I’m at my mailbox with a smallish envelope in my hand saying, “Curtis? Curtis?” As the doorman passes me he hears and sees me say: ”Curtisimo!! Curtisimo, the Grrreat!” And, as I say “The Grrreat” my right index finger is pointed up to emphasize the greatness! (I always do it that way). I had forgotten all about the gift that @chrsmat71 had made to me of his prize from @Curtisimo’s cool contest. I was happy to receive it as I so needed a little pick-me-upper today. Thank you both for making this happen. Before I came to say thank you, I went to see who Salus was and what he was all about. I did not realize Salus was female. On this coin she is feeding a snake. Dark, no? No, not really because as I learned reading on ForumAncientCoins.com, Salus was a minor goddess whose role in the pantheon was to feed and care for her father's sacred snakes (Salus’ father was the god of healing) and to serve as his assistant. ForumAncientCoins instructs that Salus “was worshipped as being responsible for the welfare, not just of individuals, but of the people as a whole. Her name in Greek and Roman comes down to us in such words as 'hygiene,' 'salve' and 'salubrious,' and even 'salute' and 'safe.’” I love that Salus was entrusted with, and responsible for, the welfare of the community as a whole. That is quite a lofty and noble task for one to aspire to achieve. I will read more about her. I hope I will find that she performed well. As I read the handwritten note from Curtisimo which was enclosed with the coin and which I will treasure, I was reminded that today is the 4th anniversary of the death of my father and he was similar to Salus’ dad in that he was widely respected as a physician. As I can not say I have closure about my father’s death, no doubt this is why the arrival of this gift today feels just like something Salus’ dad might have prescribed. Truly, I am so happy to own this coin and I will never part with it. Thank you again Chris and Curtisimo. Here is the coin.
What a nice gift from both gentlemen , congrats LaCointessa Here's a pic of (H)ygeia on a 50 Drachma note. The Romans adopted her and gave her a new name , Salus. Here's my Hadrian / Salus:
Oh! I see! Thank you for posting those @Andres2 . I notice that both of us have a Salus who is standing. I understand she is found mostly seated. edited to correct: Salus is often found seated.
What a wonderful post @LaCointessa....obviously, that coin (and all others) will have found the proper home with you
Nice post LaC ! The only Salus I have is a standing type as well: Antoninus Pius (138-161 AD) Æ Sestertius, 31.91mm, 25.5g; Rome Mint, 151/2 AD. Obv: ANTONINVS AVG - PIVS P P TR P XV [or XVI] - Laureate head of Antoninus Pius right. Rev: SA-LVS - A-VG COS IIII/ S|C - Salus standing left feeding serpent arising from altar, and leaning on staff. Ref.: RIC III 886 [or 906]
Nice! I'm glad that you got it and that you are interested in it I was hoping it would arrive before Christmas but it sounds like it arrived right when it needed to. I really like your method of stacking the coin photos and attribution. Cool Here's another Philip I for the thread
Now as I read a bit deeper and look at more of the coins in the article I notice the article says that Salus is “often” shown seated. I gave too much weight to that word in addition to the first few photographs of coins of Salus seated. Thank you @Andres2, for bringing this to my attention and correcting my impression. By the way, your collection of coins with Salus is impressive!
All of my Salus are STANDING: RR Man Acilius Glabrio 49 BCE Salus Valetudo snake Craw 442-1a RI Victorinus 269-270 CE BI Ant Gallic Empire Salus RI Leo I 457-474 CE AE 4 10mm Salus Emp stdg hldg Globe and Standard RI Hadrian 117-138 AR Denarius Salus stdg feeding Snake RI Valentinian II AE 13mm Salus CHI-RHO (Interesting: Salus - a Pagen God and Chi-Rho symbol on same coin...?)
Thanks, that gave me a good chuckle, which is always good for one's general salus . I'll pile on with my RR Salus. Interestingly here, the obverse bust is of Salus, and the snake-tending deity on the reverse is Valetudo, the goddess of physical well-being. ROMAN REPUBLIC Manius Acilius Glabrio, moneyer AR Denarius. 3.78g, 19mm. Rome mint, 49 BC. Crawford 442/1a; Sydenham 922. O: Laureate head of Salus right; SALVTIS behind. R: Valetudo standing left holding serpent and leaning elbow on column; MN ACILIVS III VIR VALETV around. Ex Archer M. Huntington Collection, ANS 1001.1.12776 Notes: The choice of Valetudo for the reverse to accompany Salus on the obverse was clearly a specific choice, but theories as to the actual reason remain divided. It has been suggested that the Acilia were responsible for the early promotion of private medical practice in Rome, but there is no strong evidence to support this theory. On the other hand, our moneyer Glabrio may have been raised as a child in Pompey's house (his mother, Aemilia Scaura, was Pompey's second wife), and the choice may have been made in connection with Pompey's recovery from a grave illness the year before, an event which was widely celebrated throughout Italy.
Fabulous coins with Salus everyone. I will come back and look at them again later. I am running not to be late this morning. Thank you.
↑ ”Curtisimo!! Curtisimo, the Grrreat!” And, as I say “The Grrreat” my right index finger is pointed up to emphasize the greatness! (I always do it that way). Thanks, that gave me a good chuckle, which is always good for one's general salus . @zumbly - While I am always smiling, I am never chuckling or laughing when I say and do this! What with art making , bridge building , (bridge builder, dam builder, okay?) the reporting to us from his world travels, writing all those excellent articles that entertain and educate us , his fun sense of humor and generosity with his time and sharing his stuff, I do think @Curtisimo is pretty great! (Add neat penmanship to the list!)
A great gift you got here La Cointessa ! Here's a green Salus Hadrian, As Rome mint, AD 126 HADRIANUS AVGVSTVS, Laureate head of Hadrian right SALVS AVGVSTI COS III, Salus standing left feeding snake arising from altar. SC in field 11.24 gr Ref : RCV # 3692, Cohen # 1357 Q
