The big biga thread

Post your two-creature-drawn chariot coins here!


Philistis, wife of Hieron II
Greek AR 5 litrae
Syracuse 270-230 BCE, 4.46 gm, 18.1 mm
Obv: Diademed and veiled head, l., palm branch behind.
Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΑΣ ΦΙΛΙΣΤΙΔΟΣ, Nike driving biga to left, E in l. field.
Refs: SNG ANS 893; SNG III (Lockett) 1017; Forrer 196



L. Mussidius Longus
Roman Republican AR denarius
Rome mint, 42 BC 17.0 mm; 3.5 gm
Obv: Bust of Marc Antony's 3rd wife, Fulvia, as Victory, r., draped.
Rev: L MVSSIDIVS LONGVS, Victory in biga, r., holding reins.
Refs: Sear 1517; BMCRR 4229; RRC 494/40; Sydenham 1095; RSC Mussidia 4; Banti Mussidia 613.



Julia Domna, AD 193-217
Roman AR denarius, 3.07 g, 20.6 mm, 12:00
Rome mint under Caracalla, AD 215
Obv: IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG, bare-headed and draped bust, right
Rev: LVNA LVCIFERA, Luna in biga of horses, galloping right, drapery billowing behind head
Refs: RIC 379c; BMCRE 10; Cohen 105; RCV 7101; Hill 1477.

 

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This should be a fun pile-on thread

EDITED, sort of: I didn't see that you specified horse biga . Hmm. Well hippocamps are sea horses and centaurs are part horse. The cupids, well... I'm going to leave them in anyway .

Hippocamp biga:


ROMAN REPUBLIC, Moneyer Q. Crepereius M.f. Rocus
69 BCE (revised from Crawford's 72 BCE)
AR serrate denarius; 3.99 gm
Obv: draped bust of Amphitrite seen from behind, with head turned r.; behind, sea anemone; horizontal I to right of right shoulder (only partly visible on this coin)
Rev: Neptune in biga of hippocamps right, holding reins and brandishing trident; above, I and below, Q·CREPER·M·F / ROCVS
Ref: Crawford 399/1b; Babelon Crepereia 1. Sydenham 796a. Rare.
from HJB BBS 200, October 2016
ex NAC 78 lot 1828, from the JD Collection of Roman Republican Coins

Centaur biga:


EGYPT, Alexandria. Domitian
RY 14 (CE 94/5)
Æ drachm, 36 mm, 25.42 gm
Obv: Laureate head right
Rev: The Emperor driving biga of centaurs right., raising hand and holding scepter and reins; in exergue, L IΔ
Ref: Dattari-Savio Pl. 17, 453 (this coin); Geissen 406 (this coin cited); RPC 2704 (this coin cited)
ex Dattari collection (Giovanni Dattari, 1858-1923)


ROMAN REPUBLIC, M. Aurelius Cotta
139 BCE
AR Denarius, 20 mm, ? gm (can't find my scale right at the moment )
Obv: helmeted head of Roma right; X (mark of value) behind; COTA before; dotted border
Rev: Hercules carrying a club, driving biga of centaurs right; centaurs each carrying a branch; M·AVRELI (AVR is ligate); in exergue, ROMA; line border
Ref: Crawford 229/1b; Sydenham 429; Aurelia 16
formerly slabbed, NGC bulk submission holder, "VF"

Cupid biga (one of my favorite coins):


Roman Republic
moneyer L. Julius L. f. Caesar, 103 BC
AR denarius, 17mm, 3.9 gm
Obv: Helmeted head of Mars left; CAESAR; ・C (retrograde)
Rev: Venus Genetrix in chariot left, drawn by two Cupids; lyre to left; ・C (retrograde) above
Ref: Crawford 320/1
ex RBW Collection

 

Nice ones!



152 BC* L Saufeius
Helmeted head of Roma right X behind

Rev. victory in biga right L SAVF VF in monogram
ROMA below

152 BC

Sear 83



C. Porcius Cato
Helmeted head of Roma right X behind

Victory in biga right
C CATO below ROMA in Ex.

Rome, 123 BC

3.88g

Sear 149, Crawford 274/1, Sydenham 417


108-109 BC L. Flaminius Cilo
Helmeted head of Roma right
X below chin ROMA behind

Victory in Biga right holding wreath
L FLAMINI below
CILO in ex

Rome 109-108 BC
Sear 179, RRC 302/1, RSC Flaminia 1

Wonderful toning on this example
ex-Arcade Coins

 

Those are lovely! And for fun, let's allow other creatures. I've edited the OP accordingly.

 

By allow, do you mean all types of bigas? Because I have others . I'm short on straight horse bigas though.

 

Yes. Having trouble posting and editing on my phone.

So bring on the snake bigas and such !

 

Thanks!

Goat biga:


Roman Republic fourrée mule denarius
L. Antestius Gragulus, 136 BCE, and C. Renius, 138 BCE
ancient forgery, 3.18 gm
Obv: Roma helmeted head right, * below chin, GRAG behind
Rev: Juno Caprotina in a biga of goats, C・RENI below, ROMA in exergue
Ref: Obverse S.115, Cr.238/1, Syd.451, RSC Antestia 9; Reverse S.108, Cr.231/1, Syd.432, RSc Renia 1
Writeup of this coin is here.

Winged serpent biga:


EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius
year 14, CE 150/1
AE drachm, 34 mm, 28.8 gm
Obv: Laureate bust of Antoninus Pius left
Rev: Triptolemos driving biga of winged serpents right; L IΔ above
Ref: Emmett 1683.14

This one is hard to make out, but that's Triptolemos sitting on a wheelchair-ish biga drawn by serpents:

ATTICA, Athens. Eleusis mint
Eleusinian festival coinage
340-335 BC
AE16
Obv: Triptolemos, seated left in a winged chariot drawn by two snakes
Rev: Pig standing right on mystic staff, bucranium below
Ref: SNG Cop 415

 

It's a fouree, but here's a deer biga!

Anonymous Republican Denarius, fouree
Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right; behind, X.
Reverse: Diana, with quiver on shoulder, in biga of stags right, holding reins in left hand and torch in right hand; below, crescent; in exergue, ROMA.
18mm, 2.84g, circa 143 BC

 

BIGAS? I have beau coup of them. But here is a cross-section:


Roman Republic AR Denarius 149 BCE Pinarius Natta Roma X - Victory Biga whip NATTA ROMA Cr 208-1 Syd 390


Bruttium AE 17 Semuncia 214-211 2nd Punic Nike Zeus Biga


Samnium Aesernia 263-240 BC AE 20 Vulcan Pilos Tongs Jupiter Biga


RR L and C Memmius L F Galeria 87 BCE AR Denarius Saturn harpa EX S C Venus driving Biga Cupid above Sear 262 Craw 349-1


RR Allius Bala 92 BCE AR Den Diana Biga Stags Sear 221 Craw336-1 scarce


RR C Renius AR Denarius 18mm 3.8g Roma 138 BC Helmeted hd Roma r X - C RENI ROMA Juno driving biga goats r whip reins scepter Cr 231-1


Syracuse Tyrant Gelon 458-478 BCE AR Tet 24mm 16.7g Slow Biga Victory Artemus-Arethusa 4 dolphins Sear-Greek 914

 

Bodacious bigae!

I'll just admire and be a bit blue since I have no biga to share.

(Glad I caught the bigae auto-correct before posting)

 

..don't feel lonely D.. i ain't got one either..got a quad but no biga...so, is this the spectators roll?!?...

 

I already posted all of my biga's. How about the rare triga?



110 BC Ap Claudius Pulcher, T Mallius and Q Urbinius

Head of Roma right quadrangular device containing circle behind

Rev. Victory in triga right
AP CL T MAL Q VR
(MAL and VR in monogram)

Sear 176
Rome 11/110 BC

This coin depicts the rare three horse chariot the triga. The only other example being on a serrated denarii of C. Naevius Balbus in the time of Sulla

 

Dooooaah! I love Trigas!

I understand the third horse was an older horse to help train the other two young horses. The third older horse, already trained on a Biga or Quadriga, served to calm and guide the younger horses.


RR Naevius Balbus 79 BCE AR Den Venus SC TRIGA Sulla Sear 309 Cr 382-1


RR Pulcher Mallius Mancinus Urbinius 111-110 BCE AR Den TRIGA Sear 176 Cr 299-1a


RR Clodius Pulcher T Mallius AR Den 111-110 BCE ERROR Flipover Double-Strike Roma Triga Cr 299-1b Sear 176

 

I'll contribute Steve's mighty oxen biga...


CARACALLA
Scarce. AR Antoninianus. 5.19g, 24mm. Rome mint, AD 215. RIC 245c; BMCRE 121. O: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: P M TR P XVIII COS IIII P P, Luna in biga of oxen galloping left, fold of drapery billowing in semicircle around head.
Ex stevex6 Collection, CNG E-sale 297 (27 Feb 2013) lot 436; Ex CNG E-sale 186 (16 Apr 2008) lot 197

 

..ain't that what a person from Joisey called Roy Rogers horse ??

 

Headless horse biga.

Syracuse: Hieron I (478-467 BC), tetradrachm