Well okie dokie, I'm happy to post that again . It's one of my favorites too. Roman Republic moneyer L. Julius L. f. Caesar, 103 BC AR denarius, 17mm, 3.9 gm Obv: Helmeted head of Mars left; CAESAR; ・C (retrograde) Rev: Venus Genetrix in chariot left, drawn by two Cupids; lyre to left; ・C (retrograde) above Ref: Crawford 320/1 ex RBW Collection ... My neighbor just sent word that her INTERNET IS WORKING! Oh dear Zeus-- please let my internet be restored! I'll know in a couple of hours. Please please please please please let it be restored! If my internet is restored I can use a microcell booster and also have cell signal. That would go a long way towards increasing happiness
I believe it was @dougsmit who once said the Alexandrian bronze coins have more interesting reverse types than the silver. This is true for Domitian too, as your coins shows. Awesome coin with an excellent provenance @TIF !
I would never trust a centaur over a horse. Just seems like a bad idea. Interesting and attractive coin!
I had never seen any of these exotically-propelled conveyances until @TIF mentioned them. Crazy stuff. I love it. Centaurs? Cupids? Serpents? I guess in ancient times you could just lasso any passing beasties, real or mythological, hitch 'em to your chariot to make a biga or quadriga out of 'em, crack the whip, and off you went! The critters doing the towing also seem remarkably cooperative. Must've been some magic involved. Or drugs, maybe. Yeah. Drugs. That's gotta be it. "Oh, hey, Mister Centaur. Wouldn't you like to snack upon these lovely candied lotus flowers?" Or maybe the engravers of the coins ate the lotus flowers, but how wonderful that they did, and left us with these flights of fancy. I wanna see a biga of butterflies. Better yet, griffins. Or capricorns towing a galley. Or, if you really wanna impress me, a quadriga of cats. Not lions or panthers, mind you. Housecats.
I love these mythological creatures pulling the chariots! I wonder about the cultural significance to the people using these coins...when the ancients saw the reverse...what did they think?
TIF is the Goddess of Unusual Conveyances for sure! I hope you do get Internet service back very soon, for yours and our sakes. We all enjoy your humor, awesome coins, and thoughtful posts. John
What an awesome banknote! @Deacon Ray do you know this mosaic? Would make a cool element for a presentation piece.
One wonders. Fun to muse over, ain't it. Brilliant! But those "pussycats" are just a wee bit large. It is a great banknote. Brings the whole "strange critters pulling a vehicle" motif into clearer focus... and color.
Not only is that an exceedingly sweet coin, but that animated GIF is an absolute @TIF classic, and one of my favorite "coin funnies"... ever.
[guffaw] You are such a hoot, Lord M. I’d love to see a housecat quadriga On the increasingly unrealistic to-do list is the creation of “real” hand-struck faux ancient coins. Housecat quad is now added to the design list Edited to add that my internet is still down. Bummer. Not sure why my neighbor’s is working.
Centaur driven bigas were the electric cars of their day, more energy efficient than horse drawn bigas, and certainly more so than the big SUQs (Sport Utility Quadrigas) you would see clogging the Via Appia at rush hour. Of course a centaur isn't the most reliable creature and the technology never caught on.
If your neighbors have Internet then that should be a good sign for you. Do they have the same provider as you? Maybe they would be willing to share wifi until yours is fixed?
After much drama this morning, I'm delighted to report that I have INTERNET now!! I intended to go back and comment on a ton of posts I missed, particularly the year-end lists, but perhaps that isn't a good idea since it will bump current topics off the "front page". ... Here's another alt-trans coin, a goat biga: Roman Republic fourée mule denarius L. Antestius Gragulus, 136 BCE, and C. Renius, 138 BCE ancient forgery, 3.18 gm Obv: Roma helmeted head right, * below chin, GRAG behind Rev: Juno Caprotina in a biga of goats, C・RENI below, ROMA in exergue Ref: Obverse S.115, Cr.238/1, Syd.451, RSC Antestia 9; Reverse S.108, Cr.231/1, Syd.432, RSc Renia 1 https://www.cointalk.com/threads/mule-or-goat-both-gragulus-renius-fourée-denarius.270214/
I don't think anyone begrudges you the opportunity to catch up and comment on the stuff you missed out on might even bump something cool that some of us missed. I'm looking forward to having you back "full time" @TIF. It hasn't been the same around here without you Cool coins all!
@TIF Centaur, cupid, hippocam, winged snake - your ‘unusual locomotion’ coins are awesome! Where’s the plate image from? Do you have the book or is it from the nets? @Andres2 very cool banknote, apparently pretty expensive, too. The reverse shows the triumph of Bacchus (in Sousse, Tunisie) If nothing else on that mosaic, the hairdo just doesn’t conform to what we know about Vespasian
