Geographic Personifications

Indeed.
Woman without her man, is nothing
Woman, without her, man is nothing.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Nope, I think that is the uber-rare LONG-EARED CRICKET!

Very cool to have a rabbit on a coin! Nice

 

that is GREAT. My daughter (entering her 3rd year of University) is taking an Ethics course this summer (while working full time, shift work at a car plant - she is pretty amazing ).. she throws me an ethics question every Monday and wants an answer every Wednesday.

 

Acropolis Anazarbus.
CILICIA. Anazarbus. Trajan (98-117). Ae Assarion. Dated CY 126 (107/8).

Obv: ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ ΝΕΡ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟС СΕ ΓΕΡ ΔΑ.
Laureate head of Trajan right.
Rev: KAICAPEΩN ΠP ANAZAPBΩ / ET ςKP.
Laureate and draped bust of Zeus right; in background, rocky crag surmounted by Acropolis.

RPC III 3366.12 = Ziegler, Anazarbos, 97.13 [dies Vs1/Rs1] (this coin cited); Ziegler 967-70; SNG BN -; SNG Levante 1377.

Ex Dr. P. Vogl Collection; ex Bankhaus Aufhäuser (sold 20 October 1987; with dealer's ticket).

Condition: Very fine.

Weight: 6.41 g.
Diameter: 23 mm.

 

VIA TRAIANA.
Trajan. AD 98-117. Æ Dupondius (13.32 g, 6h). Struck circa AD 112-115. Radiate bust right, wearing aegis / VIA TRAIANA, female (Via Traiana) reclining left, holding wheel on knee and branch; S C in exergue. RIC II 641 corr. var. (no aegis); BMCRE 998 note. SR 3226.

 

The first personification of a road we've had!

 

Mount Gerizim.
Judaea, Neapolis. Elagabalus, AD 218-222. Ae 21.5mm, 10.3gm. Mount Gerizim surmounted by temple and altar, stairway to temple and colonnade below mountain.

 

This is called slamming them in at the end of a great thread.

 

Erice Sicily C. Considius Nonianus, moneyer. AR Denarius minted at Rome, 57 BC. Laureate, diademed, and draped bust right of Venus Erycina. Reverse: Temple of Venus Erycina atop mountain, ERVC inscribed at base; in foreground, circuit of city walls with gateway at center and two towers. Sear 381; Considia 1a; Cr. 424/1; Syd. 887. 3.74 gm. 18.00mm. Banker's mark on chin of Venus.
Ex Pat Coyle collection, Ex Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Auction 69, lot 3358. Ex Artemide Kunstauktionen GmbH E/auction 10..

 

In very poor condition, but here is a personification of Parthia on a sestertius of Antoninus Pius - note the bow and quiver held in resting position:


Antoninus Pius Æ Sestertius
(139 A.D.) Aurum Coronarium
Rome Mint
ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P, laureate head rt. / [PARTHIA] [COS II (in ex.)] S [C ], Parthia standing left, holding crown, bow & quiver on ground.
RIC 586 (R); Cohen 572; BMCRE IV 1191; Strack 792
(24.39 grams / 30 mm)

Sear: "The remarkable inclusion of a rival state in this series commemorating provincial tax relief would seem to suggest that the Parthians were subject to some form of financial obligation to the Roman government consequent of
Trajan's capture of Ctesiphon in AD 115 and the loss of the celebrated golden throne of the Arsacids"

From the same series, also in lousy shape, Cappadocia - note Mt. Argaeus to the left at feet:


Antoninus Pius Æ Sestertius
(139 A.D.) Aurum Coronarium
Rome Mint
ANT[ONI]NVS AVG PIVS P P, laureate head right /[CAPPADOCIA] [COS II] in ex.,
Cappadocia standing left, holding crown & vexillum, Mt. Argaeus with star above at left of her feet.
RIC III 1056 (RIC 580 (R)).
(23.34 grams / 31 x 29 mm)

"Hadrian's successor Antoninus Pius also issued a 'provincial' series of coins, in this case to celebrate the remission of half of the aurum coronarium ('crown-gold'). This was a demand made by the emperor on the communities of the Empire (and sometimes even on foreign states) at the time of his accession and on certain anniversaries of his rule. Antoninus' remission of half of this burdensome tax at the time he came to the throne was greeted with much enthusiasm and led to the production of an extensive series of aes coinage depicting crown-bearing personifications of various provinces (and even of the Parthian kingdom)." David Sear, Roman Coins and their Values, Volume 1, The Millennium Edition.

 

I have one more personification to add, depicted on the reverse of a coin I bought before I started this thread (primarily for the unusual portrait of Virtus on the obverse), but which hasn't arrived yet. I know I'm tempting fate. But hopefully I won't jinx myself like I apparently did the last time I posted photos of coins that hadn't yet arrived, namely two Thessaly Zeus-Athena staters that seem to have vanished on their way to me from Canada -- the first time I've had a problem with mail from Canada -- with no tracking updates for almost a month now. I filed a missing-mail report (which probably won't help at all), and the dealer has filed an insurance claim, so presumably I'll get my money back. I'd much rather have the coins, though!

In any event, this is the coin:

Roman Republic, Mn. Aquillius Mn.f. Mn.n. [Manius Aquillius, son of Manius and grandson of Manius], AR Serrate Denarius, 71 BCE [Harlan: 67 BCE], Rome Mint. Obv. Helmeted and draped bust of Virtus right; III VIR downwards behind, VIRTVS upwards in front / Rev. Manius Aquillius [the moneyer’s grandfather, Consul 101 BCE] standing facing, head right, bearing shield on his left side, raising with his right hand a prostrate Sicilia [personification of Sicily], kneeling left at his feet; MN. AQVIL. upwards to right, MN. F. MN. N. [each MN in monogram] downwards to left; SICIL in exergue. Crawford 401/1, RSC I Aquillia 2 (ill.), Sear RCV I 336 (ill.), Sydenham 798, Harlan RRM I Ch. 31, pp. 183-188 [Harlan, Michael, Roman Republican Moneyers and their Coins, 81 BCE-64 BCE (2012)]. 18x20 mm., 3.76 g.*



*See Sear RCV I at p. 135, noting that this coin has the “first appearance on the coinage of the triumviral title of a moneyer (III VIR = tresvir).” This is also one of only two Republican coins to depict Virtus on the obverse. The reverse design on the coin commemorates the moneyer’s grandfather, Manius Aquillius (identified in the legend), and his successful suppression in 101 BCE of a slave revolt in Sicily that had begun in 104 BCE. Sicily is portrayed as an under-nourished, helpless girl shielded and uplifted by Mn Aquillius and the military might of Rome. See Harlan at pp. 183-188. Harlan notes that although the moneyer’s grandfather was awarded an ovation in 100 BCE after his victory (a lesser form of triumph, awarded for defeating slaves, pirates, etc.), he was later charged with having engaged in extortion and bribe-taking in Sicily (although he was acquitted because of his bravery in the war), and ultimately, while serving as ambassador on a mission to Asia, was defeated and captured by Mithridates VI of Pontus, who ordered his execution in 88 BCE by the method of having molten gold poured down his throat. In issuing this coin, the moneyer obviously chose to focus on his grandfather’s earlier successes in Sicily rather than his unfortunate end, perhaps (according to Harlan) trying to equate his grandfather’s successes with the recent suppression of the Spartacus slave revolt -- ironically enough by Crassus, given his supposed execution by the Parthians after Carrhae by exactly the same method.

The coin is not in as good condition as some of my other Republican coins, but I like it anyway!

 

Here's a list I compiled of the various personifications posted in this thread. If more than one type of any personification was posted, I put the number of types in parentheses (with no guarantee whatsoever that I made an accurate count)!

Roads: Via Traiana

Cities (not counting Roma and Constantinopolis): Alexandria (3), Carthago, Antioch (Tyche).

Regions/Provinces/Countries: Aegyptos (Egypt) (3), Africa (8), Hispania (4), Dacia, Macedonia, Italia (3), Sicilia, Germania (3), Gallia (2), Asia (2), Britannia, Pannoniae, Judaea, Arabia, Armenia (3), "The Orient," Venus Erycina (Erice, Sicily). Mauretania, Parthia (2), Cappadocia. The only major personification I can think of that's missing is Europa, who appears on a number of coins portraying her riding a bull (reflecting the Greek myth about Europa and Zeus).

Rivers: Nilus (6), Danubius , Rhenus (2), Tiberis (2), Orontes (2), Euphrates, Tigris, Araxes (Armenia), Mygdenius (Mesopotamia), Achelous (Sicily), Borysthenes (Scythia), Kilbos (Lydia), Meandros (Phrygia), Kazanes (Phrygia).

 

@DonnaML....Nice coin!....Good detail, well centred and I really like the toning!
Also thanks for the write up...Nice to come away having learnt some thing new...
Just as a side note.....And excuse my ignorance...Why did they produce serrate edges??

 

Nobody knows the answer for sure; it's been speculated that the purpose was to deter forgeries, fourrees, etc. If so, it didn't work, because there are lots of ancient forgeries/fourrees of serrated coins.

PS: If you want to spend $1,000, you can buy this example from Shanna Schmidt: https://images.vcoins.com/product_image/245/A/6/Aa3fz2eDJYe98qTqyL6yG7xFmK5R4M.jpg . Mine was less than 1/5 of that price. I've still never spent as much as $1,000 on any one coin!

 

Hmm, steep enough - she has nice coins, but the mark-ups from previous sales can be excessive. Maybe to allow wriggle room for offers.

The reverse of the Schmidt coin is better-centred than mine, which has obviously lost the exergue, but I won't be rushing to get a second example @ $1K (mine cost £186 including buyer's fee in 2015 from DNW).



This is my favourite Africa - Cr. 461/1 (large head variety). Ex-Clain-Stefanelli collection and illustrated in Elvira's book "Life in Republican Rome on its Coinage".



ATB,
Aidan.

 

Those are two fantastic coins, Aidan. I was wondering if Mn. Aquillius is wearing some sort of face mask on the reverse, and your coin seems to confirm it.

As far as Shanna Schmidt is concerned, she does have a lot of wonderful coins, and I like to look at them, but I've never bought anything from her because I get the impression that she offers very few coins for prices less than $1,000. In other words, way too rich for my blood.

 

LOL, its a TRAP!!!

 

....I agree but the photos are cool!

 

I think this coin is a double die match to yours. BTW - also liked your compiled list of personifications from this thread.

Mn. Aquillius Mn. f. Mn n., serrate AR denarius, 65 BC, Rome
Obv: VIRTVS / III VIR, helmeted and draped bust of Virtus right
Rev: MN F MN N / MN AQVIL / SICIL, Mn. Aquillius standing left, head right, raising Sicilia kneeling left
Ref: Crawford 401/1