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MAXIMUS
AE25. 5.45g, 25mm. PHRYGIA, Bruzus, circa AD 235-238. BMC 15-17; Coll. Weber 7042; SNG München 166. O: Γ IOV OV MAΞIMOC K, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: BPOVZHNΩN, Hygieia standing facing, head right, feeding serpent held in hands.

Next: Another provincial from Phrygia

 

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Sabina, AD 128-137.
Roman provincial Æ hemiassarion, 3.83 g, 17 mm.
Phrygia, Ancyra.
Obv: CABЄINA CЄBACTH, draped bust, right.
Rev: ΑΝΚVΡ-ΑΝΩΝ, cultus-statue of Ephesian Artemis facing, flanked by stags.
Refs: Sear Gk Imp 1308; BMC 25. 62, 23-24; SNG von Aulock 3433; Mionnet 4. 221, 159; SNG Cop --; Wiczay --.

Next: elaborate coiffure

 

SABINA
Dupondius, 136 CE
Mint: Rome
26.3 mm, 10,2 g.
Rarity : R1
Obverse legend : SABINA AVGVSTA - HADRIANI AVG PP, Obverse: Diadémé bust and drape of Sabina on the right, hair raised, artistically capped.
RIC.- - BMC/RE.1900

Next up: more wild empress hairdos

 

Looks like Sabina had many hair styles:


another empress with an elaborate hairstyle

 

Domna was always a woman out to impress (Empress)... Look at those zig-zags!! I'm sure she'd have her own YouTube channel with hairdo tutorials if she were in modern day (talk about a social media "influencer")!

Julia Domna, Wife of Septimius Severus who ruled 193-211 AD
AR Denarius, Struck 196-211 AD, Rome Mint
Obverse: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bust of Julia Domna, hair waved and coiled at back, draped, right.
Reverse: MATER DEVM, Cybele, towered, draped, seated left on throne, holding branch in extended right hand and sceptre in left hand, resting left arm on drum set on left knee; to either side of throne, lion.
References: RIC IV 564
Size: 18mm, 3.04g


Next: Another "Mater" or Cybele

 

For those of you who don't know, there are many YouTube videos about Roman hairstyles (search "Roman hairstyles"), including several here:

https://www.youtube.com/user/jntvstp

 

I've always been interested in what Julia's "Parliamentary wig" hairdo was like in real life.


(not a great example, but an example nonetheless)

Julia Domna, Wife of Sept. Severus,
Empress 193-217 AD, AE As,
Rome Mint, Struck 198 AD
Obverse: IVLIA AVGVSTA, draped bust right, hair in waved horizontal ridges, looped plait on neck.
Reverse: HIL-A-RITAS, Hilaritas standing left holding a long branch & cornucopiae; S-C across field.
References: RIC 877, SRCV 6641, Cohen 74, BMC 786
Size: 26mm, 9.63g

 

For the record: Libertas is not the same as Liberalitas.

 

Sarmatia, Tyra. Julia Domna AE24. Cybele
Obv: TVPA NWN. Bust of Domna r., draped.
Rev: IOVLADO MNA CE. Kybele seated r., wearing mural crown; in her r., patera; beneath l. elbow, tympanon; behind, delta.
BMC 2

Next: Another Provincial Cybele.

 

Interesting one! Here's one of her hubby:


Septimius Severus, AD 193-211.
Roman provincial Æ 27.2 mm, 10.7 gm, 8:00.
Thrace, Anchialus, AD 193-211.
Obv: ΑV Κ Λ CЄΠ CЄVΗΡΟC, laureate and cuirassed bust, right.
Rev: ΟVΛΠΙΑΝΩΝ ΑΓΧΙΑΛΕΩΝ, Cybele enthroned left, holding patera, resting left arm on drum, a lion reclines at each side of throne.
Refs: Moushmov 2817; AMNG III 469; Varbanov 213 var. (bust type).

Next: A provincial of Septimius Severus.

 

Septimius Severus, Alexandria tetradrachm eagle year 9


Next: another year nine or other use of nine on the coin

 

Use of nine on a coin:



Diocletian, aurelianus, struck 293-295 [RIC]
ЄΔ (5+4) used for 9 because, in Greek, 9 is theta (Thanatos was the god of death), which was avoided by the Romans since it was the symbol for "deceased" on Roman legionary roles.

Next: Diocletian antoninianus (= aurelianus)

 

Not sure if this is what you mean, but it is the Latin numeral 9:


MARCUS ANTONIUS
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: ANT AVG III VIR R P C, Praetorian galley, thyrsos behind prow
REVERSE: LEG VIIII, legionary eagle between two standards
Patrae 32-31 BC
3.8g, 17mm
CR 544/22; Syd 1226
ex Pegasi Numismatics

Next: Galley under sail

 

This is not a nice looking coin and it's hard to see (if at all) the 9, or VIIII, on the reverse legend, but it's there, representing the 9th year of Commodus having tribunal power.


Commodus, AE Dupondius
Struck 183-184 AD, Rome mint
Obverse: M COMMODVS ANTONINVS AVG PIVS, Head of Commodus, radiate, right.
Reverse: TR P VIIII IMP VI COS IIII P P, Minerva, helmeted, draped, advancing right, brandishing javelin in right hand and holding shield in left hand, S-C across field.
References: RIC III 421a
Size: 25mm, 8.3g

N̶e̶x̶t̶:̶ ̶A̶n̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶C̶o̶m̶m̶o̶d̶u̶s̶ ̶m̶i̶d̶d̶l̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶n̶z̶e̶.̶
N̶e̶x̶t̶,̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶B̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶a̶i̶d̶,̶ ̶G̶a̶l̶l̶e̶y̶ ̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶a̶i̶l̶.̶
LOL!! What Valentinian said, Diocletian antoninianus (= aurelianus)

 

Does this work? So a Diocletian antoninianus was actually an aurelianus?


Diocletian, Ruled 285-305 AD
AE Antoninianus (silvered)
Struck 285 AD, Antioch Mint
Obverse: IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG, bust of Diocletian, radiate, draped, cuirassed, right.
Reverse: IOV ET HERCV CONSER AVGG, Jupiter, standing right, holding globe in right hand and sceptre in left hand, and Hercules, standing left, holding Victory in right hand and club and lion’s skin in left hand, A officina designation above, mintmark XXI.
References: RIC V 323

Next: a coin from the previous emperor

 

CARINUS
Antoninianus
OBVERSE: IMP CARINVS P F AVG, radiate cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: FIDES MILITVM, Fides standing left with a standard in each hand. KAEpsilon in ex.
Struck at Rome, 284-5 AD
2.9g, 22mm
RIC 253c, C 28

Next: previous emperor

 

Previous emperor works better when they served only one at a time but I will go for Carus who was before Carinus and Numerian.


Next: another mintmark that expressed XXI as KA

 

next Probus

 

PROBUS

RI Probus 276-282 CE BI Ant 2.80g captives l and r Cohen 768

Next: SHAPUR I

 

Yes, although these are just modern names. The antoninianus began under Caracalla and commenced a gradual decline in silver value until the reform of Aurelian in 274 increased the quality of the coins. We use the same name, "antoninianus," for the good-looking coins of Caracalla and Gordian III as we do for the very-low-silver coins of Claudius II and pre-reform coins of Aurelian. Do the much nicer post-reform coins of Aurelian deserve a different name?

Most catalogs don't bother to distinguish them. They are still radiates. But, they were quite different to the ancients. The amount of silver in a coin mattered to them, and it had just been increased and regularized by Aurelian. I have written many words about ancient coins and used the term "antoninianus" many times for these later coins, but I am beginning to think that "aurelianus" is a better term.