Show Your Serapis Heads

Licinius I
Coin: Bronze Follis
IMP LIC LICINNIVS P F AVG - Laureate head right
GENIO AVGVSTI - Genius standing left, holding head of Serapis and cornucopia; palm branch-N-* in left field, wreath-gamma in right field
Mint: Alexandria (AD 313)
Wt./Size/Axis: 4.10g / 21mm / -
References: RIC VI Alexandria 162a

On Wildwinds.

 

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Here’s a disembodied Serapis head floating between the Dioscuri.

ANTONINUS PIUS
AE Drachm. 23.36g, 34.1mm. EGYPT, Alexandria, RY 2 (AD 138/9). RPC Online Temp #14776 (6 spec.); Emmett 1652 (R5); Geissen 1299 . O: ΑVΤ Κ Τ ΑΙΛ ΑΔΡ ΑΝΤωΝΙΝΟС ƐVСƐΒ, bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: L Β, draped bust of Sarapis wearing kalathos, facing front; on either side, the Dioscuri, each crowned with star, standing, facing, heads turned towards bust, holding spears and whips(?).

 

Is this the earliest one we can show that actually names Serapis?



Postumus, 259-268
21-20 mm. 4.39 grams.
SERAPI COMITI AVG, Serapis standing left, raising right hand and holding transverse scepter.
RIC 329. Sear III 10992

 

Caria, Rhodes. AE18
Obv: PODI WN. Radiate bust of Helios? right.
Rev: PODIWN, radiate bust of Serapis right.


Macedonia, Stobi. Septimius Severus AE27 Serapis facing
Obv. SEVERVS - PIVS AVG. Septimius Severus bust right.
Rev. [MV]NICIPIVM - STOBEN[SI] - VM or similar. Serapis standing, facing, right arm raised. Left arm holding snake and hems of his garment.
Rare type, not in Cohen.

 

Here's a favorite Serapis head of mine...


Philip II, 244-246 AD; Mesembria, Thrace

pentassaria 26mm 12.7g o: busts of philip and serapis; M AR IOYLIOC PHILIPPOC/KAICA, R below r: athena; MECAMB RIANWN Moushmov 4032

 

Some provincials depicting Serapis, demonstrating the god with different attributes and different poses:


Gordian III, AD 238-244, and Tranquillina.
Roman provincial Æ (tetrassarion?), 11.72 g, 25.5 mm, 7 h.
Thrace, Anchialos, AD 241-244.
Obv: ΑVΤ Κ Μ ΑΝΤ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟC ꜸΓ CЄB | ΤΡΑΝΚVΛ | ΛEΙΝΑ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian, right, facing diademed and draped bust of Tranquillina, left.
Rev: ΟVΛΠΙΑΝWΝ ΑΓΧΙΑΛΕWΝ, Homonoia standing facing, head left, wearing kalathos and holding patera and inward-facing cornucopiae.
Refs: AMNG II (Strack) 650; Varbanov 726; SNRIS Anchialos 14; Moushmov --; SNG Cop --; BMC --; Lindgren --; Sear --.


Gordian III, with Tranquillina, AD 238-244.
Roman provincial Æ Pentassarion; 26.1 mm, 13.33 g, 6:00.
Thrace, Odessos, AD 241-244.
Obv: ΑVΤ Κ Μ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟC ΑVΓ CЄ | ΤΡΑΝΚVΛ|ΛЄΙΝΑ, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Gordian III right, vis-à-vis diademed and draped bust of Tranquillina left
Rev: ΟΔΗC - CЄΙΤΩΝ, Sarapis standing left, extending arm and holding scepter; E (denomination) in left field
Refs: AMNG I 1696; Moushmov 1696; Varbanov 4599; SNRIS Odessus 15 (a9).

And here's an imperial issue of Caracalla:


Caracalla, AD 198-217.
Roman AR denarius, 2.9g, 19mm, 6h.
Rome, issue 10, AD 217.
Obv: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM, laureate head right.
Rev: PM TRP XX COS IIII PP; Serapis, wearing modius, standing facing, head left, holding wreath and scepter.
Refs: RIC 289c; BMCRE 188; Cohen/RSC 382; RCV 6846; Hill 1586.

 

I've got one of those Postumus types too @Valentinian :

 

Here is my example:

FESTIVAL OF ISIS - AE15
Mid 4th Century
Obv: Serapis, draped and cuirassed bust left; VOTA PUBLICA.
Rev: Harpocrates to left with the index finger of his right hand in his mouth and carrying cornucopia. VOTA PUBLICA.
Alföldi 120 & 138
1,1g - 15mm

(Edited to correct the name Alföldi, that I wrote wrong)

 

Although considered by some as belonging to the Isis Festival group, this seems to be more of a type of local coinage, not directly related to the Isis Festival coinage.

 

Elagabalus, with Julia Maesa. 218-222 AD. MOESIA INFERIOR, Marcianopolis. Æ Pentassarion (28mm, 12.99 gm, 1h). Julius Antonius Seleucus, legatus consularis. Obv: Confronted busts of Elagabalus right, laureate, draped, and cuirassed, and Julia Maesa left, draped and wearing stephane. Rev: Draped bust of Serapis right, wearing kalathos; E (mark of value) behind. H&J 6.28.6.1 var. (E behind Serapis; R7); Varbanov 1648.

 

Truly a beautiful coin @PeteB ! Thanks for sharing...

 

Great coins all

 

A bit late to the game on this but here's mine on a chunky bronze:

 

That is a fine reverse die. The blank on which it was struck appears to have been overfilled compared to most made in the open top molds of the period. It is an interesting coin as well as beautiful. Is the weight high for these?

 

Just got another Serapis in the mail yesterday. His head anyway.

This one caused me some confusion - I got it from eBay but it came in a Littleton Coin flip, stating it was issued by Maximanianus. When I tried to attribute it, however, the reverse type (Alexandria with head of Serapis) was not issued for Maximanianus for that date (year 5). Looking closer at the obverse inscription, the star on the reverse, etc., I am convinced it is actually a Diocletian.

I looked at a lot of tetradrachms to reach this conclusion, but I am pretty new to these - corrections always welcome.



Egypt Potin Tetradrachm
Diocletian
Year 5 (288/289 A.D.)
Alexandria Mint
[A K Γ] OYA Λ ΔIOKΛHTIANOC [CEB], laureate and cuir. bust r. / Alexandria standing left holding head of Serapis & sceptre, star right, L-Є across fields.
Milne 4915; Emmett 4025.
(6.28 grams / 17 mm)

 

Surely the fact that there was a double temple of Isis and Serapis in Rome shows the link, further corroborated by this coinage.

 

When the list of great numismatic experts is written, Littleton will not be near the top. This is a problem with our hobby. We have some great online resources. Several are derived from sale lists including sellers without a clue. Never be afraid to question in your mind what seems to have been a bad day on Wildwinds or acsearch etc. where a dealer error was copied. I am NOT suggesting you post every coin here asking if it might possibly be misidentified but you did the right thing in this case probably indicating the the Littleton employee spent .01 second sorting out your coin or someone later took two coins out of their flips and put them back incorrectly.

 

No, the current consensus to the DEO SANCTO NILO coin type seems to be only a civic pagan issue, struck in Antiochia, not in Rome.
What differs this kind of coin of Festival of Isis issues is the legend VOTA PVBLICA and the lack of mintmark.
This pagan type has mintmark and officine letter, so I believe that is not a real Festival de Isis issue.

 

I have to apologize for not paying enough attention. The coin in question has a mintmark of ALE, while the coins Alföldi writes about are anonymous. mea culpa