My latest coin is what I would call a low-key iconic Flavian type. I was attracted to the piece because of the portrait and the neat reverse design, but there is more to it than meets the eye. Domitian Æ As, 9.67g Rome mint, 86 AD Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XII CENS PER P P; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r., with aegis Rev: S C in field; Crossed pairs of shields, spears, and trumpets over vexillum RIC 495 (C). BMC 392A. BNC -. Acquired from eBay, February 2020. Ex Beast Coins. In 85 AD Domitian's senatorial bronze mint began striking a series of Germania Capta types with various reverse designs to commemorate his recent victory over the German Chatti. On the middle bronze there appears a type with crossed decorated shields and spears (captured German arms) and trumpets(?) overlaid on a vexillum. Curiously, the 'trumpets' appear to look more like carynxes but are described in most of the literature concerning the type as simply (Roman?) trumpets. Roman styled military trumpet. A carnyx. It would make sense if the trumpets in question were captured German booty along with the spears and shields, perhaps the above coin bears that out. Please post your trumpets and carnyxes!
L COSCONIUS MF ROMAN REPUBLIC AR Denarius Serratus OBVERSE: Helmeted head of Roma right, L . COSCO . M . F around, X behind REVERSE: naked Celtic warrior (Bituitus), brandishing a spear & holding a shield & carnyx, driving a racing biga right, L LIC CN DOM in ex. Struck at Rome, 118 BC 3.72g, 19.13mm Cosconia.1. Cr.282 / 2 C. EGNATULEIUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS EGNATULEIUS AR Quinarius OBVERSE: Laureate head of Apollo; behind, C. EGATVLEI C. F. Q. REVERSE: Victory l., inscribing shield attached to trophy; beside trophy, carnyx; between Victory and trophy, Q; in ex Struck at Rome, 97 BC 1.6g, 18mm Crawford 333/1, Egnatueleia 1, Syd 588
VERY cool reverse, @David Atherton ! In my collection, your coin seems a cross between: Judaea Claudius w-Britannicus CE 41-54 Æ Prutah 17mm 2.8g Antonius Felix-procurator Dated RY 14 54 CE 2-crossed shields spears - Palm tree BPIT K AI L IΔ date Hendin 1348 and... RImp Albinus Bruti AR Den 48 BC Mars Carnyces Cr 450-1a
That's a very interesting coin! It's noteworthy that hexagonal shields on Roman coins almost emblematically stand for the Germanic tribes. At one point, I tried to find out whether there is any depiction of a hexagonal shield on Roman coins that is not referring to Rome's Germanic foes, and I couldn't find any. Also, only few Germanic references on Roman coins don't feature this type of shield. I would thus assume that your coin simply didn't need an inscription like "Victoria Germanica" in order to be intelligible – most contemporary Romans probably had the visual literacy to "read" the shields as signifying Germanic people. Archeological finds suggest that round, oblong, and hexagonal shields were in parallel use among the Germanic tribes. The sestertius below has all these shield shapes as well as a Roman-style war trumpet and other military equipment. Commodus, Roman Empire, sestertius, 177 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP L AVREL COMMODVS AVG [GERM] SARM; laureate and draped bust of Commodus r. Rev: T[R P] II COS [P]P; pile of Germanic arms (round, hexagonal, and oblong shields, spears, war trumpets, scale armor, bows and standards?); in fields, S-C; in exergue, DE GERMANIS. 31mm, 21.84g. Ref: RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1570. Ex CNG, e-auction 142, lot 134; ex CNG, e-auction 447, lot 471. Smoothed. The carnyx apparently had a similar function when it came to referring to Gauls and Gallic victories. Below are two Republican denarii celebrating military successes in Gaul by showing trophies featuring such trumpets: Roman Republic, moneyer: M. Furius L. f. Philus, AR denarius, 119 BC, Rome mint. Obv: M. FOVRI. L. F; head of Janus. Rev: ROMA; Roma standing l., holding sceptre, crowns trophy with carnyx and two shields; in exergue, PHL I. 19mm, 3.81g. Ref: RRC 281/1. Ex Leu, Webauktion 8, lot 866. Roman Republic, moneyer: T. Cloelius, AR quinarius, 98 BC, Rome mint. Obv: head of Jupiter, laureate, r., control mark .C. before. Rev: T.CLOVLI; Victory standing r. crowns trophy with seated captive and carnyx; in exergue, Q. 16mm, 1.9g. Ref: RRC 332/1c. Ex Artemide, eLive Auktion 81, lot 195.
Nice thread & coin! My most recent purchase has a bunch of different trumpets: some straight, some curved, as well as possibly a carnyx(?) at 12h. Marcus Aurelius Æ sestertius. Rome, 176-177 AD. M ANTONINVS AVG GER-M SARM TR P XXXI, Laureate bust of Marcus Aurelius right / IMP VIII COS III P P, Pile of arms consisting of Sarmatian scale cuirass, helmet; numerous shields, spears, trumpets, and vexilla; lance at 11h and pole arm at 1h(?), S-C in fields, DE SARMATIS in exergue which is formed by a spear. RIC 1190; BMC 1603, pl. 87.6; MIR 18, 373-6/30; Banti 67. This die match in the British Museum shows some of the details more clearly. I am not sure if it is a carnyx at 12h or something else.
Me neither. It might well be a carnyx, but considering that your (absolutely stellar!) coin is supposed to depict a pile of arms captured from the Sarmatian and Germanic tribes during the Marcomannic Wars, I'm tempted to understand the object at 12h as a draco standard, see here. The draco was used by the Dacians and Sarmatians and thus would be a bit more fitting than a Gallic carnyx. What do you think? For comparison, here is a later coin showing Dacia carying a draco: Trajan Decius, Roman Empire, AR antoninian, 249–251 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP C Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG; bust of Trajan Decius, draped, cuirassed, and laureate, r. Rev: DACIA: Dacia standing left, holding draco. 22mm, 3.66g. Ref: RIC IV Traian Decius 12. Ex Frascatius Ancients.
REPUBLICAN SILVER DENARIUS OF M. FURIUS L.F. PHILUS, 119 BC. Obverse: M FOVRI L F, Laureate head of Janus. Reverse: Roma standing left, crowning trophy with carnyx and shield on each side, star above Roma, ROMA to right, PHILI (PHI in monogram) in ex.
I forgot about this one: TRAJAN DECIUS AR Antoninianus OBVERSE: IMP C M Q TRAIANUS DECIVS AVG, Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. REVERSE: DACIA, Dacia standing left, holding draco standard Struck at Rome, 249 AD 4.39g, 22mm RIC 12b Ex CNG eAuction 328, Lot 761 Ex. Seaby with handwritten envelope and tag
An interesting coin @David Atherton - the reverse does remind me of this coin (and the one from @Alegandron), although no trumpets. Judaea, Procuratorial, Antonius Felix, Prefect under Claudius, 52-59 BC, AE prutah Obv: NEPW KΛAY KAICAP, two oblong shields and spears crossed Rev: BPIT, LIΔ KAI, six-branched palm tree bearing two bunches of dates and here's a favorite carnyx: L. Hostilius Saserna, AR Denarius, 48 BC, AR Denarius, Rome Obv: A Gallic woman, with carnyx warrior's trumpet behind Rev: Artemis facing front, holding a leaping deer by the antlers and, with the other hand, a spear. Size: 3.8g 17.3-19.3mm
