A God Created by Committee

I've always been intrigued by the cult of Sarapis. The creation of the cult under Ptolemy I Soter by his advisors was done in order to religiously fuse the Greek and Egyptian subjects of the realm. Thus, the worship of Osiris and the Apis Bull were successfully combined into one deity whose cult would last many centuries. Sarapis is often depicted with a modius on his head, 'symbolizing the fertility and bounty of the earth and an association with Osiris, the god of grain.'





My latest coin is a fine diobol from Alexandria struck for Vespasian and featuring Sarapis on the reverse.


Vespasian
Æ Diobol, 9.84g
Alexandria mint, 74-75 AD
Obv: AYTOK KAIΣ ΣEBA OYEΣΠAΣIANOY; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r.
Rev: Bust of Sarapis r.; date LZ to l.
RPC 2444 (7 spec.).
Acquired from Aegean Numismatics, March 2020.

The cult of Sarapis gained importance during the Flavian dynasty because of Vespasian's vital connection to Egypt during the Civil War. Alexandria was the first city to declare for him in July 69 and in November he arrived there to await the outcome of the war and to secure the grain supply to Rome. According to both Tacitus and Suetonius during Vespasian's sojourn in Alexandria he paid a visit to the temple of Sarapis alone to consult the god about the chances of success in his bid for the empire. After receiving a positive sign he was able to administer healing miracles to the local Alexandrians. Of course, all this was later Flavian propaganda intended to bolster Vespasian's claim to the purple. It then should come as no surprise that Sarapis figured importantly on the local coinage under Vespasian, being commonly struck on the bronze diobol.

This fine example from regnal year 7 is boldly struck on a large flan. The flans of these Alexandrian diobols were created in moulds and then struck by dies. You can actually see the mould channel near the top of Sarapis' head.

Feel free to share your coins depicting Sarapis.

 

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Nice coin and informative write-up.

Here are my Serapis coins from Alexandria:


Julia Paula
Tetradrachm, Egypt, Alexandria
Obv.: IOYΛIA ΠAYΛA CEB, bust right
Rev.: L - Δ, bust of Serapis right, year 4 (=220/221)
Billon, 12.85g, 23.3mm
Ref.: Kampmann/Ganschow 57.15, Geissen 2366


Faustina II
Alexandria
Billon-Tetradrachm
Obv.: ΦAVCTINA CEBACTH, draped bust right
Rev.: L - IΘ = year 19 (AD 155/156 ), Draped figure of Serapis, seated on high backed throne to left, holding long sceptre in his left hand and extending his right to touch Kerberos
Billon, 11.48g, 22mm
Ref.: Dattari 3267, RPC IV.4, 14413 (temporary)


Nero
Alexandria
Billon-Tetradrachm
Obv.: NEPΩ KΛAV KAIΣ ΣEB ΓEP, radiate head right
Rev.: AY[T]O KPA, draped bust of Serapis right, wearing taenia and calathus; L I (date) before.
Billon, 11.7g, 23mm
Ref.: RPC I 5274
Ex Naville Numismatics, auction 39, Lot 260

 

Thanks for the write up David,

 

I don't know a lot of the mythology behind Serapis. Wasn't he killed, dismembered and then resurrected?

I have seen several coins showing someone holding the head of Serapis like the example below. In this case it is held by Sol, and I think I've seen one where Jupiter is holding his head instead of Victory. Do you think this is intended to depict Sol/Jupiter ruling in consort with Serapis, or is it meant to imply that the deity has conquered or is superior to Serapis?

Constantine I ("the Great")
Cyzicus mint, A.D. 311-312
RIC 92, var.*
Obv: IMP C FL VAL CONSTANTINVS P F AVG
Rev: SOLE IN-VICTO - Sol, radiate, wearing long robe and holding head of Serapis
MKV in exergue; Γ in left field
22 mm, 5.4 g.
*RIC does not list this reverse type for Constantine, but several examples have appeared over the past 10 years or so.

 

Nice write-up, @David Atherton . Serapis is one of the more interesting gods of antiquity, indeed. You might try to track down Roman Society from Nero to Marcus Aurelius by Samuel Dill, which has a chapter entitled "Isis and Serapis in Roman Society."

Serapis, like most deities in Greco-Roman artwork, was portrayed with rather fixed iconography. I have discussed this previously and won't repeat coins from that post, but here are a couple of new or notable ones.

While Serapis is frequently depicted on provincial issues, he doesn't often appear on imperial issues until the third century, when his cult became more widespread. Here he is on a denarius of Caracalla. The iconography doesn't fit into Adolf Michaelis' classification scheme.

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 polos on head, standing facing, head left, holding wreath and scepter.
Refs: RIC 289c; BMCRE 188; Cohen/RSC 382; RCV 6846; Hill 1586.

On coins of Moesia Inferior and Thrace, the presence of confronted busts indicated the highest bronze denomination, either the pentassarion or tetrassarion, depending on the issuing city. Typically, the busts were of the emperor and a female relative with the title of Augusta, such as a wife, mother, or grandmother. On coins issued for unmarried men without such lofty women ancestors, a deity -- often Serapis -- filled this role. For example, Serapis appeared on these coins for Gordian III until his marriage to Tranquillina in AD 241, such as on this pentassarion from Dionysopolis.

Gordian III, AD 238-244.
Roman provincial Æ Pentassarion, 12.49 g, 26.6 mm, 7 h.
Moesia Inferior, Dionysopolis, AD 238-241.
Obv: AVT K M (below)/ANTWNIOC ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟC ΑVΓ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian III, right, facing draped bust of Serapis, left, wearing modius.
Rev: ΔΙΟΝVCΟΠ-ΟΛΙΤΩΝ, Hygieia standing left, feeding serpent from a patera; E in lower left field.
Refs: Varbanov 559; AMNG I 395 var.; BMC 3, p.24, 4; Mionnet Suppl 2, 82; Moushmov 133; SNG Budapest 31; Jekov 49; SNRIS Dionysopolis 12.

 

SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS
AE17 Assarion
OBVERSE: AV K L CEVHPOC, laureate bust right
REVERSE: NIKOPOL PROC IC, Draped bust of Serapis in modius, facing right
Struck at Nikopolis ad Istrum, 193-211 AD
2.6g, 15mm
Moushmov 927

ELAGABALUS
5 Assaria
OBVERSE: AVT K M AVP ANTΩNEINOC AVΓ IOVΛIA MAICA AVΓ. Laureate and cuirassed bust of Elagabal right, facing draped bust of Julia Maesa left
REVERSE: YΠ IOYΛ ANT CEΛEYKOY MAPKIANOΠOΛITΩN. Bust of Serapis right, wearing kalathos; E in right field
Struck 218-222 AD
11.15g, 27mm
Varbanov 1648 var

MAXIMINUS II DAIA
AE Follis
OBVERSE: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS PF AVG, laureate head right
REVERSE: GENI-O-AVGVSTI, Genius standing left, modius on head, naked except for chlamys over left shoulder, holding head of Serapis and cornucopiae. X-A across fields; ALE in ex.
Struck at Alexandria 312 AD
4.83g, 21mm
RIC VI 149b
Ex Spink

 

Do you happen to know if the modius on the head of the statue of Sarapis is an actual measure of a modius?

 

Thanks for the writeup, David! Nice coins, interesting God-Bureaucracy...

I have only a couple, and none from Ptolemaic era.


RI Didumenian and Macrinus 217-218 CE AE28 Markianopolis mint Serapis



RI Maximinus II Daia 305-308 CE Folles AE 26mm Trier mint GENIO POPV-LI Genius-Serapis stndg RIC VI Treveri 667b

 

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Very nice diobol, David! My Alexandrian bronze of Vespasian is a slightly smaller obol.


VESPASIAN
AE Obol. 7.91g, 23.7mm. EGYPT, Alexandria, RY 5 (AD 72/3). RPC 2440; Emmett 222.5; Dattari 415; Milne 430. O: AVTOK KAIΣ ΣEBAO VEΣΠAΣIANOV, laureate bust right. R: Horus falcon (or hawk) wearing sekhmeti crown right; LE in left field.
Ex Dr Walter Neussel Collection

For Sarapis on the reverse, I have an A-Pi tetradrachm.


ANTONINUS PIUS
Billon Tetradrachm. 12.57g, 23mm. EGYPT, Alexandria, RY 10 (AD 146/7). Dattari-Savio pl. 115, 8247 (this coin); Emmett 1426.10; RPC Online 14265 (this coin cited). O: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: L DEKATOV, draped bust of Sarapis wearing kalathos and taenia, right.
Ex Robert L. Grover Collection, previously held by the Art Institute of Chicago (1981.507); ex Giovanni Dattari Collection

 

No, I do not. The statue is in the Vatican museum and dates to the Second Century.

 

Thanks for the recommendation and I already have a copy.

 

Fascinating!

 

One Alexandrian, two Imperial types of Serapis, even one from Trier.

 

I don't think anyone has shown these Serapis/Hades versions:
Septimius Severus year 5


Philip I year 3

 

Well, @Bing beat me to it but I’ll post my Nikopolis anyway.



Provincial, Nikopolis ad Istrum, Moesia Inferior, AE18, ΝΙΚΟΠΟΛΠΡΟC
AE18
Roman Provincial
Nikopolis ad Istrum, Moesia Inferior
Septimius Severus
Augustus: 193 - 211AD
17.0 x 16.5mm 3.40gr 1h
O: AV [K Λ] CεVHPOC; Laureate head, right.
R: ΝΙΚΟΠΟΛ-ΠΡΟC; Serapis, draped bust facing right, modius on head.
Hristov & Jekov 8.14.6.9; Varbanov 2404 var. (obv. legend); Moushmov 927 (smaller head, unbroken legend); AMNG 1349.

 

AE macrisarion Gordianus III. Moesia inferior, Odessos (= now Varna). Obv. Laureated bust of Gordianus to the right opposite Serapis. Obv. Nemesis with wheel, ODESSEITWN, E in the field. 25.00 mm, 10.63 gr.

 

Marcus Aurelius and Serapis on a bronze of Caesarea Maritima.

 

A god created by a committee. While I am a devout Christian; consider this - the council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. Isn't that isn't a committee chaired by an autocrat, defining the nature of the Trinity? What could go wrong?

 

Serapis with Modius (on a stick):



COMMODUS (177 - 192 CE); Year 24 of MARCUS AURELIUS
ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT Year 24 (183/184 CE)

Bi tetradrachm
24x25mm
10.6grams

OBV: Commodus laureate head facing right. Legend: MAKOANTω - CEBEVCEB. Dotted border.
REV: Emperor standing facing left before bust of Serapis wearing modius on a column and facing right. Emperor in sacred robes extends right hand over smaller flaming alter. In central field: K; In right field: Δ. In exergue: L. Dotted border.

Refs: EM-2529.24; Geissen-2213 var: Obv legend no dots; Dattari-3847 var: Legend split; Milne-2655; Curtis-817; FM-739-740 (this one closer to FM-739); SNG Copenhagen-571; BMC-1433 (Lk?); see BMC-1432, pl xxvii; Mionnet-2346, Mionnet-Suppl. See 456 (AE6); Vogt II 108; see Vogt I 147f, 150 with pl iv, 4 with reverse legend variant of Geissen-2213.

- Broucheion