Hi mates! This is my first denarius of the season (with celtic iconography, my favorite theme... ). It is a scarce specimen and I got it at a very cheap price!! Imperatorial Rome. L. Hostilius Saserna. 48 BC. AR Fouree Denarius. Rome mint. Obv.: head of gaulish bearded male bust (Vercingetorix???) right; gaulish shield to left. Rev.: two warriors in galloping biga right, one driving and the other holding shield and brandishing spear. Above, L.HOSTILIVS; below, SASERN. The obverse portrait has been identified as "the boss" of the Arvernii, Vercingetorix, whom Julius Caesar "captured" in 52 BC in Alesia... The reverse is of particular historical interest, in that it depicts the manner in which bigas were used in Celtic Gaul (and perhaps in Britain as well).
Although heavily worn/circulated, that's a nice example. That's one type that I always seem to lose at auction...
Great score, Rag! I am still on the prowl for that one, for the same Celtic reason! Vercingetorix was a pretty cool dude!
Some authors doubt about the real identity of the warrior represented in the denarius, but this reverse of a Julius Caesar coin clarifies the situation... I presume... ROMA NUMISMATICS, Auction XII:
Several years ago in another discussion group, Carthago solicited opinions as to whether the OP Hostilia type in fact is a representation of Vercingetorix. I said then: "My answer to carthago's original question is: yes and no. On the one hand, there's virtually no chance this is intended as a portrait of Vercingetorix. That's just not the way the Romans did things. If they ever depict an enemy, it's as a defeated captive. For that reason, Crawford 452/4, showing a captive Gaul (with a distinctively large head) beneath a trophy, may well be intended to represent V. That humiliated pose is a far cry from the defiant head in question. But... Some of these "Vercingetorix" denarii, such as the coin I've attached [same coin I posted upthread here], really do seem to be too detailed and "realistic" not to have been drawn from life. Who better to serve as a model than the most famous and feared Gaul of all, conveniently languishing in a Roman jail? I don't find it far-fetched to imagine the moneyer arranging a well-guarded sitting, with the real V. serving as the model for the archetypical Gaul depicted on the coin. That doesn't mean it should properly be thought of as a "portrait" though; that's not how the dynamic between model and artwork ever functions. The US Sacagawea dollar coin is a portrait of Sacagawea, not of the anonymous (at least to me) real-life woman who modeled for it. Phil Davis"
Well said. I agree with ye. An interesting point more of CNG files about this coin: "The obverse portrait has sometimes been identified as the famous chief of the Arverni, Vercingetorix, whom Julius Caesar captured in 52 BC in Alesia. It is difficult to imagine anyone placing such a dramatic portrait of a defeated foe on their coinage, but it is clear from surviving sources of the period that the Romans had a good deal of respect for the Gauls as honorable warriors. Crawford and Sear believe this identification is unlikely, but the large, distinctive, and carefully engraved head suggests the die cutter worked with an eye toward creating an individualized portrait, rather than a stylized personification of a Gaul. The reverse is also of particular historical interest, in that it depicts the manner in which chariots were used in Celtic Gaul, and perhaps in Britain as well". We will never be quite sure about this coin, Volodya, but we like it!
