Here's a provincial bronze of Caracalla I picked up at a recent auction that no one else seemed interested in. It's big, has bold contrasting colors, and an interesting reverse to boot. What's not to love? CARACALLA AE of PISIDIA Antiochia, 27.03g, 33mm Krzyzanovska dies XXVII/–; SNG France 1173-4 var. (arrangement of rev. legend; same obv die). O: IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: COL CAES ANTIOCH, S-R across fields, Mên standing facing, head right, left foot on bucranium, leaning on low cippus, holding sceptre and Nike on a globe, rooster standing left. Ex Malter XLIV (29 May 1990), lot 1149. There's an interesting bit of trivia from the entry for the god Mên in Wikipedia. However, since it's from Historia Augusta, some may judge it as not being entirely reliable : "The Augustan History has the Roman emperor Caracalla venerate Lunus at Carrhae; this has been taken as a Latinized name for Men. The same source records the local opinion that anyone who believes the deity of the moon to be feminine shall always be subject to women, whereas a man who believes that he is masculine will dominate his wife." And as a bonus, here's part of the Caracalla murder scene from HA : "On the eighth day before the Ides of April, the feast of the Megalensia and his own birthday, while on a journey to Carrhae to do honour to the god Lunus, he stepped aside to satisfy the needs of nature and was thereupon assassinated by the treachery of Macrinus the prefect of the guard, who after his death seized the imperial power." If you've got any provincial coins from Antiochia in Pisidia you'd like to tag on, go ahead and post away! Z.
I'm lovin' the rooster!! ... and Nike on the globe is also neat (oh, and standing on the bucranium) ... wow, everything is great with that baby!! => congrats ... that's a very cool coin!!
Fabulous coin. Love those provincials! This one has a beautiful look and is nicely centered; interesting devices. Nice pickup!
I agree these are nice coins and really nice in high grades. The city also produced smaller denominations but these are considerably different style making me wonder if the dies were cut elsewhere. Your coin has a bit of surface texture which would stop some potential bidders but is still nicer than my Septimius. I have seen quite a few of the large Julia Domna from the series but never found a nice and cheap one so I don't have it. Congratulations on a nice addition.
I have this pair which I purchased separately, but I believe have an obverse die match: AE24 OBVERSE: IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, radiate, draped, cuirassed bust right REVERSE: ANTIO-C H-ICOL to left and right of vexilium surmounted by eagle, between two legionary eagles, SR in exergue Struck at Pisidia, Antiochia, 244-249 AD 6.91g, 24mm SNG France 1259/1262
I played with the two stacked obverses in Photoshop and they do appear to be the same die. Further evidence (not that it was needed) that centration dimples were part of the flan rather than the die.
seriously, that is a fantastic coin. a big sweet provincial with neat stuff on it, struck dead center, and a cool color.
Interesting! The styles certainly look quite different. Do you know if the city only started producing these large bronzes from the Severan period? From a quick look at Wildwinds, I only see examples the large issues starting from Septimius Severus. If the dies were indeed cut elsewhere, I assume it would be for the large ones.
