Gordian III AE of Hadrianopolis w/ River God

Thanks for posting those... very interesting! One of my favorite coins with a river-god reverse dates to well after the last provincial coins were struck. On this occasion, the anachronistic use of the pagan motif served the political purpose of Constantine, to advertise the fact that he had granted his nephew Hanniballianus the title Rex Regum et Ponticarum Gentium (King of Kings and of the Pontic Peoples), and essentially giving Shapur II of Persia the numismatic equivalent of a slap in the face.


HANNIBALLIANUS, as Rex Regum
AE4. 1.48g, 16mm. Constantinople mint, AD 336-337. RIC VII 147; LRBC 1034, Cohen 2. O: FL HANNIBALLIANO REGI, bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right. R: SE-CVRITAS PVBLICA, Euphrates seated right on ground, holding sceptre, overturned urn at his side, from which waters flow, reed in background; CONSS in exergue.

 

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You're killing me, Z! Another fascinating winner

Edited: I forgot about these Byzantine river gods. They're scrappy but interesting. You have to really know what you're looking for to see the river god .



Justin I
CE 518-527
AE Pentanummium, Antioch. Diameter of each is ~13 mm.
Obv: DN IVSTINVS PP AV; pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right
Rev: Tyche of Antioch, turreted, seated left within columned shrine with half submerged figure of river-god Orontes swimming at her feet; retrograde epsilon to left
Ref: SB 111, DOC 57

 

I really need one of those! I love the irony of the fact that the same reverse was used for the Antioch's Maximinus II-era 'Christian Persecution Issues' as well as these Byzantine ones two hundred years later. How cool are ancient coins?