The more I read about Julian the more I wanted this coin. Its pretty glossy so another one that was difficult to photograph; it looks more green in hand. Julian II AE 1. D N FL CL IVLI-ANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped & cuirassed bust right / SECVRITAS REIPVB dot, bull standing right, two stars above; palm branch-CONSPA-palm branch.Constantinople RIC 164 "Julian the Apostate (Latin: Flavius Claudius Julianus Augustus;[1] 331/332[2] – 26 June 363), commonly known as Julian, or also Julian the Philosopher, was Roman Emperor from 355 to 363 and a noted philosopher and Greek writer.[3] A member of the Constantinian dynasty, he was made Caesar over the western provinces, by Constantius II in 355, where he campaigned successfully against the Alamanni and Franks. Most notable was his crushing victory over the Alamanni in 357 at the Battle of Argentoratum - despite being outnumbered. In 360 he was acclaimed Augustus by his soldiers, sparking a civil war between Julian and Constantius. However, Constantius died before the two could face each other in battle, naming Julian as his rightful successor. In 363, Julian embarked on an ambitious campaign against the Sassanid Empire. Though initially successful, Julian was mortally wounded in battle and died shortly after. Julian was a man of unusually complex character: he was "the military commander, the theosophist, the social reformer, and the man of letters".[4] He was the last non-Christian ruler of the Roman Empire and it was his desire to bring the Empire back to its ancient Roman values in order to save it from "dissolution".[5] He purged the top-heavy state bureaucracy and attempted to revive traditional Roman religious practices at the cost of Christianity. His rejection of Christianity in favour of Neoplatonic paganism caused him to be called Julian the Apostate by the church.[6] Interestingly, he was also the last emperor of the Constantinian dynasty — the empire's first Christian dynasty."
Definitely a historical & popular coin. I remember Doug posting the same type of coin and the write up of it. I have been eyeing these types on various sites and it seems to not be cheap. Im hoping to get one by years end.
Here's my Julian Bull: Julian II AE - Bull Obverse: Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right DN FL CL IVLI-ANVS PF AVG Reverse: Apis Bull standing right, two stars above SECVRITAS REIPVB Exergue: ANTD between two palms Struck: AD 361-363, Antioch Mint Size: 25mm Weight: 8.10gm Catalog: RIC Antioch 216 Julian was killed in battle at Ctesphion (Baghdad).
The reverse of your coin always make me think of this scene from HBO's "Rome." (Watch about 20 seconds in. I'll try to find the English version, later.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeiAgAOgVJg http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer...s/Religion/Mithraism/David_Fingrut**.html#tau Good stuff. guy
Nice one willieboyd2 haha yeah. I'm kind of reminded of Fallout New Vegas. One of the villans had created a warpedNeo Roman epire and used the bull as his symbol.
Of particular note is that this Apis Bull coin was the final pagan coin of the Roman Empire. From this point on it was all Christian iconography, military propaganda, or symbols of the emperor's rule (votis issues and monograms).
Not completely. The tiny Isus coins continued after this, though they are very rare. Also, you still had imagery like the small Antioch coins that had a picture of the personification of the city. You are right mostly, just pointing out a couple of instances where pagan imagery still managed to get on coins. I like Julian a lot. I am actually thinking about naming my son due in a couple months Julian. There is a really good book, a "historical novel" by Gore Vidal named Julian.
I never considered a personification of a city or nation on a coin to be pagan. The practice may have started with pagan cultures, but was continued into the modern era by some decidedly Christian countries. Still, I guess you can argue that depictions of Roma or Constantinopolis in late Roman coinage makes them appear god-like, and maintains the tradition of personifying their capital(s) that dates back to the Republic.
Sorry I was not clear, I was speaking of the statue on Antioch bronzes from 510 or so that are a famous pagan statue there. And just so I was clear about the Isis issues, they were rare little coins issued to celebrate the arrival of grain ships from Egypt, and they were continued well into the Christian Roman era. I guess when you are celebrating the arrival of your food supply you don't mess with tradition! We agree mainly man, sorry I just pointed out a couple, tiny little issues that carried on. However, you are completely right that Julian's issues were in the main the last hurrahs for classic symbolism. The Bull on these has some controversy, with people saying it was a sacrificial bull, others that it had more symbolism than that. I am sure someone here has a better explanation than that. It was interesting, though, that I do not think these coins were ever issued from Rome, though they were issued from many other mints throughout the empire. I haven't looked, but I bet Doug either has a page on them or has always wanted to make one. Chris
