Coins with wedding themes

Great story!

I celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary this year. The way I see it, a little more Concordia = a little less divorce.

 

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Nice coins Brian. Those 2 are definitely on my list of coins to get.

 

There is likely some confusion as to what may constitute a 'wedding theme'. Oz's OP coin showing Plautilla clasping hands with Antoninus (minted circa 202-203, the wedding having taken place in 202) clearly falls into that category. The legend on that coin might be considered as proclaiming 'fruitful harmony', clearly a propaganda issue as the marriage was forced and Antoninus despised her.

There are many issues where one person clasping hands with another doesn't indicate marriage, but signifying a cementing of a concept. A couple coins from my collection:



Here Hadrian is seen clasping hands with Fortuna, signifying his return to Rome after some of his fabled travels about the empire. The legend basically says 'fortunate return'. From a sestertius.



On this Lucius Verus sestertius we see Verus and Marcus clasping hands with the legends proclaiming the 'concord of the emperors', a referral to the succession of the imperial line.

Often times we see words such as 'concord' and 'felix' used on propaganda types not as they were issued right around the time of marriage but because rumor had gotten out about how much the married couple despised one another. And Roman history id filled with such examples of unhappy marriages. Hadrian and Sabina hated one another, but there wasn't a massive issue of propaganda types to combat the fact (I think due to the overall prosperity of the time).

One pet peeve I have is the tendency to call the double portrait provincial issues of Gordian as 'marriage issues'. They certainly were not, unless one wants to include Sarapis, who features prominently on the series.

It may be a cataloging error, but that certainly is not Zeus, but Antoninus.

 

Ken, I also thought it was an error but looked it up out of curiosity.

An ACsearch of "Stratonicaea horse" brings up 33 hits, all combinations of Severans. All describe the reverse figure as "Zeus Panamaros" (or Panamarus, or Panormos, the latter of which is probably a typo or error).

Being unfamiliar with this version of Zeus I started Googling but didn't find much. Pritchett, W.K. (1979) The Greek state at war.Part III. Religion, Berkeley: University of California Press, as quoted in a paper by University of Groningen faculty member C. Williamson in Shining Saviors. The role of the cults of Hekate at Lagina and Zeus at Panamara in building the regional identity of Stratonikeia, tells of the myths of Zeus Panamaros. There are archaeological inscriptions which piece together the story.

The linked article is very brief. Here's a screen shot of the header:



Although the ACsearch didn't show any, Wildwinds does show several civic or pseudoautonomous issues of Stratoniceia predating the Severan coins and which show this figure on horseback, possibly carrying his "lance of flame" if the coin is depicting the mythologic scene described by the temple inscriptions at Stratoniceia.

 

Good work. Though I do remain a tad skeptical. I know little of the Greek period issues, but they could certainly have influenced imperial types. I dont think its hard to see the imperial iconography here, the flowing cloak, the sceptre or spear...

At the very least what we can see in this type is a local iconography which has been incorporated into imperial mentality (which is really what the Romans were all about, right, incorporation and inclusion?).

Did anyone else note what I did on @dougsmit example? The seated figure seems to have three legs! Look closely.

 

I had noticed that and have no explanation. Mine is missing the head due to the countermark on the other side. The Stratonicaea coins more often have the Hekate reverse but I always wanted one of the Zeus types which I accepted blindly since I have never seen one suggesting anything else. What is really rare on these is one with legible legends detailing the magistrates responsible for the issues. They were made for several years in the Septimius reign but I have not seen a lot written on them. I personally believe we see little on them because so few of them are in a grade that most high end collectors would consider. I would have loved this one but had too many reservations on the 'some' tooling description.
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5283114

 

Here's to the happy couple - here are Nero and Poppaea.



ATB,
Aidan.

 

Semi-related, as it doesn't have a "theme" (medieval coins seldom have "themes"), but is rather a celebratory donatio, a one-off issue to mark a royal wedding, is the tetartera of Richard I Plantagenet for his wedding to Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus, on May 12 1191.



This spec was sold by CNG Triton XVII, lot 905.


Under the vise of his mother, Eleanor d’Aquitaine, Richard broke his engagement with Alys de Vexin, sister to Philip Augustus of France, risking a falling out with his senior partner in the crusade. The reason was his announcement of his engagement to princess Berengaria de Navarre, daughter of Sancho VI de Navarre, a realm neighboring Aquitaine, which both Eleanor and Richard wanted to gain as Berengaria’s dowry and add to the Angevin Empire under the House Plantagenet. Eleanor’s patronage of this engagement and thus alliance to Navarre was essential. Also of the essence was princess Berengaria willingness and vitality to travel to Messina with Eleanor and afterwards to Cyprus and then the Holy Land with Richard.

After her release from the captivity of Isaak, ruler of Cyprus and Byzantine usurper, and Richard’s conquest of parts of Cyprus — and most importantly Lemessos — Richard and Berengaria’s royal wedding took place on May 12 1191 at the old Chapel of Saint George in Lemessos and was conducted, by a most serene conclave of Catholic bishops and archbishops from Evreux and Bayonne. Joan of England (Richard's sister) was also present and most likely Guy de Lusignan (who had already renewed his allegiance to Richard), was there too. This occasion was also used to crown the couple as King and Queen of Cyprus, while Berengaria was crowned as Queen of England.

The event, which was also celebrated among the local Greek population, prompted the mint at Lemessos to struck a series of celebratory tetartera, following the usual design, size and weight of the regular coinage. The coins were then used as donatio and thrown to the public at the wedding procession by Richard’s knights and vassals, in a ceremony that mirrored a Roman tradition. This was both an acknowledgement of the rights and traditions of the locals of Cyprus who saw themselves as Romans, citizens of the Basileia Romaion and an astute political move aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the population and local magnates in a bid for political legitimacy for Richard as the new sovereign of the island.


The short notice in which these pieces were produced accounts for the rather poor craftsmanship of the dies and the flans used. Also the weight fluctuates from 0.5g to 1.1g. Despite that, and their obvious rarity (there are about 10 to 15 specimens known + 4 others which were offered this year), these little coins became soon tokens of appreciation towards Richard and/or memorabilia of the royal wedding, at least that’s what their distribution seems to show: they were carried by crusaders from Cyprus to as far into the Levant as Antioch and the southern parts of the Kingdom of Armenia, although they had virtually no intrinsic value, or any value at all outside Cyprus.

The full conquest of the island by the forces of Richard and Guy was done by early June 1191 and the cordial relations with the Greek interests allowed for a smooth transition towards the new leadership. However, the personal cost to Richard of the continued campaign against Isaak Comnenus in Nicosia and Famagusta and then his campaign in the Holy Land, his declining health as he reached Acre, and his desire to keep his wife and sister, who had traveled with him, safe from the perils of war, meant a personal sacrifice for the newlywed couple: little or no time for themselves or a private life.

After the treaty with Saladin and the subsequent end of the Third Crusade, leaving the Christian realms of the Holy Land safe, Richard parted ways with Berengaria in 1192 as he hastened to return to Europe.

He would never see his wife ever again and their marriage would remain childless.

 

I think Nabatean coin is is a wedding commemorative, celebrating the hitching of Aretas IV and Shuqalackabingbong.



Special thanks to Mr. BoBo the monkey for painting the background for me.



Good effort little buddy.