The Ghost of Elagabalus

I've also wondered what that thing is and envision it as a club-like stick with bells or other bell-like metal bits attached, perhaps Syrian version of a sistrum-- something musical and percussive to be used during Elagabalus's Sun God rituals.

I've posted lengthy Fruitcake Pride parades in many past CT threads so I'll just show a couple of Elagabalus coins here . I have no cool die clashes though.


EGYPT, Alexandria. Elagabalus
tetradrachm, 24 mm, 13.27 gm
regnal year 4
Obv: laureate head right
Rev: Elagabalus standing right and empress (Aquilia Severa or Annia Faustina) standing left, each holding scepter, clasping right hands; L ∆ across field
Ref: Köln –; Dattari (Savio) 4098; K&G 56.43; Emmett 2929.4 (R4)


PHOENICIA, Tyre. Elagabalus
CE 218-222
AE29, 13.4 gm
Obv: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: Dido building Carthage; she stands to front before the arched gate of the city, looking left, holding a rule and transverse sceptre; above the gate, a mason at work, [below, a man digging with pick]; murex shell in upper field, palm tree to right
Ref: Rouvier 2375; BMC 409; AUB 245; Price & Trell 748
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-the-building-of-carthage.254625/


(Yay, I finally have internet service again and can catch up on the last week of CT posts )

 

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I agree that it's not the club of Hercules (nitpicky note - I think you meant to say "coins of Caracalla" in the quote above; interestingly, Elagabalus issued no imperial coins with a Hercules reverse), but I still don't see a branch. I like your suggestion that it's a "cypress-wood rod", but the question remains if the difference between RIC 52 and RIC 53 is a meaningful one...

I think if the intention was to represent the difference between our examples and ones that look more naturally branch-like (see this one below, which is not my coin), I would suggest they're just stylistic variations of the same thing, whatever it is!

 

Yes, you're right. Meant to be coins of Caracalla.

 

I finally managed to cross the Emesa Stone type of Elagabalus off of my list after a long hunt, with the coin arriving this morning from a private purchase, hot off the photography presses. I like this particular coin in part for its pedigree, Ex. Mazzini and Ex. Sir John Evans, the father of Sir Arthur Evans, the archaeologist who excavated the ruins of Knossos (albeit controversially).

The romantic in me imagines his father showing him this aureus as a child, teaching him about the history, and having this coin be a part of his interest in history (and eventual coin collecting).




"Few emperors are known almost exclusively for their peculiarities and perversions, but on the short list of qualified applicants, Elagabalus rises to the top. The 19th Century antiquarian S.W. Stevenson, ever a delight for his artfully delivered comments, did not fail to deliver in his summary of Elagabalus whom he called : "...the most cruel and infamous wretch that ever disgraced humanity and polluted a throne..."

Elagabalus and his family had lived in Rome during the reign of Caracalla, who was rumored to have been Elagabalus' natural father. When Caracalla was murdered, his prefect and successor, Macrinus, recalled the family to their homeland of Syria. Upon arriving, Elagabalus assumed his role as hereditary priest of the Emesan sun-god Heliogabalus. For the Roman soldiers in the vicinity, who engaged in the common practice of solar worship, and who had fond memories of the slain Caracalla, Elagabalus was an ideal candidate for emperor.

He soon was hailed emperor against Macrinus, who was defeated in a pitched battle just outside Antioch. Conservative Rome was introduced to their new emperor's eccentricities and religious fervor when they learned of his overland journey from Emesa to Rome, with a sacred meteorite in tow. The journey, which consumed a year or more, in this collection is depicted on one aureus which shows the sacred conical stone of Emesa - in all likelihood a meteorite - being transported in a chariot drawn by four horses. The stone usually is emblazoned with an eagle, which on the Rome piece is uncommonly bold."

 

kaBOOM!

Congrats on this marvelous acquisition

 

Congrats Joe! Gorgeous and fantastic AV coin! "All Hail the Royal Potato in Chariot!"

 

Another terrific acquisition, AJ. Great example of an iconic type (I recall it made Berk's list of his 100 Greatest Ancient coins). Congrats!

 

A great purchase. You should be very proud.

 

That is a great reverse with clear eagle on the stone! Is that a die break on the laurel wreath?

 

A breathtaking coin!

 

Thanks! And yes, it is a die break in the laurel wreath. One of the other examples from the same pair of dies exhibits the same break - when I was researching the type to come up with a price, I had to double take originally as I thought they were the same coin at a glance:

 

This one has always confused me (a normal enough state of affairs). Similar to the OP coin, but what Elagabalus is holding almost looks more like a thunderbolt than a branch or club. Also there is no trace of a star in the reverse fields. Engraver's error or just a non-official imitation with good style?

Elagabalus, 218 – 222 AD. AR Denarius (20mm, 2.06g, 6h). Rome Mint, struck 222 AD. Obv: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG; Laureate and cuirassed bust right with slight beard. Rev: PM TRP V COS IIII P P; Elagabalus standing left, sacrificing over lighted altar, holding patera and branch (?).

 

Interesting without the star. It's not in RIC or BMCRE.

 

Curtis Clay explained in previous FORVM posts that we have several examples of reverse dies of Elagabalus that have been altered to move the star from behind the emperor to in front of the emperor. To quote: "The star apparently stood for his sun god, to whom the emperor was depicted sacrificing, and therefore it should have been placed before him...". Mint officials were paying attention to the placement of the star, which makes this coin odd. When I see such odd coins my first assumption is that this might not be a production of an official mint.

 

This portrait has the horn also. You just have to look closely. Here's also the Temple of Elagabalus which supposedly kept the stone.



Ruler: Elagabalus (Augustus)
Coin: VF Silver Denarius
IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG - Laureate, horned, draped bust right.
INVICTVS SACERDOS AVG - Elagabalus, in Syrian priestly robes, standing left, sacrificing out of patera in right hand over tripod, holding club in left hand; behind tripod, bull lying down; in field, star
Exergue:



Mint: Rome (218-222 AD)
Wt./Size/Axis: 2.77g / 18.6mm / 12h
References:
RIC 88b
RSC 61
BMC 212
Provenances:
Ex. Richard Weigel

 

Dear benhur767!

Thank you for your posting. I love it!

This is a very interesting thread. And I was engaged in the question "club or cypress" a long time. From Nikopolis ad Istrum I have coins were the so-called club doesn't match the picture of clubs as we know them from coins.

Coin #1
Nikopolis, Elagabal, Hristova/Hoeft/Jekov (2018) 8.26.8.12

Here the object on the rev. doesn't look like a usual club. There are too much knobs, looking like the "knobbly cypress pinecones" as in the image above.

Coin #2:
Nikopolis, Elagabal, HrHJ (2018) 8.26.14.10


Here the depiction is very different. It looks more like a plant, a twig with lateral sprouts. And exactly that Pick (AMNG) writes of the same type for Macrinus: "Stalk of a plant(?)"

I have found a citation in H.R. Baldus Uranius Antoninus, 1971, p.274, note 56:
"...in his left arm the High Priest carried a Cypress twig, often misunderstood as club (cf. the famous Palmyrene altar in the Musei Capitolini/Rome: The Birth of Malakbel from a Cypress"

Malakbel was the Palmyrene sun god. And voila, there we have the connection to the sun god cult in Emesa!

The Cypress tree is known as an age-old symbol for immortality and matches in this way better an religious Cult.

Jochen

 

This coin has a double strike error on the reverse. One can see part of the pearled border perpendicular to where it should have been struck. Double struck ancient coins are fairly common, as they were hand struck without any collar holding the coin in place so the coin could easily move when being struck.

Elagabalus - Invictus Sacerdos, Denarius
Rome, 220 - 222 AD
17 mm, 3.42 g
Ref.: RIC IV Elagabalus 88b;
Ob.: IMP ANTONINVS PI(V)S AVG Laureate and draped bust right
Rev.: INVI(CT)VS SACERDOS A(VG) Elagabalus standing left, sacrificing over altar, holding patera in r. hand and club in l., bull lying down behind altar; in left field star

​

 

If there would be space for just one Elagabalus coin in a time capsule for future civilizations, this Aureus would be a worthy representative! Good to have you here, AJ, and thank you for showing your golden masterpieces

No Sestertius in this thread yet! So here is mine, an early specimen with a portrait of classical style, celebrating his Victory over Macrinus:



IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS PIVS AVG - laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Elagabalus right.
VICTORIA ANTONINI AVG S C - Victory advancing right, holding wreath and palm branch.
Sestertius, Rome 218-219
30,22 mm / 20,15 gr
RIC 377; BMCRE 362; Cohen 297; Sear 7582

 

Elagabalus denarius

Obv:– IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate, horned, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev:– INVICTVS SACERDOS AVG, Elagabalus standing holding patera over an altar and branch. Star in right field. Horn on ground to his left
Minted in Rome. A.D. 222
Reference– BMC 209 note. RIC 87 (where it is rated Common citing Cohen). RSC III 58. Cohen 58 (illustrated with star in right field) valued at 50 Fr. No examples in RD.

ex Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG Sale 42, Lot 379, 20th November 2007, ex Barry Feirstein Collection, previously privately purchased from Harlan J. Berk.

21 mm. 3.11 gms. 0 degrees