Mother's Day: Post any ancient moms

In celebration of Mother's Day, please post any coin depicting an ancient mother. And happy Mother's Day to all moms out there.


Salonina
AR Antoninianus
Obverse : SALONINA AVG - Diademed and draped bust right.
Reverse :FELICITAS PVBLICA - Felicitas seated left, holding caduceus and cornucopia.
Date : 257-258 AD
Diameter : 24.29 mm
Weight : 3.35 g
References : RIC 6

 

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Yeah, happy Mother's Day (in the U.S.).

Julia Avita Mamaea, mother of Severus Alexander

 

Faustina Jr. (147 - 175 A.D.)
Egypt, Alexandria
Billon Tetradrachm
O: Draped bust right
R:Isis Pharia standing right, holding sistrum and billowing sail; L I Z (Year 17) across field.
Stuck 153-154 A.D.
12g
23mm
Dattari (Savio) 3250; K&G 38.86; Emmett 1949.17.

Ex. Roma Numismatics E-Sale 16; Lot 306. Feb. 28, 2015
Ex. Gorny & Mosch Giessener Münzhandlung Auction 247; Lot 4627. March 10, 2017

 

The mother of all Roman mothers, of course, was the very fertile Faustina II. When I get back to my computer, I'll post some Faustina childbirth issues.

 

The original Mater patriae (and of Tiberius)!



Livia
Æ23 of Alexandria, Egypt.
Year 41 (= AD 11/12).
Draped bust r. / Oak-wreath
enclosing date. RPC 5061.
10.04g, 24mm

Though you could argue the "real" 1st mother of Rome was a royal "B" word. Here she is feeding those twins...

 

The wicked witch from the east & a son only she could love ( which she clearly did )
Caracalla & Julia Domna - Markianopolis


We have already had our mothers day, good quality chocolate and cash always does the trick.

 

As promised, here are some coins celebrating the fabulous fecundity of Faustina II. She is thought to have had 12 or 13 children:

Here's a sestertius issued by her dad, Antoninus Pius, in honor of Faustina giving birth to a baby boy, who might have been the heir to the throne had he not died in childhood. It bears the reverse inscription TEMPORVM FELICITAS, "the happiness of the times," and features two of Faustina's children:



Over time, she had more children, as depicted on the reverse types celebrating FECVNDITAS, the Roman personification of fertility, and TEMPOR FELIC, "the happiness of the times," depicting Fecunditas surrounded by and/or holding as many as five children.




She finally did deliver a male heir who would survive to adulthood, Commodus, here depicted on a throne with his twin brother:

 

Poppaea

A would be mom, but Nero had other plans.

The cause and timing of Poppaea's death is uncertain. According to Suetonius, while she was awaiting the birth of her second child in the summer of 65, she quarreled fiercely with Nero over his spending too much time at the races. In a fit of rage, Nero kicked her in the abdomen, causing her death.[8] Tacitus, on the other hand, places the death after the Quinquennial Neronia and claims Nero's kick was a "casual outburst." Tacitus also mentions that some writers (now lost) claimed Nero poisoned her, though Tacitus does not believe them.[9] Cassius Dio claims Nero leapt upon her belly, but admitted that he did not know if it was intentional or accidental.[10] Modern historians, though, keep in mind Suetonius', Tacitus', and Cassius Dio's severe biases against Nero and the impossibility of their knowing private events, and hence recognize that Poppaea may have died due to fatal complications of miscarriage or stillbirth.[11]

When Poppaea died in 65, Nero went into deep mourning. Poppaea's body was not cremated but embalmed after the Egyptian fashion. She was given a state funeral and divine honors, and entombed in an as yet unidentified "Tomb of the Julii". Nero supposedly burned a year's worth of Arabia's incense production at her funeral.


Poppaea (63 - 65 A.D.)
Billon tetradrachm
O: NEPΩ KΛAY KAIΣ ΣEB ΓEP AY, radiate head right.
R.ΠOΠΠAIA ΣEBAΣTH, draped bust of Poppaea right, date LI right (year 10).
Alexandria mint 63 - 64 A.D.
12.5g
25mm
Milne 216, Curtis 132, RPC I 5275, Geissen 157

Ex HJB

 

Loving Family
(hmmm... I kinda like The Roman Republic's History a little better...):

Mother of Nero, Killed by Nero:

RI Agrippina II 50-59 BCE AE 26mm Egypt Bust of Euthenia w Corn in Hair RPC 5188

Nero (such a loving boy):

RI Nero AR Tetradrachm 54-68 CE Eagle

Poppea - what @Mat said:

RI Poppea-Nero BI tetradrachm of Alexandria LI yr10 63-64 CE Milne 217 RPC 5275

 

Salonina

 

Here is a coin I've hardly ever shared, but would also be applicable today...Faustina the Elder

 

Fausta, mother of Constans, Constantius II and Constantine II.

 

Here's one of Galeria Valeria, wife of Galerius and daughter of Diocletian. While she had no children with Galerius she adopted his illegitimate son Candidianus and raised him as her own.

Upon Galerius' death she fled from the court of Licinius to that of Maximinus Daia. Upon Daia's death Licinius gave the order for her execution. She hid for a year but was discovered in Thessalonica. There the mob beheaded her and her body was thrown into the sea. Kind of a sad story folks.

 

One of my Faustina II coins.





And here is the Emperor Constantine VII with his mother beside him..

 

I have several issues of Faustina Junior with her babies, but since nice examples have already been posted I'll instead go with Antonia Minor, the mother of Claudius (and related in various ways to pretty much all the other Julio-Claudians):

 

Following up on Roman Collector's post celebrating Faustina II, here is one more coin showing her with more of the progeny for which she was so remarkable:


But let us not forget HER mother, Faustina I, whose celebrated maternal qualities extended to children not her own. I refer to the child welfare organization, Faustina's Girls, which was dedicated to fostering orphan/unwanted girls in Rome. After her death Antoninus commemorated it on a couple of coins in her honor, one of which was a denarius:
Reverse inscription PVELLAE FAUSTINIANAE (to the Girls of Faustina)

The complex scene is described in BMC as:
Antoninus seated l. [i.e. facing left] on platform with Faustina I standing l. beside him: both lean forward to welcome child carried in arms of man, togate, standing r. [i.e facing right]. below: in front of the platform another man, togate, is running l., pushing a second child in front of him.

 

..Happy Day Mothers!...(in all sincerity^^).. we wouldn't be here w/o ya!
..fertilus turtelus...Faustina the Younger..my latest addition to the Roman Sewing Circle..

 

Hope all you mother's have a great day today.

MACEDON

THESSALONICA
Tranquillina
Bronze. AD 238-244. 26mm, 12.11gm
Obv: CABINIA TPANKYΛΛΙΝΑ ΑΥΓ.
Diademed and draped bust right.

Rev: ΘΕCCΑΛΟΝΙΚΕΩΝ NEΩKOPΩN.
Tetrastyle temple seen in perspective to left ΠΥΘΙΑ below.


Cf. Varbanov 4657.
Rare.

 

A mom and her two lovely little boys.


JULIA DOMNA
AR Denarius. 3.0g, 19.5mm. Rome mint, AD 201. RIC 540; Vagi 1723; BMC 4. O: IVLIA AVGVSTA, draped bust right; hair elaborately waved. R: AETERNIT IMPERI, laureate and draped bust of Caracalla right, vis-à-vis bareheaded and draped bust of Geta left.
Ex Dr. Walter Neussel Collection