Gordian III AE of Hadrianopolis w/ River God

Here is a beauty I acquired from another forum member. It is my first Hadrian provincial, and a nice theme to boot as I didn't have any coins with river Gods on them. The obverse is a little off center and the coin does have circulation wear and mild porosity, but for now uncommon these are and the high prices they usually go for, I'm not complaining. I got a heck of a deal on this one...There are some on vcoins.com in worse shape (broken coins, etc) selling for double what this cost me.


Thrace, Hadrianopolis. Gordian III. A.D. 238-244. Æ (24 mm, 8.54 g, 6 h). AVT K M AN[T] ΓOPΔIANOC (AVΓ), laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian III right / AΔPIAN-O-ΠO-ΛEITΩN, the river-god Hebrus reclining left on overturned vase from which water flows, holding reed and rudder. Youroukova 470 (V230/R456); Varbanov 3836. Brown patina, light porosity.


Well, show off your Gordian, river gods, coins from Hadrianopolis, etc.

 

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Provincials are so interesting! Congrats on your lovely river god provincial.

I have one provincial river god, a grubby Elagabalus from Moesia Inferior:


MOESIA INFERIOR. Nikopolis ad Istrum
Elagabalus , CE 218-222
AE 26 mm, 11.1 gm
Obv: AYT K M AYP ANTΩNEINOC. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: VΠ NOBIOV POVΦOV NIKOΠOΛITΩN ΠPOC ICTPON. River-god reclining right, holding branch; prow at side
Ref: Varbanov 4055
ex Falter Collection, Nature Gods

Two Gordian IIIs from Hadrianopolis:


THRACE, Hadrianopolis. Gordian III
AE 22 mm, 5.18 gm
Obv: AVT K M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC; radiate head right
Rev: AΔPIANOΠOΛЄITΩN; Pan advancing left, holding syrinx and lagobolon
Ref: Varbanov 3945 corr. (cantharus in place of syrinx). Very rare.


THRACE, Hadrianopolis. Gordian III
AE 18 mm, 2.59 gm
Obv: AVT K M ANT ΓORΔIANOC AVΓ; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: AΔPIANOΠOΛEITΩN; ostrich running like @@stevex6 is chasing it with a basting brush
Ref: Varbanov 3833, rare

 

Super posts!! Great pick-up @Sallent !!! LOVE river gods!!!

Can anyone come up with cooler examples than TIF's ??? Not me

But, here's one from the region....Serapis with his 'thinking pot' on his head


Bronze assarion, H-H-J Nikopolis 8.26.6.6 (R2, same dies), Varbanov I 3825 (R3, same dies), AMNG I/I 2018, SNG Cop -, EF, centered, green patina with a few coppery high spots, Nicopolis ad Istrum (Nikyup, Bulgaria) mint, weight 3.726g, maximum diameter 17.8mm, die axis 180o, obverse AVT M AVPH - ANΩNINO-C, laureate head right; reverse NIKOΠOΛITΩN ΠPOCICTPON, draped bust of Serapis right, wearing kalathos.

 

i always dig a good river god!

the little fellow on this one below tyche is one of my favorites...

 

I have a Hadrianopolis coin and a river god coin, but not a river god coin from Hadrianopolis.


Faustina Jr, AD 147-175
Roman provincial Æ 22.4 mm, 6.54 g
Thrace, Hadrianopolis
Obv: ΦΑVCΤΙΝΑ CΕΒΑCΤH, pearl-diademed and draped bust, right
Rev: ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ, Hera veiled, standing in front of altar, holding patera and scepter
Refs: Moushmov 2532; Varbanov 1631, SNG Cop 558; BMC --


Septimius Severus, AD 193-211
Roman provincial Æ 25.2 mm, 9.95 g
Moesia Inferior, Nicopolis ad Istrum
Obv: ΑVΤ CΕΠΤ CΕVΗΡ ΠΕΡ, laureate head, right
Rev: VΠ ΑVΡ ΓΑΛΛΟV ΝΙΚΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ / ΠΡΟC ΙCΤΡ, River god Hemus reclining left, seated on cliff, r. hand over head, l. arm leaning on tree and holding spear, bear below, AIMOC before.
Refs: Moushmov 1023, AMNG (Pick) 1315

 

My River God... Man-Faced-Bull, Achelous!


Campania Neapolis 320-300 BC AR Nomos Nymph Achelous
(It's UPGRADE time!!!)


Sicily Gela AR Litra Horse-Achelous 0.63g 13mm 465-450 BCE HGC 2 p 373


Campania AE Apollo-Achelous -275-250BCE PLATE COIN 3 KNOWN RARE SNG ANS 474 - Listed Potamikon pg 232 Plate 343

 

Thats a neat find

 

Two of the oddest iconographical reflexes of the river god motif can be found in Ravenna in the Arian and Neonian Baptistries. Both baptistries depict the baptism of Christ in a dome mosaic. We obviously see Jesus (in full frontal nudity, which would embarrass later prudish Christians), John the Baptist, and...THE RIVER JORDAN AS AN OLD MAN! So here is the Jordan "river god" present at the baptism of Christ! Clearly by the fourth century the motif had become thoroughly conventional and the river symbol no longer held divine status. But these mosaics demonstrate just how hard it was to stamp out these pagan motifs, or better yet, how resourceful / heterodox early Christian artists were in adapting pagan motifs for their own purposes.

 

Wow-- fascinating!

 

Fascinating stuff! It can also be argued that the Roman pantheon influenced the Catholic idea of patron saints.

 

It's mind blowing to think such complex images are made up of thousands of little colorful stones. Must have taken tremendous amounts of talent and time to do that.

 

Thanks. It's amazing just how many interesting coins are out there waiting to be discovered.

 

Nice OP Sallent! Oh the life of a river-god.


Syria, Commagene, Samosata. Antoninus Pius AE24
Obv: ΑΥΤΟ ΚΑΙ ΤΙ ΑΙΛ ΑΔΡΙ ΑΝΤΩΝΕΙΝΟΣ ΣΕΒ ΕΥΣΕ / laureate-headed bust of Antoninus Pius wearing (cuirass and) paludamentum, r.
Rev: Φ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤ ΙΕΡ ΑΣΥ ΑΥΤΟΝΟ ΜΗΤΡΟ ΚΟΜ / turreted Tyche seated on rock, l., holding poppy and two ears of corn, resting arm on rock, resting foot on swimming river-god (Euphrates).



Uncertain AE16 / River-God

 

AKARNANIA, FEDERAL COINAGE
AE20
OBVERSE: Head of Herakles r., wearing lion's skin headdress
REVERSE: Head of the river god Archelous r.; magistrate's name AGHTWP
Struck at Leukas 200-167 BC
4.6g, 20 mm
BCD Akarnania 38; Gross-McClean 5394; MSP I, 464.
Ex Failla Numismatics

 

Another photo of the OP coin

 

Nice ... cool coin Lawyer Sallent ... yah, I love the river-God coins (super cool)

Ummm, I think I have at least one example ...

Trajan

 

That's really awesome - thanks for bringing it up! I love these sorts of things.

 

I do not have any river gods or any from your city. @Sallent you're on quite a roll! @TIF those are just super! I love provincials. They might just be my favorite.

 

Nice one, Sallent... lots of eye appeal. I love these river-god reverses... those dudes looked like they knew how to chill.
The Boss, aka Nilus:

ANTONINUS PIUS
AE Drachm. 22.17g, 35mm. EGYPT, Alexandria, RY 9 (145/6 AD). Dattari (Savio) 8632; Emmett 1621.9. O: AVT K T AIL ADR ANTWNINOC CEBEVC, laureate head right. R: Nilus reclining left, holding reed and cornucopia from which emerges a Genius; crocodile below, L ENATOV (date) around.

This dark beauty from Hadrianopolis made me very happy when it arrived a few days ago:

GETA
AE27. 11.72g, 27.6mm. THRACE, Hadrianopolis, circa AD 209-211. Varbanov 3684. O: AVT K Π CEΠT-MIOC ΓETAC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: AΔPIANO-ΠOΛITΩN, Herakles holding club, opening a can of whoopass on the Lernean Hydra.

 

Wowie... great coin!