Roman Provincial (Antioch on the Orontes): bronze Æ20 of Elagabalus, ca. 218-222 AD

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by lordmarcovan, Aug 9, 2020.

  1. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Roman Provincial (Antioch on the Orontes): bronze Æ20 of Elagabalus, ca. 218-222 AD
    01-ElagabalusAntioch-gradient.png

    Obverse: head of Elagabalus left.
    Reverse: large S C within wreath. Struck at Syrian Antioch on the Orontes River (now in modern Turkey).

    Bronze, 22 mm. Ex-David Connors, May 2020.

    02-ElagabalusAntioch-black.png

    01-ElagabalusAntioch-gradient.png

    03-ElagabalusAntioch-white.png

    04-ElagabalusAntioch-coinscape.png
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2021
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  3. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Elagabalus from Antioch:

    Elagabalus Antioch ad Orentem.jpg
     
    Ryan McVay, Andres2, galba68 and 7 others like this.
  4. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    I recently got one of the mysterious "ΔЄ" instead of SC for Elagabalus. It isn't pretty but it was cheap:
    Antioch - Elagabalus DE lot June 2020 (0).jpg
    Elagabalus Æ 16
    (c. 218-222 A.D.)
    Syria, Seleucis & PieriaAntiochia ad Orontem

    [IMP C M AVR ANTONINVS AVG?], laureate head right. / Large ΔЄ; star below; all
    within wreath.
    McAlee 799
    (4.02 grams / 15 mm)

    Here is one with the more conventional SC reverse:
    Antioch - Elagabalus SC Jan 19 (0).jpg
    Elagabalus Æ 18
    (c. 218-222 A.D.)
    Syria, Seleucis & Pieria Antiochia ad Orontem

    A[YT K M AY[Ρ C ANTΩNINOC, laureate head right. / SC in wreath terminating
    in a star, Δ above, Є below.
    BMC 440; SNG Cop. 244.
    (4.87 grams / 18 mm)

    Finally, an ugly monster (32 mm), again with the ΔЄ:

    Elagabalus - Antioch Tyche on rock lot Jan 2020 (2).JPG

    Elagabalus 8 Assaria
    Syria, Antioch ad Orontem
    (218-222 A.D.)

    [AYT K M AY A]NTΩNINOC CЄ, laureate head right / ANTIOXЄ[ΩN M KOL], Tyche
    seated left, god Orontes swimming at feet, ram running left above, Δ-Є & S-C across fields.
    BMC 461; Butcher 474.
    (16.98 grams / 32 mm)
     
    Andres2, galba68, tibor and 6 others like this.
  5. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    Are there any theories as to the meaning of the "ΔЄ"?
     
  6. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    Not Antioch, but I never pass up an opportunity to show off this glorius $0.73 Elagabalus cista mystica!
    Elagabalus Mouch 636.JPG
     
    Andres2, Bing, Marsyas Mike and 2 others like this.
  7. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Yes!!!
     
    hotwheelsearl likes this.
  8. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    The ΔЄ has stimulated some discussion - here's an earlier thread, where zumbly quotes McAlee:

    "McAlee argues that the ΔЄ is abbreviation for "of the four Eparchies," with an eparchy being a subdivision of a province, of which Syria had four. The initials would indicate that the coinage was current in all four Eparchies, rather than merely in Antioch."

    https://www.cointalk.com/threads/elagabalus-ar-tetradrachm-of-antioch-from-frank.310901/
     
  9. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    AE ELAGABALUS

    upload_2020-8-10_11-30-30.png
    RProv AE18mm 4.3g Elagabalus CE 218-222 Thrace Philippolis Snake tripod Moushmov 5423
     
    Andres2, Marsyas Mike, Bing and 2 others like this.
  10. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Wow, I've never seen that snake tripod before. Cool.
     
    Alegandron likes this.
  11. Ryan McVay

    Ryan McVay Well-Known Member

    My new addition. I've only found one example so far and that didn't have any attribution. Much better in hand than image. I've narrowed the Obv as McAlee 790a. Elagabalus 790- l Ram l.jpg
     
  12. Ryan McVay

    Ryan McVay Well-Known Member

    @Al Kowsky Can I ask a favor of you? Can you check McAlee for me? I think this is either 777 variant or 786. McAlee 786 isn't a very good coin. Thank you in advance!

    1900247_1620403053.l (1).jpg
     
    Marsyas Mike and Bing like this.
  13. Al Kowsky

    Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

    Ryan, All the small bronze coins illustrated of Elagabalus have very indistinct elements, making them difficult to attribute. Apparently they were struck in a very haphazard fashion :(. Your coin has a draped & cuirassed bust, unlike #777a,b, &c. Your coin looks more like 779b, with the wreath tied with a diamond.
     
  14. Ryan McVay

    Ryan McVay Well-Known Member

    @Al Kowsky Many thanks. I hope the kids took my "Father's Day" list to heart. If not then I'll be making the CNG book my present to myself!

    I agree, there are a lot of variances. I am more interested in the younger portraits as they appear to be more realistic in style. That could be due to many different facotrs- like falling out of favor with the Roman citizens or Roman's needing to see a "strong" looking portrait (even if not real) for confidence!
    This series is a start to a collection that I am working on: Child Emperors. This was driven by a review of the following book. https://oxford.universitypressschol...o/9780199664818.001.0001/acprof-9780199664818

    Thanks again!
    Ryan
     
  15. Al Kowsky

    Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

    Ryan, The book you listed sounds like a great read ;). I've often reflected on how I would have adjusted to the situation these kids found themselves in, suddenly becoming the emperor of Rome :eek:. The reality must have been frightening at first. At least we are lucky to get an accurate picture of what these kids looked like on Roman coinage before Diocletian's monetary reform of the late 3rd century. The post reform coinage made a radical change in portraiture :(. Realism gave way to a new stylized portrait of uniformity & strength, often referred to as the "Eastern style". Individual features vanished, so the only way emperors & their family can be identified is by the inscription on their coins. Your small bronze coin has an excellent, realistic portrait of Elagabalus. I've got one excellent portrait coin of the young prince at the age of 13 or 14 that I've posted a number of times, pictured below. I'm confident this portrait is realistic since it was struck in the city of his birth.
    IMG_9010.JPG IMG_9020.JPG
     
  16. Ryan McVay

    Ryan McVay Well-Known Member

    Well, the book didn't come for Father's Day! But did make it for the 4th of July!
    Many thanks to @Al Kowsky for sharing yours!
    Now, that I have the book I am finding that the auction houses really don't do a good job with attribution! They are 0-5 right now. That forced me to reprint all my coin tags. At least they are correct now.
    BTW- Here's a newbie I add recently.. a very nice coin with a rarer wreath type.
    McAlee 783(b)/1
    Capture.PNG
     
  17. Ryan McVay

    Ryan McVay Well-Known Member

    And for those that don't get this...
    ΔЄ = Δ four + Є Eparchies
     
    Roman Collector likes this.
  18. Ryan McVay

    Ryan McVay Well-Known Member

    This one I can't find in McAlee or the CNG supplementals.. I come close with McAlee 792/1 The legend does not match. The wreath is the only example in the series that has the laurel wreath joined together like this. To me, it appears like two links. Any help is appreciated. Elag-792_x.PNG
     
  19. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

    regarding your Elagabalus, while researching his coins with large SC, here I found https://sites.google.com/site/provincialcoins/antioch

    that this reverse: Large Delta and epsilon with star below in a laurel-wreath. The diameter is 19.5 mm and is 3.71 g, die axis 180 deg. Reference: SGI 3098, BM-447-50, SNG Cop-248-9, ex Harlan J. Berk. As far as I can tell, according to Butcher (p.233-236, 384) and Bellinger, this coin was probably minted at Laodicea ad Mare rather than at Antioch.
     
  20. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    Thank you for that info - that's a great site you linked.
     
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