In the process of attempting to attribute a Byzantine coin of mine -- thinking it may be a bronze Trebizond trachy(?) of Manuel III Komnenos(?), I was perusing the "Beautiful Byzantines" thread in the hopes of garnering some further insight. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/beautiful-byzantines.352446/page-4 In that thread I noticed a link mentioning the "Let's march through time with Roman Imperials!" https://www.cointalk.com/threads/lets-march-through-time-with-roman-imperials.327939/#post-3250904 Hitting a roadblock and deciding to abandon the Byzantine search for now, I started to peruse the RIC thread. Lo and behold, while reading the first page, I came across @Alegandron 's post of his Varus coin. The synapses in my brain started firing. I had recently started watching the BBC series "I, Claudius"(I was a mere pup when it first aired). The scene where Brian Blessed's portrayal of Augustus lamenting "QUINTILIUS VARUS! WHERE ARE MY EAGLES???!!!!" left me chuckling at his strained expression. It inspired me to spend some time re-researching the Battle of the Teutoburg forest. A couple of months ago, I acquired a large lot of primarily Seleukid bronze coins(minted in and around Antioch), and I've logged hours attempting to attribute all of them. Fast forward to last night. I had successfully attributed one coin in particular in my batch, but it wasn't until seeing @Alegandron 's coin that I was able to put two and two together. My coin is a P. Quinctilius Varus issue. "Wait! There is a coin of THE Varus? As in the annihilation at the Teutoburg Forest?? As in old man Augustus roaming at night hollering, "Varus, give me back my legions!" That Varus?!?" - @Ryro How cool is that? I've found most of my forays at attribution rewarding, but this one is like finding a rare gem. Thanks so much Coin Talk members for helping me in this discovery. Without further ado, here it is... Feel free to post any other coins related to the Battle of the Teutoburg forest. SELEUCIS and PIERIA, Antioch. Pseudo-autonomous issue. temp. Augustus, 27 BC-AD 14. Æ Trichalkon. Struck under P. Quinctillius Varus, Governor of Syria. Dated year 25 of the Actian Era (7/6 BC). O: Laureate head of Zeus right R: Tyche seated right on rocky outcropping, holding palm branch; at feet, river-god Orontes swimming right; EK (date) in right field.
LOL, I am glad my coin was an inspiration. That History was an inspiration for me. I am honored that my coin inspired you. I remember when "I, Claudius" came out on TV my senior year in H.S. Loved it. Patrick Stewart even had hair then! I went on to University, taking an incredible History of Rome, Part One course (Rome's founding through Augustus). My Prof focused a whole class around this battle. Fun. He literally acted out his Lectures. Incredible prof, the late J. Rufus Fears. When I found mine... well, no matter what, it was mine. This is why I collect coins. And, why I do not call myself a numismatist. I collect not for "purdy coins", rather I collect for their cool History and the placemarker the coin represents in History. I am an Ancients Collector. Roman Imperatorial Publius Quinctilius Varus 5-4 BCE AE20 8.0g Tetrachalkon Zeus Tyche Orontes Antioch Yr ZK RPC 4252 SNG Cop 92 This is the guy who lost the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, 3 legions, and 3 standards in 9 CE. Afterwards, Emperor Augustus lamented this loss until his death. "Quintili Vare, legiones redde!" (Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!)
Amazing find!!! I’m peanut better and Jealous! Massive score of a infamous historical figure during a time that I love. Truly a rare piece of ancient art and fantastic find! I’ve got nothing to show. So, here’s the guy bemoaning your guys failure to not get ambushed by someone they’d taken as a friend, from the same area: Augustus SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria. Antioch. 27 BC-AD 14. Æ As 24mm,. Struck circa 27-25 BC. Bare head right / AVGVSTVS within laurel wreath. McAlee190; RPC I 4100. Good VF Former: fortunancient
Very cool coin and such cool history! I also don't have an example like your's, so like RY-guy I'll share an Augustus from the area... Augustus, Ruled 27 BC-14 AD AE30, Syria, Antioch Mint Obverse: IMP•AVGVST• – TR•POT, laureate bust of Augustus right. Reverse: Large SC within laurel-wreath of eight leaves fastened at top with pellet, between inner and outer borders. Notes: Reverse is slightly double-struck, which is typical of this early issue (per Butcher, Coinage in Roman Syria). References: RPC I 4247, McAlee 206b Size: 30mm, 18.0g
Great thread. I have what I think is an Augustus issue for Antioch - I spent a lot of time trying to attribute it, but a lot of detail is missing, so I wound up kinda guessing - close to Justin's maybe? Augustus Æ 26 (c. 5 B.C.-1 A.D.) Syria, Seleucis & Pieria Antiochia ad Orontem IMP [AV]GV[ST] PO[T] laureate head right / Large SC• within circle within laurel wreath of eight leaves. McAlee 206a; RPC 4264 (sim.; dot after SC) (13.06 grams / 26 mm)
I have the same attribution problem as you have, trying to nail down the attribution. It is definitely from Antiochia ad Orontem, Seleucis and Pieria, however, I would put a question mark after the attribution because there is a lot of detail missing, and even with more details it would be hard to tell. It certainly could be RPC 4264, McAle208b: https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/1/4264 It could also be RPC 4247; here on # 9 you can see the same dot after SC: https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/1/4247 or it could even be Tiberius (for which I don't have the RPC number, the only reference I found is McAlee 208a). If the latter is the case, it would be a very rare posthumous issue. This is mine, and because of the dot I am using RPC 4247 (?): Æ Dupondius, Orichalcum, Antiochia ad Orontem, 5 – 12 AD 25 x 28 mm, 14.366 g Ob: IMP•AVGVS(T)•TR•POT• laureate head to right, border of dots Rev.: Large SC • within wreath with eight leaves in circular borders; (dot after C)
I suppose this thread could also invite coins of Germanicus, considering his later campaigns into Germania resulted in recovering (2 of the 3)lost standards to Rome. I've yet to acquire any coins of Germanicus, yet I'm keeping my eye out.
OK. I was looking through my Seleucid/Seleucis in Pieria bronze coins to locate an Athena obverse to post in the "Finally succumbed to the Greeks..." thread and then I recognized a reverse among the pile that was still fresh in my mind. What??? A second one... Awesomeness comes in pairs! EDIT: OMG!!! A third... I feel like I just recovered Augustus' three eagles! Woohoo!!! EDIT #2: I've died and gone to heaven... I was pretty excited to find the first coin in this thread after learning more about what it was. To find a fourth? Methinks I'm going to need to sort these a little better than merely spread all out. OK. Now I'm getting into a trading mood.
Wow! He teaches a large number of semester-length courses available at The Great Courses. I thoroughly enjoyed his "Famous Romans" class!
Yeah, I never knew that until MANY years later. Looked him up to say hello again, and regretfully found he passed. He was too young. In person, his lectures were very charismatic!
@Roman Collector https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Rufus_Fears Since I took several of his courses at Indiana, I got to know him personally during my University years. He also would lecture some evenings on Ancient coins. My first class with him was maybe 40 students, my last, perhaps 1,000 in an auditorium.
Excellent, most excellent @Herodotus Reading your first post I was thinking of that one, exactly Germanicus, Dupondius - Posthumous issue of Caligula, in honour of his father (died AD 19) Rome mint, AD 37-41 GERMANICVS CAESAR, Germanicus in triumphal quadriga right SIGNIS RECEPT DEVICTIS GERM, Germanicus standing left, rising right arm, holding legionnary eagle 17.79 gr Ref : RCV #1820, Cohen #7 Commemorating the Triumph of Germanicus and the recovery of the standards lost by Varus at the Teutoburg Forest massacre Q
