Antoninus Pius, AD 138-161 Roman orichalcum sestertius; 22.64 gm, 31.5 mm, 12 h Rome, AD 149 Obv: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XII, laureate bust right, slight drapery on left shoulder Rev: TEMPORVM FELICITAS, COS IIII in exergue, S C across field, crossed cornucopiae from which a grape bunch flanked by two grain ears hang, surmounted by confronted busts of two children Refs: RIC 857; BMCRE 1827-29; Cohen 813; RCV 4236; Strack 1026; Banti 411. This sestertius of Antoninus Pius can be dated to his 12th tribunician year, which lasted from Feb 25, AD 149 to Feb 24, AD 150. The type is widely accepted to commemorate the birth of a male heir to Marcus Aurelius and Faustina II. It bears the inscription TEMPORVM FELICITAS ("happiness of these times"), because this birth meant that dynastic continuity was guaranteed. One of the two children depicted on the coin is believed to have been this male heir. He was not the couple's first child; it is generally agreed that Faustina II bore a girl in AD 147, the occasion on which Faustina received the title of Augusta. The problem is that we don't know the identity of the children on this sestertius of Antoninus Pius with certainty. Therefore, there is disagreement between authors as to who they might be. Mattingly and Sydenham write in RIC III, "The bust of twins in cornuacopiae, with the legend 'Temporum Felicitas,' appears to record the birth of twin children to Marcus Aurelius and Faustina II."[1] They identify these children as "two little boys" in the catalog listing of the coin.[2] The authors do not speculate as to the names of the children. Strack[3] appears to be the source of the common belief in the numismatic community[4] that the infants represent T. Aelius Antoninus and T. Aurelius Antoninus, twin sons of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina Junior born in that year. The historian Birley would seem to agree; he states that the infants were buried in the Mausoleum of Hadrian, where their epitaphs survive, and notes they were called Titus Aurelius Antoninus and Tiberius Aelius Aurelius.[5] However, Mattingly, writing in BMCRE without Sydenham, states of the two children on the coin, "it seems certain Lucilla was one of the two."[6, 7] David Vagi[8] identifies the male child -- and thus the heir -- as Aurelius Antoninus and being the twin, not of Aelius Aurelius, but of Lucilla. Sear concurs, stating, "Twins were born to the Caesar Marcus Aurelius and Faustina Junior in AD 149, one of them the future empress Lucilla, and this type may commemorate the event."[9] Indeed, the child on the right appears to be depicted as a girl, for on some issues of this reverse type, she wears a diadem. See, for example, these specimens in the collection of the British Museum: BMCRE 4, p. 97, 679[10] BMCRE 4, p.298, 1828[11] And the coin sold in the aforementioned CNG Triton VIII sale[4]: Not only does the child above the cornucopiae on the right wear a diadem, but the child also looks to be about two years old, whereas the child on the left appears to be a newborn. One would think there would be widespread consensus on which children were born to Marcus Aurelius and Faustina in AD 149, but answering this question turns out to be surprisingly difficult because no ancient author tells us how many children Marcus and Faustina had, when they were born, what their names were, and how long they lived. There are a few names and dates in these written sources, and some more in surviving inscriptions such as the Ostian Fasti and epitaphs of deceased children from Hadrian's Tomb. Pace Birley, but the epitaphs in Hadrian's tomb do not list birth years for the children buried therein. Noted numismatist, @curtislclay , offers a new interpretation of the crossed cornucopias type. He believes it "commemorated the birth of a second child to Marcus and Faustina, a boy, during Antoninus' 12th tribunician year" (Feb. 25, AD 149 to Feb. 24, AD 150. He rightly notes "there is no need to assume that the crossed cornucopias type must refer to the birth of twins," and postulates "the child on the right is instead the first child of Marcus and Faustina, the girl born on 30 Nov. 147, who is accordingly sometimes shown with longer hair in the coin type; the baby on the left is the second child, a boy, born according to the coin type in 149-50. Because this baby was a boy and potential successor, his birth was commemorated on Antoninus' coinage, which had in contrast taken no notice of the birth of his older sister two years earlier."[12] Clay then provides numismatic evidence, based upon the dates of Marcus Aurelius' tribunician authority, that Lucilla was born in Antoninus' 14th tribunician year, which began on Feb 25, AD 151. Because we know from ancient sources that Lucilla was born on March 7 (but not which year), Clay deduces she would have been born on March 7, AD 151, and hence cannot be depicted on the coins under discussion.[13] I think Curtis Clay's theory is the best one, for it would explain why the figure on the right appears to be female on many specimens even though the evidence would indicate Lucilla was not even born in 149, when the coin was issued. Who do you think are depicted on these coins? As always, feel free to post whatever you feel is relevant! ~~~ Notes: 1. Mattingly, Harold and Edward A. Sydenham. The Roman Imperial Coinage. III, Spink, 1930, p. 10. 2. Ibid., p. 133. 3. Strack, Paul L. Untersuchungen Zur Romischen Reichspragung Des Zweiten Jahrhunderts. Kohlhammer, 1937, pp. 113-18. 4. See, for example, the notes in the listings for this coin in Numismatik Naumann's Auction 53, May 7, 2017 or CNG Triton VIII, Jan. 11, 2005. 5. Birley, Anthony R. Marcus Aurelius: A Biography. New York: Routledge, 1966, rev. 1987, pp. 206–07. 6. Mattingly, Harold. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. Vol. 4, British Museum, 1940, p. lxvii, n.4. 7. Note, however, that the BMC listing of this coin online states each of the infants is a "little boy." 8. Vagi, David L. Coinage and History of the Roman Empire. Vol. 1, Coinworld, 1999, p. 246. 9. Sear, David R. Roman Coins and Their Values. II, Spink, 2002, p. 229. 10. Which may be viewed at the British Museum's online collection here. 11. Which may be viewed at the British Museum's online collection here. 12. Clay, Curtis L. Reply #1 to “Twins of Marcus Aurelius.” Forum Ancient Coins, 17 Aug. 2014, 04:25:05 pm, www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=97313.0. 13. Ibid, replies #4, 5 and 8.
Excellent coin! I like a good numismatic mystery. Curtis's explanation seems to me the most plausible.
Very cool write up, coin and emerald green patina! What a mystery??? From what I've read, I'm with you and Curtis Clay. Using what little we know and by just observing the coin it just makes the most sense...for now! I don't have the SaWeeT reverse but will share my Antoninus Pius... Antoninus Pius (138-161 AD). AR Denarius (18 mm, 3.39 g), Roma (Rome), 153- 154 AD. Obv. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XVII, laureate head right. Rev. COS IIII, Vesta standing holding simpulum and Palladium. RIC III, 229b Edit: ps, as stated earlier, this was a very fun read and we'll put together. How do we nominate it to be featured? Mods?
