One last Roman coin for now: Roman Empire. AR denarius. Antoninus Pius (138-161 AD). Obverse: Laureate bust right, ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP. Reverse: Liberalitas standing with cornucopia and account-board, TR POT COS IIII LIB IIII. Struck 145 AD. RIC 155. Most of the ancient rulers whose names are famous today are notable either for their military success (Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, etc.) or depraved debauchery (Caligula, Nero, etc.). Very few people today, other than ancient history buffs and numismatists, will recognize the name of Antoninus Pius (138-161 AD). He did not lead any great military campaigns, and his personal life was temperate to the point of boring. During his rule, the Empire was largely at peace, and it was a time of prosperity throughout the provinces. Unfortunately, peace and prosperity doesn't make for interesting history books, so Antoninus Pius languishes in obscurity. The reverse type feature Liberalitas, or Liberality, which is roughly equivalent to generosity. This type is often used when an emperor made a donative, or gift of cash to the Praetorian Guard in celebration of some event (and, not-so-secretly, as a bribe for their continued loyalty). The legend "LIB IIII" indicates the fourth donative undertaken by Antoninus Pius, which was made in 145 AD on the occasion of the marriage of his daughter Faustina Junior to his heir Marcus Aurelius. Also note that the numeral 4 occurs twice on the reverse, and both times is shown as IIII instead of IV. The ancient Romans almost always wrote 4 as IIII. I vaguely recall reading somewhere that this is because they didn't want to risk offending the god Jupiter by writing IV (the first two letters of his name), but I don't know where I read this, and frankly it sounds unlikely to me. I would greatly appreciate it if someone has a citation.
Yup Peace is boring. That's why all the movies and society focuses on war and death. You know what? Now I want an Antoninus coin.
Great write up! I am sure the people living during his reign LOVED him DUE to the lack of wars and the prosperity of the Empire! I only have a couple simple examples: RI Antoninus Pius 138-161 BCE AR Denarius RI Antoninus Pius 138-161 BCE BI Tet Alexandria Egypt Dikaiosyne Scales And his WIFE: RI Faustina Sr 138-140 CE AR Denarius m Antoninus Pius 17-4mm 3.2g
