Remembering Macedonia trhough Roman coin propaganda

This is Philip V of Macedon. He was the penultimate ruler of the Kingdom of Macedon, a Kingdom which gave the world the likes of the Great Philip II and Alexander the Great. He was a great enemy of Rome and despite being checked by the Romans toward the end of his reign, and the signing of a peace treaty between the Romans and Macedonians, he was widely hated and distrusted in the Roman world. In a sense, the Ancient Romans would have probably seen him as the Saddam Hussein of the 2nd Century BCE...that enemy you fought and reigned in, but didn't quite finish the job and you know you'll be back for another war down the road.

So what on Earth is he doing in this Roman denarius from 113-112 BCE? And why is there an equestrian statue with his name at the base? If all this sounds confusing, allow me to take you through basic Roman Coin Propaganda 101

L. Philippus 113-112 B.C.
AR Denarius 19mm. 3.80g.
Rome Mint
Head of Philip V of Macedon r., wearing royal Macedonian helmet; (phi) under chin, ROMA monogram behind.
Equestrian statue r., base inscribed L.PHILIPPV, flower below horse; In ex.: X
Craw 293/1; RSC I Marcia 12
Note: Lightly toned with much remaining lustre. Faint scratches

You see, the coiner of this L. Phillipus denarius was not Philip V of Macedon (he was long dead by then), nor any relative named Philip, or anything of the sort. What you are witnessing here is Grade A Roman propaganda.

The likely coiner of this denarius was Lucius Marcius Q. F. Q. n. Philippus. He would have been a younger Roman male from a very distinguished family, the Marcia. As you can tell from his last name, his family had something to do with Philip V of Macedon. Remember, Romans sometimes awarded families the right to last name denoting their conquest over a powerful tribe or kingdom, or region. For example, the Scipio family was awarded the name Africanus after their victory over the Carthaginians.

So now you think you get it, Lucius Marcius was entering politics and wanted to remind everyone of this family's noble bravery in defeating Philip V of Macedon, right? Well, you are wrong. You see, the Marcia family never defeated Philip V of Macedon in battle nor conquered Macedonia while Philip V was alive. The truth is much more clever. As it turns out, his grandfather Quintus Marcius L.F.Q.n. Philippus was in charge of conducting the war against Macedonia in 169 BCE and ended up eventually defeating Perseus of Macedon, the last king of an independent Macedonian Kingdom, and son of Philip V or Macedon.

The problem was that Perseus was a bit of a fool, and claiming victory over him was not the same as claiming victory over his long dead father, who Romans had trully feared. So why claim victory over Uday Hussein when you can pretend Saddam is still alive and make your victory seem all the greater. That's basically what the Romans did. They cleverly forgot the fact that Philip V had been dead for over a decade and awarded Quintus Marcius the title Phillipus, as it seemed more honorable than the title Perseus, which would have only reminded the Romans that they had only defeated the foolish son and not their feared rival of old.

In conclusion: This coin is a fiction. It is a reminder of one family's ancestral victory over someone they did not actually defeat, but it sure made for good propaganda for the masses. If you are a young Roman noble looking to kick start your career in politics, this is as good a propaganda bit as you could hope for (grand, heroic, and completely made up)

PS: Share any Roman coins with Macedonian links of any kind.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

PS: Yeah, I bough another RR coin. Oopps.

 

Way cool @Sallent !

 

I knew you would. Maybe, just maybe, you've learned not to claim abstinence when there is even a remote chance. But, then again, you are a lawyer.

Nice coin and accompanying story line. Congrats.

 

Haha! I wanted to write what Bing wrote...but pretty much what he said.

 

Another very interesting write up!

 

Very nice denarius Sallent, and great write up, I learn a lot about history with these write ups.

 

That's a handsome Philip V on your coin. Makes him look more youthful than on mine.

 

Perhaps, but yours has so more detail. Wanna trade?

 

VERY nice write up @Sallent ! Hope you enjoyed your staycation; I was in the process of moving cross-country...


RR T Quinctius Flaminius 126 BC AR Den Roma Diosc galloping T-Q Macedon Shield Sear 143 Cr 267/1

The same-name moneyer was the ancestor of T Quinctius Flaminius who was the comander who defeated Philip V of Makedon at the Battle of Cynocephalae, Thessaly in 197 BCE. This was a critical battle proving, along with the later Battle of Pydna in 168 BCE, that the Roman Legion was a superior battle formation over the Greek Phalanx

I understand this was propaganda of the Dioscuri riding over or trampling the Makedon Shield.

 

Fantastic coin, @Sallent!

I have one coin from when Macedonia was under Roman rule.


MACEDON, under Roman rule
D. Junius Silanus Manlianus, praetor
142-141 BCE
AE, 20 x 22 mm, 9.5 gm
Obv: Facing mask of Silenus, wearing ivy wreath
Rev: MAKE ΔONΩN legend In two lines; D above; all within ivy wreath
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 1324

 

Sweet OP-RR-Winner!! ... glad to see you buying a new coin, lawyer (congrats)

Ummm, I have a fairly similar type (wanna see it?)

L. Marcius Philippus, AR Denarius
113-112 BC
Struck 113-112 BC. ROME MINT
Diameter: 19mm
Weight: 3.91grams
Obverse: Head of King Philip V of Macedon right wearing a diademed helmet ornamented with goat's horns, Φ below chin, ROMA (in monogram) behind
Reverse: Equestrian statue right on tablet inscribed L PHILIPPVS, the horseman carrying laurel branch, flower at horse's feet, X (XVI in monogram) below
Reference: Crawford 293/1, Sydenham 551, RSC I Marcia 12



=> congrats again on your cool OP goat horns!!

I love the way that they spelled ROMA behind his head (very cool)

 

Cool coin Stevex6. Is there anything you don't have? I swear you seem to have a sample of just about every coin I ever bought, not to mention just about any coin anyone else here buys.

 

I love that coin. The mask looks like a pirate straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

If it has an animal on it, then I often have a chance of finding one in my collection

 

Thank you for yet another fascinating history lesson!

Is this the last coin of 2016?

 

Interesting thread, great information and coins! The relationship between Macedonian and Roman Republic coinage is rich and complex. I'll throw in this rare bronze of Demetrios I Poliorketes. It's easy to see how these 3rd-century BC Macedonian types would inspire the designers of 2nd-century RR bronzes...



KINGS of MACEDON. Demetrios I Poliorketes. 306-283 BC.
Æ16, 2.3g, 12h; Uncertain mint (in Caria?), Struck circa 290-286 BC.
Obv.: Laureate head of Poseidon right.
Rev.: BA; Prow right; labrys to right, AP monogram below.
Reference: Newell 167

 

nice write up and VERY nice new denarius sallent!

here's a philip v AE.....

 

Very cool

 

A wonderful thread and super posts everyone!!!

LOVE the coin and write-up @Sallent !!!

Here's a TET to add to the mix; circa 94-88 BC, Thessalonika mint:




EDIT: AR Tetradrachm Aesillas as Quaestor 95-70 BC., Macedon under Roman Rule - diademed head of Alexander the Great right in the horn of Ammon / money chest, club and chair, all within wreath, circa 93-92 BC., Thessalonika mint, (15.61 grams, 29/27 mm), SNG Copenhagen 1330 AMNG III 223