The Last Pagan

Pagans Rule! until the death of Julian...



Julian II, AE4. AD 355-360
Obv: DN IVLIANVS-NOB CAES, bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right.
Rev: SPES REI-PVBLICE, Emperor helmeted, in military dress standing left, holding globe and spear.

 

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Interesting emperor and many beautiful coins in this thread.

It is noteworthy that Julian's bearded coin portraits differ from most other late Roman imperial coin portraits insofar as they obviously attempt to depict an actual, individual ruler instead of a generic imperial bust identifiable only by the legend.


Julian II, Roman Empire, AE1, 361–363 AD, Antioch mint. Obv: DN FL CL IVLIANVS PF AVG; ldiademed, draped, cuirassed bust of Julian II r. Rev: SECVRITAS REIPVB; bull standing r., two stars above; in exergue, (branch) ANT (branch). 27.5mm, 8.54g. RIC VIII Antioch 216.


Julian II, Roman Empire, AE3, 361–363 AD, Antioch mint. Obv: DN FL CL IVLIANVS PF AVG; bust of Julian II, helmeted, cuirassed, with shield and spear, l. Rev: VOT X MVLT XX; in wreath; in exergue, ANTB and branch. 20mm, 3.1g. Ref: RIC VIII Antioch 219 B.

 

Very nice!

My Julian II bull could probably get an upgrade, but I got such a deal ($10/pc lot) that I haven't pulled the trigger on a ~$100 "eye candy" grade Julian II bull



Also have a siliqua minted during his tenure as Caesar under Constantius II


Still on the lookout for an early beardless siliqua as Augustus from his western mints while he was technically a usurper.

Some disjointed observations:
- Except for a few excessively rare late empire issues, Julian was the last emperor to have coins issued in his name while he was Caesar, as the Valentinian-Theodosian dynasty preferred to bypass any vestige of the cursus honorium and promote children straight to co-emperor.
- I have heard that Priscus Attalus was the last pagan emperor, although I haven't heard why that assertion was made.

- Venus was far from the last pagan deity on coins, because after the collapse of the tetracycline, we still had:
- Jupiter, Mars and Sol on coins of Constantine and Licinius
- Pax and Pietas on coins of Fausta, Theodore, and Helena
- Festival of Isis coins depicting Egyptian gods and goddesses at least until the time of Valentinian
- Victoria made a regular appearance until Justin modified her into an "angel" in the early 6th century

 

Great coins everybody! I don’t have a Julian II to share, but I checked Vcoins and found his AR and AE coinage to be really affordable.

I remember a while back, someone was giving away a Julian II / bull coin with bronze disease to anyone who would treat and care for it. I didn’t win the giveaway, but I wish I had. I’m a bit paranoid about BD, and was kinda hoping that coin would help me get over it lol.

 

I have only two examples of Julian II


Julian II.
AD 360-363 Æ Maiorina
Antioch, AD 361-363.
Obv: D N FL CL IVLI-ANVS
P F AVG, diademed, draped
and cuirassed bust of Julian II right.
Rev: SECVRITAS REIPVB, bull standing
right; above,two stars (branch)ANTA
(branch). RIC 218; LRBC 2640.
(9.11 g)Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins
& Collectibles, Inc.
Auction 112 Lot 1628




Julian II.
The Apostate
360-363 AD. Æ 20mm
Obv: D N FL CL IVLI-ANVS
PF AVG, helmeted bust left,
with spear and shield
Rev: VOT/X/MVLT/XX, legend
in four lines within wreath,
mintmark HERACL dot B.
Heraclea mint. (3.23 gm).
RIC VIII 106

 

I have a Julian II that had Damantio applied to it. DIVINE Damnatio! (If you get the humor in light of his often used "Apostate" nickname.)


Interesting location for corrosion to develop. Some may say poetic justice.

I have another example of the exact same type -- even down to the exergue:

Both are RIC VIII 166. Constantinople.

If forced to eliminate one from my collection, I'd choose to keep the upper one even though it is the lesser of the two in terms of quality.

BTW: Although I very much appreciate the clever humor of the term "Divine Damnatio", I can't take credit for it. The seller from whom I purchased it back in 2010 (Gabriel Vandervort) dubbed it as such.

 

I probably own the worst bull on this thread.. that's OK - I am used to it. The price was right and hey, it's a bull and that is an exciting coin to hold in your hand!

Admire Julian II's intelligence and convictions ... agree with @Ryro 's post wholeheartedly.
Also - thank you @JulesUK for the book recommendation.

 

Unfairly depicted as brutish by early Christian writers, Julian was actually quite sophisticated and intelligent. He is an interesting emperor that often gets overlooked due to the chaotic events of the mid to late 4th century.
Another good book about Julian is : The Emperor Julian, by Robert Browning, 1976.

 

Julian II Bull


RI Julian II CE 360-363 AE1 maiorina Diademed R - SECVRITAS REIPVB 2 stars Apis Bull stg R ANT-Gamma 2 palms ANTIOCH RIC 217 LRBC 2641

 

The book looks very interesting. I did like Gore Vidal's novel "Julian."

Here are my three Julian II coins:

Julian II, AR Siliqua. 361-363 A.D, Arles [Constantina/Arelatum] Mint, 1st Officina. Obv. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, DN IVLIAN-VS P F AVG / Rev. VOTIS/V/MVLTIS/X in four lines within wreath. In exergue: PCON [PRIMA CONSTANTINA = First officina in Arles]. RIC VIII Arles 295, RSC V 161. 17mm., 2.2 g.



Julian II, AE Centenionalis, 361-363 AD, Sirmium [Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia] Mint, 2nd Officina. Obv. Pearl-diademed, helmeted and cuirassed bust left, spear in right hand, shield in left, D N FL CL IVLIANVS P F AVG / Rev. VOT/X/MVLT/XX in four lines within wreath. In exergue: BSIRM [BETA SIRMIUM = Second officina in Sirmium] RIC VIII Sirmium 108, Cohen VIII 151, Sear RCV V 19172. 20.3 mm, 3.393 g.



Julian II, AE1, [Double] Maiorina, Arles [Constantina/Arelatum] Mint, 3rd Officina. Obv. Pearl-diademed and draped bust right, D N FL CL IVLIANVS PF AVG/ Rev. Bull standing right w/ 2 stars above, wreath in lower right field, SECVRITAS REIPVB. In exergue: TCON [TERTIA CONSTANTINA = Third officina in Arles]. RIC VIII Arles 313, 28 mm., 7.0 g.

 

Really nice! I enjoy your posts @DonnaML .. from what I have seen you have some beautiful coins and artifacts. Glad you are sharing them with all of us here.

 

Thank you. It's nice to have found a place to share my coins and antiquities where people actually appreciate seeing them -- as opposed to real life, where most people's eyes just glaze over, especially with coins!

 

lol ... I could not agree more. I have never met another ancient coin collector in real life.

 

Haha... oh no no no... not so fast. MY Julian Bull is the worst. I got this in a lot... and since it's my only bull, I still have it. It has seen some rough times.

Since I posted such an ugly coin, I'll make up for it with a nicer one:

 

lol ... I guess you win by a small margin. The second coin - oh my - that is a thing of absolute beauty!

 

Interesting post and coins. Here are Julian and his successor Jovian


Julian II, AE 1 - Antioch mint, 3 rd officina
D N FL CL IVLI ANVS P F AVG, Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Julianus right
SECURITAS REIPUB, Bull to right, two stars above. ANT gamma between two branches at exergue
8.73 gr
Ref : Cohen #38, RC #4072, LRBC #2641



Jovianus, AE 1 - Antioch mint, 3 rd officina
D N IOVIAN VS P F AVG, Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Jovianus right
VICTORIA ROMANORVM, Jovianus standing, holding victory on a globe and labarum, ANT gamma at exergue
8.46 gr
Ref : RIC # 228, Cohen #22, RC #4085, LRBC #2645

Q

 

I REALLY like that Bull coin! You don't always see a hole in the MIDDLE of the coin! Great find!

I am not so much about the beauty of a coin, rather its history and/or its uniqueness.

 

Yes, interesting coin. If it could talk, just imagine the tales it could tell.

 

Thanks for the book suggestion.
Yes, I didn't know an awful lot about Julian before reading the book I posted. He was indeed a smart man and, it turns out, a great tactictician, much to the cost of the Germanic tribes.
He did well to survive those early years.