I Promise These Poppies Will Not Put You to Sleep ...

... unless you're not into minutiae!





I think I finally finished my mini modius collection. A few weeks ago I found a rare Vespasian modius variant denarius with six upright corn ears https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-modius-of-minutiae.320062/#post-3136398

And now I found another neat variant of the type!

Vespasian
AR Denarius, 2.92g
Rome mint, 77-78 AD
RIC 980 (C). BMC 217 corr. RSC 219.
Obv: CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG; Head of Vespasian, laureate, right.
Rev: IMP XIX across field; Modius, standing on three legs, containing one ear of corn upright, then two ears of corn bending r. and l. with poppy in between and two ears of corn hanging over the sides
Acquired from Münzen & Medaillen, July 2018. 'From an old Swiss collection'.

A rare variant of the modius type with poppies in between the corn ears. The variants with poppies tend to have longer corn ears than the common examples without them. The poppy in the Roman world was often a symbol of abundance and fertility, so it is quite fitting to see them symbolically stored in a modius alongside corn ears. Lord Byron would approve.

NB: BMC 217 has the poppies on either side of the upright corn ear.

Post your poppies!

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Very interesting, David. I had no idea that poppies lurked in the modii. Sorry to say I have none to share. Your post did make me check my collection, and all I could find was this non-poppy modius:

 

Vespasian denarius / FIDES PVBL, clasped hands holding caduceus, two poppies, and two grain ears. Being from the USA, I prefer to avoid the British term 'corn' for grain in general.

 

Great post, David! I find it interesting that there is not more information about the use of opioids by the ancient civilizations. I did a quick search for "opioid use by the ancient Romans" and Marcus Aurelius's name kept coming up. Anyway, here is my Herod the Great poppy pod. Also interesting is the caduceus-like symbol (doctor's symbol) appears on the obverse side of the coin. It's possible that misuse of opioid medicine was condemned by society in those times.

 

Another poppy and corn container. This container is called a "kalathos".


Aiolis, Elaia AKA Elaea, Hadrian (117-138 AD), AE15 2.78g
Obv: [ΑΥ ΤΡ]ΑΙΑ [ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟС]; Bust
Rev: ΕΛΑΙΤΩΝ; Kalathos containing poppy heads and grain ears
Ref: Lindgren and Kovacs 407, RPC vol. III 1886
ex Alex G. Malloy, Auction LXIII, November 2001, lot 296

 

Mine's not in the greatest condition but a poppy nonetheless!

Aiolis. Elaea. Nero. Laureate head right / Poppy between two grain ears.



Better examples (not mine, unfortunately) at ACSearch

 

Unusual topic, but timely for me. This one just arrived but here's the seller photo.
Unfortunately, something nipped the lion.

Chersonesos

In case you're missing it, the poppy is in the lower quadrant on the reverse.

 

Nice full modius full, @David Atherton! Here is my worn Hadrian middle denomination poppies:


Hadrian, AE As, Struck 134-138 AD, Rome Mint
Obverse: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, Bust of Hadrian, laureate, right.
Reverse: ANNONA AVG, Modius with six grain ears and two poppies, S-C in fields.
References: RIC II 798e

 

If I am not mistaken, the poppy was used quite frequently in the Greco-Roman world for medicinal purposes. Pliny the Elder discusses opium in Natural History - 'This juice (of the poppy) is possessed not only of certain soporific qualities, but, if taken in too large quantities, is productive of sleep unto death even: the name given to it is opium.' (Nat. Book XX. 76).

 

..that is a "maize" ing to us new worlders...9_9

 

After checking asearch.info, it looks like one poppy variant was struck for every twenty non poppy versions. Perhaps the modius with poppies was the prototype design and as the issue wore on the engravers either got lazy or dropped it for expediency?

 

Mostly off topic: I heard on the radio this morning that a mother of a newborn had her baby taken from her because her blood tested positive for opiods. Turns out she had eaten a poppy seed bagel the morning of the delivery. Poppy seeds can give false positives for opiod use. Who knew?

 

DR: you always have classy photos. Very nice.

 

Yes, that can happen, @Carausius . Drug tests are not always an exact science. Advil and Aleve (Ibuprofen and Naproxen), and many decongestants can test positive also.

To keep this coin related: Here's my Marcus Aurelius denarius. Marcus Aurelius appreciated the medicinal value of opioids. He was prescribed Theriac (an opioid tonic) by his physician.

 

Here are two more poppy types:


Moesia Inferior, Tomi. Nerva (96-98 AD), AE16 (2.91g).
Obv: ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤωΡ ΝΕΡΟΥΑ; laureate head of Nerva, r.
Rev: ΤΟ/Μ//ƐΙΤ/ωΝ; bunch of 3 ears of corn and 2 poppy heads
Ref: RPC vol. 3 #778

Purchased from Pegasi Numismatics, October 2005 as a coin of Elaeia in Aeolis. Took 10 years for me to identify! Much wasted research on Elaeia coins.


Cilicia, Tarsos, 164-27 BC, AE26, 13.54g
Obv: ΤΑΡΣΕΩΝ / ΜΑΞΙΜΟΥ ΝΙΚΟ-ΛΑΟΝ; Zeus seated left, holding Nike with wreath and staff.
Rev: ΟΡΤΥΓΟΘΗ ΡΑ; Tyche seated right on stool, holding poppy and corn-ears, river-god Kyndos swimming right below.
Ref: SNG Levante 984, SNG Paris 1387
ex-Stacks/Coin Galleries April 2005, lot 135

Purchased because I thought it was awesome to find a bronze coin the same size and design as an Alexander tetradrachm. Also liked the theme of the city goddess offering poppies. The reverse looks like a "say no to drugs" poster with the river god looking like a nodding junkie on the floor appealing to his opium dealer.

 

In August 2018, @David Atherton posted the OP. Rather than start a new thread, I am reviving this one with a nicely executed poppy denarius of Antoninus Pius.

Antoninus Pius, 138-161 AD, AR denarius, struck 140-143 AD
Obv: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III, laureate head right
Rev: ANNONA AVG, Modius with four grain ears and poppy
Ref: RIC III 62c, variant that is not listed - laureate, but not draped - unless that little bit on left shoulder counts as drapery.

 

Poppies and Grain ears, and Caduceus, (and Snakes), oh my!




Nerva, Alexandria Egypt, Year 1 96/97 CE
Billon Tetradrachm
Size: 24x27 mm
Weight: 13.3g
Axis: 00:00

OBV: Nerva laureat bust facing right. Legend (starts at 1:00 position): AVT NEPOVAC - KAIS CEB. Dotted border.
REV: Agathodaimon serpent erect facing right, wearing skhent crown, with grain ears and poppies in its coils. In exurge: LA.Dotted border.

Refs: Emmett-358.01; Geissen-431; Dattari-638, pl xxi; Milne-542-544; Curtis-293-295; ; SNG Copenhagen-233; BMC-353; see Vogt I 64f; Vogt II, 23.

- Broucheion

 

Athens New Style Poppy and 2 grain ears. This coin is rarish post-Sullan New Style



Athens New Style Tetradrachm c 82/1 BC
Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet
29 mm 16.82 gm Thompson issue 83 Thompson catalogue: Obs 1183 Rev: not in plates/ NEW
Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic
Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora
on which month mark K control ΔI below
2 magistrates : LYSANDROS OINOPHILOS
RF symbol : Poppy Head between 2 Grain Ears
All surrounded by an olive wreath

 

Nice capture David! Here is my Vespasian with poppies. Thanks for alerting me to the existence of this coin.