Not at all sure, but… best serious guess… it’s a lower portion of a short chlamys rather than a rigid “belt” (as we know the term used today). Whatever it is, it IS ‘something’… AND… it IS “curious”. But surely it’s not…
i have this coin with Mars perhaps wearing a belt with items hanging from it or maybe just his cloak around his waist; though your Sol is wearing his cloak over shoulder. Maximinus II A.D. 305- 306 MAXIMINVS NOB CAESAR; laureate head right. VIRTVS AVGG ET CAESS NN; Mars nude except for helmet, boots and belt [?]; advancing right holding spear and trophy over left; • in left field. In ex. ST RIC VI Ticinum 58b
Bronze coin (AE Antoninianus) minted at Cologne during the reign of VICTORINUS between 268 - 270 A.D. Obv. IMP.C.VICTORINVS.P.F.AVG.: Radiate, draped & cuirassed bust r. Rev. INVICTVS.: Sol advancing l., r. hand raised, l. holding whip, in l. field *. RCS #3165. RICV #114 pg.396. DVM #7. Interesting, never noticed the belt!
They thought of Mars as the god of war. Sol would need some super weapons to be invincible. Those are obviously grenades.
Dear friends of ancient coins! For the belt of Mars I received the following information from my forum member Altamura: In LIMC II-1, under the heading Ares, on page 521, there's something about this: Mars with a sash (as it's called there) belongs to the so-called Type T (like "Tänzer" ="dancer"). Hellenistic reliefs of dancers with weapons are cited as models, and various other literature is also cited: https://archive.org/details/limc_20...cae/LIMC II-1/page/n271/mode/2up?view=theater This type T, known primarily from coins and gems (209-222), was discussed by Kraus, Th., in Festschr. E. v. Mercklin (1964) 69-72, who stated that it need not necessarily have had a large-scale model. The fluttering sash is reminiscent of Lare statuettes, which are also only attested in small formats. According to an appealing hypothesis, this type was the patron god of the Praetorian camp and was placed there as a statuette: v. Domaszewski, op. cit. 21c, 34. However, it was by no means limited to this, as it already appears on Augustan coins (210, 211), at a time when the Praetorians were still kept very much in the background. Kraus points to Hellenistic reliefs of armored dancers as possible models. The type is actually known from Roman relief art, namely from the sarcophagus of C. Bellicus Natalis (295) and from lamps (265). Its precursor is the M. on the Berlin cist (12). Images can be found here: Lexikon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (LMC) LMC II-2.pdf https://archive.org/details/limc_20...logiae Classicae/LIMC II-2/page/n191/mode/2up Image 218 VIRTVS AVG, Mars, helmeted, walking with spear and tropaion to the right, at his feet a prisoner sitting to the right with his arms bound behind his back. Kind regards Jochen
