius.
Rev: Altar (Temple) of Caesareum (or Agathodaimon) as seen from the front, with six columns, garlanded front, set on two-tiered base, fire altar (pyre of burning pinecones) atop, aplustre (aphlaston) at each corner, Z in exergue and across L-I ( LIZ = year 17 ).
References: Dattari 3011, Emmett 1448-17.
Diameter: 38mm, Weight: 28.302 grams.
EB
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EB0684 Augustus / TempleAugustus, Æ Semis, Tarraconensis (Spain), Minted at Ilici, after 12 BC.
Obverse: AVGVSTVS DIVI·F, Laureate head right.
Reverse: Q.PAPIR.CAR.Q.TER.MONT.II.VIR.Q., Hexastyle temple with IVNONI inscribed on the entablature, C I IL A among the columns of the temple.
References: RPC I 192, Heiss PL. 37 #1 Illia.
Diameter: 21.5mm, Weight: 5.765g.EB
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Edward III (1327 - 1377 A.D.)AR Groat
Pre-Treaty
O: Plain Cross, HENRIC' DI' GRA' REX ANGLIE Z FRANC, crowned facing bust, rosette and mascle stops.
R: CIVI (mascle)TAS LONDON(pinecone), long cross pattée; three pellets in angles, pinecone and double saltire stops
London Mint - 1351-1352
28mm
4.03g
SPINK 1565Mat
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Germany, Augsburg, 1 Heller 1722Germany, Augsburg, 1 Heller (copper) 1722.
pine cone between 17-22/cross of flowers.
Forster 478vindelicus
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Germany, Augsburg, 10 Kreuzer 1764Germany, Augsburg, 10 Kreuzer 1764
Pine cone//imperial eagle.
Forster 647, KM 176vindelicus
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Germany, Augsburg, 2 Kreuzer 1624Germany, 2 Kreuzer ("Halbbatzen") 1624
Pine cone// Imperial eagle
Forster 157vindelicus
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Germany, Augsburg, Batzen 1523Germany, Augsburg, Batzen 1523
Karl V (1520-1556)
Pine cone shield below date (in numerals) // Imperial eagle,
Forster 12, Schulten 62vindelicus
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GREEK, Perinthos, Thrace, AE 20Ae20, 8 gm, 23.4 mm, 350-300 BC, Moushmov 4382
Obv: Anepigraphic with bust of Dionysos right, wreathed in ivy with Thyrsos staff before.
Rev: ΠΕΡΙ ΝΘΙΩΝ
Hera standing, facing, with a half bushel on her head and both arms extended. Inscription to right and left.
Comment: A Thyrsos is a staff capped with a pine cone and entwined with ivy. It was symbolic of the cult of Dionysos.
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Henry VI (1422-1461), mezzo penny d'argento. Gaviller & Boyd collectionHenry VI, First Reign (1422-1461), Calais mint
Silver halfpenny, pinecone-mascle issue (1430-34)
AR, 0.51 gr, 12 mm, VF
D/ crowned facing bust
R/ VIL(mascle) LACALISIE (pinecone), long cross pattée, three pellets in angles
N.1469; S.1885
Provenance: collezione Berardengo, Roma Italia (28 gennaio 2011, numero catalogo 121); ex Antony Wilson collection (Yorkcoins, London-New York, 2005); ex Baldwin's Auctions 42 (London, 26 settembre 2005); ex W.C.Boyd collection (London 1886), ex George Henry Gaviller collection (morto nel 1886).
paolo
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Irippo, (area of Seville),Hispania. AE Semis, 30 BC Obv. IRIPPO, before bare head of Augustus (Octavian) right
Rev. female seated left holding pine cone and cornucopiae
Skyler
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Italy, Herculaneum, MiscA Catullus (biconical or hollow stone which rotates above a cone-shaped pivot for grinding grain)
From my visit to Herculaneum in August 2015 maridvnvm
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Jean Warin, Master of all Arts. 1684.Obv: Bust of Jean Warin IEAN. VARIN. CONER. DESTAT. INTEND. GL. D. BATS. E. D. MOES. D.F
Rev: Medallic Art flanked by Painting and Sculpture. The center figure, representing Medal Making, is holding a portrait medal of Warin. .VNE. SEVLE. SVFF ISOIT. POVR. LE. RENDRE. IMMORTAL. (A Single One Would Have Sufficed to Render Him Immortal)
in ex MDCLXXXIIII
Signed: DVFOVR
Jean Warin was born at Liege about 1604 and died in Paris in 1672. He is considered to be one of the foremost medallists of France and the best French Engraver of coin-dies of the seventeenth century. Of the many medals attributed to him, most were engraved and struck although some were cast. Besides medal making Jean Warin had a variety of other interests. He distinguished himself somewhat as a painter but most particularly as a sculptor, even rivaling the great Italian sculptor Bernini. He also experimented in medal making capacity of machinery and helped develop an improved method for coin making. In fact, his fame was established more for his other artistic endeavors than for those as a medallist.
Jean Warin led a somewhat checkered personal life. He seduced the wife of one of his compatriots and was accused at one point of forging coins, for which he was sentenced to banishment for five years. Fortunately for him he had cultivated a champion in Cardinal Richelieu, who, so as not to lose the skill of this great artist, intervened on his behalf, resulting in a pardon.
Jean Warin occupies a pivotal place in the history of medallic art. He took the techniques developed during the Italian renaissance and by mastering the machinery at the Monnaie du Moulin, transformed the art to serve the state. His influence extended not only in France but throughout all of Northern Europe, well into the eighteenth century.LordBest
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Julia Domna, Pisidia/ParlaisJulia Domna,
AE 21mm; 5.13g
Parlais, Pisidia
IVLIA DOMNA AVG
draped bust left.
IVL AVG COL PARLAIS,
Mên standing right, wearing Phrygian
cap, left foot on bucranium, holding pine cone in left
hand and sceptre in right.
SNG France III, 1678; Waddington 4794; McClean 9041; BMC 1;
SNG Cop 14; Von Aulock, Parlais 24.arizonarobin
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Koinon of Cyprus, PaphosObv: Laureate and draped bust right.
Rev: Temple of Paphian Aphrodite, cone flanked by two stars within; two columns on either side, semi-circular court before.
BMC Cyprus p. 83, 39
26mm, 10.91gklausklage
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Licinius I- Cyzikus RIC 9obv: IMP LICI-NIVS AVG, consular bust l.
rev: IOVI CONERVATORI AVGG
[gamma] in r. field
SMK in exergue
RIC Cyzikus 9
Nicely silvered example. wolfgang336
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Licinius II Cyzicus IOVI CONERVATORI DN VAL LICIN LICINIVS NOB C
IOVI CONS-ERVATORI
SMK delta
RIC VII Cyzicus 18 R1
ecoli
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Lydia, Saitta, Septimius Severus, SNG von Aulock 3098Lydia, Saitta, Septimius Severus, AD 193-211
AE 25, 8.24g
obv. AV KAI L C -EP CEOVHRO - C PER
laureate head Right
rev. EPI ANDRONEIK - OV ARX A CAITT
in l. and r. field HN - WN
Men with Phrygian bonnet, in chiton and cloak, stg. half left, resting with raised left hand on sceptre and holding in
extended right hand pine cone.
Rare, F, corroded
Ref. BMC 42-43; SNG von Aulock 3098; Mionnet IV, 618; SNG Munich 441; Leypold I, 1162; Waddington 5176; Paris
1065; Welzl 6287; Winsemann 1343
Thanks to Shanxi for the Attribution!
Jochen
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Lydia, Silandos, 025p Domitia (82-96 A.D. Augusta), RPC 1354, AE-16, CIΛAN ΔEΩN, Men standing left, Lydia, Silandos, 025p Domitia (82-96 A.D. Augusta), RPC 1354, AE-16, CIΛAN ΔEΩN, Men standing left,
avers:- ΔOMITIA AYΓOYCTA, draped bust right.
revers:- CIΛAN ΔEΩN, Men standing left, holding pine cone and sceptre.
exe: -/-//--, diameter: 15,0-17,0mm, weight: 2,40g, axis: 6h,
mint: Lydia, Silandos, date: 82-96 A.D., ref: RPC 1354. BMC 17.
Q-001quadrans
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MARC ANTONY legionary denarius - 32-31 BCobv: ANT AVG III VIR R P C (praetorian galley right)
rev: LEG XXI (Legio XXI Rapax - means Predator) (legionary eagle between two standards)
ref: Cr.544/37, Sear381, RSC 58, Albert1738 (100eur)
2.89gms, 17mm
This legion was probably founded after 31 BC by the emperor Augustus, who may have integrated older units into this new legion and added new recruits from northern Italy. Its first assignment may have been in Hispania Tarraconensis, where it took part in Augustus' campaigns against the Cantabrians, which lasted from 25-13 AD. XXI Rapax from Raetia marched against king Maroboduus to Czechia in 6 AD. The Twenty-first also was employed during the Germanic war of Caligula, against the rebellious Batavians, and against the Chatti in Baden-Württemberg under led by Domitian in 83. At last the Twenty-first being sent to Pannonia, where war against the tribes of the Middle Danube -the Suebians and Iazyges- was imminent. Here, the Rapax was destroyed in 92 by the Sarmatians.berserker
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Medieval England: Henry VI, Silver Halfpenny, Pinecone-Mascle Issue, First Reign.London 1431-32/3 A.D. 0.43g - 13.9mm, Axis 9h.
Obv: ✠ hЄnRIC RЄX ΛnGL - Crowned facing bust. Pinecones and Mascles in legend.
Rev: CIVITΛS LOnDOn - Long cross pattée dividing the legend, with three pellets in each angle.
Ref: Spink 1884.
Provenance: Chris Scarlioli Collection.
Christian Scarlioli
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Moesia inferior, Nikopolis ad Istrum, 18. Caracalla, HrHJ (2018) 8.18.08.06 (plate coin)Caracalla a Caesar, AD 196-198
AE 17, 2.37g, 16.96mm, 30°
obv. M AV KA - ANTWNIN
Bust, draped and cuirassed, bare-headed, r.
rev. NIKOPOLI - PROC IC
Dionysos, nude, stg. half left, resting with l. hand on thyrsos with pine-cones on both ends and pouring
from kantharos in r. hand
ref. a) AMNG I/1, 1497 var. (has PROC I)
b) Varbanov (engl.) 2928 var. (= AMNG 1497, has M AVR KAI)
c) Hristova/Hoeft/Jekov (2018) No. 8.18.8.6 (plate coin)
about VF, dark green patinaJochen
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Pamphylia, Attaleia. Caracalla AE24. Men standing.Obv: Caracalla laureate r.
Rev: Men standing head l., foot on bucranium holding pine-cone in r., staff in l.
SNG RIGHETTI 1261(1)ancientone
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Pamphylia, Sillyon. Septimius Severus. Æ17.Obv: AY K Λ C CEOYHΡOC ΠE, laureate head right.
Rev: CIΛΛYEΩN, Mên standing front, head right, wearing Phrygian cap, foot on bucranium, holding pine cone and sceptre.
ancientone
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Phocas, SBCV 644 δN FOCA PERP AVG
Crowned, mantled bust facing, holding mappa and cross
Large XX, star above
CONE in ex.
Constntinople
AE follis, 26mm, 6.41gnovacystis
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Phoenicia, Berytos, Gordian III, BMC 245Gordian III, AD 238-244
AE 22, 6.4g
struck AD 239-241 (COS I!)
obv. IMP GORDIANVS AVG COS I
Bust, draped and cuirassed, radiate, r.
rev. COL IVL - A - VG FEL BER
Dionysos, nude, wearing ivy wreath, nebris over l. shoulder, stg. l., holding in l.
arm filleted thyrsos decorated with pine cones on each ends, and rhyton in r.
hand; at his feet the panther std. l. looking back to him.
in ex. thunderbold
BMC 245; SNG Copenhagen 125; Rouvier 604
rare, F+, general roughness
Dionysos here is holding a rhyton. Usually he holds a kantharos.Jochen
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Phrygia, Grimenothyrai AE23, published in Lindgren, vA Phrygiens II, RPCRoman Provincial. Phrygia, Grimenothyrai AE23 (23.5mm, 7.37g, 6h), temp. Trajan & L. Tullius, magistrate, c. 98-117 CE.
Obverse: ΙΕΡΑ ϹΥΝΚΛΗΤΟϹ. Draped bust of Senate right; border of dots.
Reverse: Ε Λ ΤΥΛΛΙ ΓΡΙΜΕΝΟΘΥΡ. Mên standing left, holding pine cone & scepter; border of dots.
References: Lindgren & Kovacs 955 (this coin illustrated) = von Aulock Phrygiens II 340 = RPC 2482.17 [LINK].
See Also: AsiaMinorCoins 3158 (this coin) [LINK] = ISEGRIM 33180.
Provenance: Ex Collections of Henry Clay Lindgren (1914-2015), Marcel Burstein (reportedly, not in Peus 366 sale), & Garth R. Drewry (1928-) (CNG EA 127 [23 Nov 2005], Lot 101). Curtis JJ
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