Maxentian pediments

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Victor_Clark, Sep 14, 2023.

  1. Victor_Clark

    Victor_Clark all my best friends are dead Romans Dealer

    I have a small collection of Maxentius coins with designs in the temple pediments. The best resource on this topic is "Le monnayage de Maxence" by Vincent Drost. Also of note are the acroteria which are sometimes plain knobs and other times victories, usually with garlands and rarely with wreaths.

    edit: I forgot to add that these coins commemorated the rebuilding of the Temple of Venus and Roma by Maxentius after it had been destroyed by fire.

    Maxentius_Aquileia_121a.jpg
    X in pediment

    Maxentius
    A.D. 307- 310
    Æ Follis 25mm 6.2g
    IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG; laureate head right.
    CONSERV VRB SVAE; Roma seated left in hexastyle temple, holding scepter and globe, shield by side; knobs as acroteria, X in pediment.
    In ex. AQΓ
    RIC VI Aquileia 121a


    Maxentius_Rome_198a_var.jpg

    wreath in pediment, though this coin is really of interest because RIC only lists this coin as Roma holding a globe, but this one is holding a globe with a Victory on it. Drost mentions this type "avec un globe (exceptionnellement, une victoriola)" for #79, a coin of Maximianus.

    Maxentius
    A.D. 307
    25x26mm 5.7g
    IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG; laureate head right.
    CONSERVATO-RES VRB SVAE; Roma seated in hexastyle temple holding victoriola & sceptre; wreath in pediment.
    In ex. R✶P
    cf. RIC VI Rome 198a


    Maxentius_Aquileia_113.jpg

    wolf and twins in pediment

    Maxentius
    A.D. 307
    24x26mm 6.8g
    IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG; laureate head right.
    CONSERV VRB SVAE; Roma seated left on shield within tetrastyle temple, holding scepter and handing globe to Maxentius, standing right and holding scepter, with foot on bound captive seated right; Victories with wreaths as acroteria, she-wolf and twins in pediment.
    In ex. AQΓ
    RIC VI Aquileia 113


    Maxentius_Rome_208.jpg

    Dioscuri in pediment


    Maxentius
    A.D. 308- 310
    24x25mm 5.2g
    IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG; laureate head right.
    CONSERV VRB SVAE; Roma seated in hexastyle temple holding globe & sceptre; Dioscuri between altars in pediment; Victories with garlands as acroteria.
    In ex. RBQ
    RIC VI Rome 208


    Maxentius_Rome_205.jpg


    Jupiter and Hercules in pediment


    Maxentius
    A.D. 307- 308
    25x28mm 5.3g
    IMP MAXENTIVS P F AVG; laureate head right.
    CONSERV VRB SVAE; Roma seated in hexastyle temple holding globe & sceptre; Jupiter holding staff and Hercules leaning on club flanked by river gods in pediment; Victories with garlands as acroteria; H in left field.
    In ex. RQ
    RIC VI Rome 205



    Here are some examples from Drost

    Drost_172.JPG


    and the GOAT

    IMG_0806.JPG
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2023
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  3. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    Little changes like that, is what makes ancient's so much fun. Nice collection, Victor!
     
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  4. Curtisimo

    Curtisimo the Great(ish)

    Those are all fantastic @Victor_Clark . This is a type that has been on my list for a while but I just haven’t found the right one yet.

    Great post showing the variations of the pediment!
     
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  5. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    Great coins Victor, one of the more interesting series from Maxentius along with his Divus series including son Romulus and some previous emperors. 01381q00.jpg
    Maxentius, 307-312. Follis (Silvered bronze, 25 mm, 6.77 g, 7 h), Aquileia, late summer 307. IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG Laureate head of Maxentius to right. Rev. CONSERV VRBS SVAE / AQΓ Roma seated left within tetrastyle temple, holding scepter and handing globe to Maxentius standing right, holding scepter; seated captive between; Victories as acroteria, she-wolf and twins in pediment. RIC 113. LTb86cGMX9txKKn2Q4ry7tD7eMg523.jpg
    Maxentius. Temple of Roma. Maxentius follis. Quite scarce with Dioscuri in pediment. 6.79 g, 23.1 x 25.2 mm. RIC VI:208 for Rome. Struck 308-310 AD. OBV.: Maxentius right, IMP C MAXENTIVS PF AVG.
     
  6. Curtis

    Curtis Well-Known Member

    That's a great subcollection. I've been keeping an eye for one of the ones with a captive, (nearly) always with wolf & twins in the pediment.

    I'm curious about this:
    It's interesting that, while representing the same building, they would have varied the pediments, acroteria, and other decorative features (and even the number of columns). Maybe a general representation was enough to get the idea across. Maybe it wasn't yet finished, so there weren't any actual decorations to copy yet? Or the engravers just might not know?


    The Same Temple? I like this one because it turned out to be David Sear's RCV III 8963 Plate Coin (didn't know when I bought it).

    It's described as "Hadrian's Temple of Venus and Roma."
    I'm guess that would be the same temple that later burned down and was rebuilt by Maxentius, above?
    Sear RCV3 8963 Philip Plate Coin 2.jpg



    From Thessalonica, a Pythian Games issue of Philip II (the second local Kabeiric Pythian Games, not the main one in Delphi; the first Kabeiric Pythiad was held under Gordian III).

    Here is a temple coin that I particularly enjoy for all the details of the roofing, pediments, etc.
    Philip II Thessalonica Temple.jpg

    The temple is for Kabeiros (other types show him inside) -- probably an actual temple in the "Sacred Area" in Thessaloniki that's been excavated for many decades. (There are inscriptions indicating this temple existed, though it hasn't been found.)

    I'm very curious what the curved features are at all the corners. At first, I thought ivory tusks / rhyton-drinking horns (attributes of Kabeiros), but then I started noticing them on temples depicted all over the empire, so back to square one....

    Of historical interest: It seems to me that biblical accounts of the worship of Dionysus at Thessalonica were probably actually referring to the (related) local cult of Kabeiros, which practiced similar bacchanalian rites involving alcohol and carousing.
     
  7. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    I agree Curtis, your coin and this type in general fascinate me,
    WOW the amount of detail the Celator tried to get on a small surface area is amazing, I have one of the earlier type that you mention. Tranquillina.jpg
    MACEDON THESSALONICA
    Tranquillina
    Bronze. AD 238-244.
    26 mm. 12,11 g.
    Obv: CABINIA TPANKYΛΛΙΝΑ ΑΥΓ.
    Diademed and draped bust right.
    Rev: ΘΕCCΑΛΟΝΙΚΕΩΝ NEΩKOPΩN.
    Tetrastyle temple seen in perspective to left ΠΥΘΙΑ below.
    Cf. Varbanov 4657. RPC VII.2, — (unassigned; ID 26680) this coin.
     
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  8. Victor_Clark

    Victor_Clark all my best friends are dead Romans Dealer

    Yes, it is the same temple.
     
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