Every once in a while a coin comes along that really excites me ... this is one such coin! The scene of the living emperor in a quadriga drawn by elephants had to have been a sight to behold - if indeed it ever happened! Perhaps Domitian's mint master at Alexandria believed this fanciful reverse type would please the fragile ego of the emperor. He was a mint administrator who knew which way the wind blew. Domitian Æ Drachm, 19.56g Alexandria mint, 95-96 AD RPC 2721 (11 spec.). Obv: AVT KAI C ΘEOY YIOC ∆OMIT CEB ΓEPM; Head of Domitian, laureate, r. Rev: No legend; Emperor in quadriga of elephants r., holding branch of laurel and sceptre; upon elephant's heads Nike r., holding wreath and palm; date LIE in exergue Ex Forvm Ancient Coins, July 2019. The Alexandrian mint under Domitian around regnal year 10 or 11 experienced a 'dramatic improvement in style' and the 'adoption of a wide range of new types' (Milne). One of those new types was the flamboyant scene of Domitian in a quadriga drawn by four elephants struck for the drachm. This type is unique to Alexandria and does not show up elsewhere in the Flavian numismatic canon. However, the Arch of Titus once supported a bronze sculpture depicting such a scene and the Arch of Domitian described by Martial had two elephant quadrigae. Pompey the Great was the first Roman to employ an elephant quadriga in his triumph of 61 BC. The elephants were too big to fit through one of the gates leading up to the Capitol and they had to be switched out with a team of horses. The ancient authors thought it 'a piquant warning of the dangers of divine self-aggrandizement.' (M. Beard). Yet, by the Flavian era the elephant quadriga was seen as a powerful symbol of triumphal glory - although, there is no evidence that Domitian ever rode in an elephant quadriga in any of his triumphs. After Hadrian's reign, the elephant quadriga on the coinage was soley the realm of the imperial Divi and not the living emperor. Please post your triumphal and/or Alexandrian coins. Sorry @TIF, I couldn't pass this one up.
Awesome coin! I have a similar one, I think the same issue but I don't have time to check right now. I think yours has a bit more detail. Feels great in the hand.
Super coin @David Atherton ! It would be an amazing sight to see 4 elephants yanking a carriage! Great job capturing this beauty. Congrats. Sulla Triumph RR Manlius Torquatus L. Corn Sulla 82 BCE AR den 17mm 3.7g Mil mint w Sulla. Roma - Sulla triumphal quadriga vict wreath Cr 367-3 Syd 759 S 286 Elephant Quadrigatus Seleukid Seleukos I 312-280 BCE AR Tet 14.46g Seleucia on Tigris. Zeus - Athena driving a quadriga of 4 horned elephants SC 130 Alexandria RI Antoninus Pius 138-161 BCE BI Tet Alexandria Egypt Dikaiosyne Scale
AUGUSTUS/TIBERIUS, SESTERTIUS, RIC, Vol. I, Rome, No. 68, AD 36-37 Cataloged in Wildwinds under Augustus - Sear 1784 Cataloged in BMCRE under Tiberius - No. 126 Obverse depiction: Augustus, radiate, togate, holding laurel branch in r. hand and long sceptre in l., seated on throne, placed on a car, drawn l. by four elephants, each bearing a mahout on its neck. The side of the car is ornamented with shields. Inscription across top in three lines DIVO AVGVSTO SPQR Reverse depiction: Large, centered S C Inscription clockwise from top: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVST PM TR POT XXXIIX
Very nice!! I don't have a Domitian elephant quad but have this Trajan: EGYPT. Alexandria. Trajan AE drachm, 32.3 mm, 19.8 gm Regnal year 14 (110/11 CE) Obv: AYT TPAIANC EBΓEPM∆AKIK; laureate bust right, with aegis on left shoulder Rev: Trajan, laureate, wearing a toga and holding an eagle-tipped sceptre and branch, standing in an elephant quadriga right; LIΔ above. Ref: Emmett 462.14; Dattari-Savio Pl. 31, 766 (this coin); RPC 4510.3 (this coin) ex Dattari collection (Giovanni Dattari, 1858-1923) Here'a a Domitian centaur biga. I'm not sure what it is supposed to signify but it looks triumphal. EGYPT, Alexandria. Domitian RY 14 (CE 94/5) Æ drachm, 36 mm, 25.42 gm Obv: Laureate head right Rev: The Emperor driving biga of centaurs right., raising hand and holding scepter and reins; in exergue, L IΔ Ref: Dattari-Savio Pl. 17, 453 (this coin); Geissen 406 (this coin cited); RPC 2704 (this coin cited) ex Dattari collection (Giovanni Dattari, 1858-1923)
Your biga of centaurs, although not strictly a triumphal type, is indeed triumphal in nature. Perhaps it's equating Domitian with Hercules? A fantastic coin!
@David Atherton you've had quite a year with white whales! Was this a type you knew about and was looking for or one that surprised you?
I knew of the type beforehand, but despaired of ever acquiring one since they rarely show up in trade. The surprise was having an opportunity to purchase it!
And here is just one Q. CAECILIUS METELLUS PIUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS CAECILIA AR Denarius OBVERSE: Diademed head of Pietas right; stork standing right before REVERSE: Q C M P I beneath elephant walking left w/bell hanging from neck Northern Italy, 79 BC-77 BC 3.75g; 18mm Caecilia 43; Crawford 374/1; Syd 750; Sear 301