Trajan Provincial Coin with Camel on Reverse

This coin doesn't fit any of my other animal reverse threads, so I guess I have to start a new one! It's only my second Roman provincial coin, but I couldn't resist.

Trajan AR Drachm, 114-116 AD, Arabia Bostra. Obv. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Trajan right, with paludamentum, seen from rear, AYTOKP KAIC NЄP TPAIANѠ APICTѠ CЄB ΓЄPM ΔAK [equivalent of IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GERM DAC] / Rev. Bactrian (two-humped) camel, walking left, ΔHMAPX ЄΞ YΠATO ς [equivalent of TR P COS VI (sixth consulship)]. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. III 4076 (2015); RPC Online at https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/search/browse?volume_id=3&number=4076, SNG ANS VI 1158; Sydenham [The Coinage of Caesarea in Cappadocia (1933)] 205. 19 mm., 3.10 g. (Purchased from Kenneth W. Dorney.)

(Please let me know if my statement regarding the Latin equivalent of the legends is correct.)



Here's the beginning of the entry in RPC III (the rest of it is a continuation of the list of examples of the coin):



Here's the entry for this coin in Sydenham, The Coinage of Caesarea in Cappadocia (1933):



And here's the entry in the online version of RPC III:



I don't know of many ancient coins depicting camels other than this one and its varieties, except for a couple of Republican denarii (neither of which I have yet!), and at least one other Trajan provincial coin, showing Arabia standing with a small camel (RPC III 4073). But I'd love to see any ancient coins with camels that anyone may have.

 

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You are VERY close with your translation of Greek into Latin. You have the obverse legend absolutely correct.

The YΠATO ς on the reverse legend is translated correctly as COS VI because in Greek, the term for consul is hypatos (ὕπατος), which translates as "supreme one." But the term ΔHMAPX ЄΞ is puzzling to me. The Greek δημαρχικός means tribunician specifically, but the term δήμαρχος refers to the president of a δῆμος, who managed its affairs, or more generally to the governor of a people. ЄΞ is hex, the word for six, written out long-hand.

It can't mean TR P VI in this context, because when Trajan was Consul for the sixth time, he held the titles of TR P XVI-XXI, far higher than TR P VI.

Perhaps ΔHMAPX ЄΞ refers to the local governor of the city that issued the coin.

We know the coin must date to AD 114-16 because Trajan has the title of APICTѠ (Optimus) on this coin, but not the title of Parthicus, received in AD 116.

Here's an imperial issue of his with a camel:


Trajan, AD 98-117.
Roman AR denarius, 3.35 g, 18.3 mm, 7 h.
Rome, AD 103-111.
Obv: IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P, laureate bust, right, with drapery on left shoulder.
Rev: COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC, Arabia, draped, standing left, holding branch in right hand over camel walking left before her and a bundle of canes (?) in left hand.
Refs: RIC 142; BMCRE 297-299; Cohen 89; Sear --; ERIC II 400.

 

Nice coin @DonnaML I got my Trajan Bostra mint few years ago

 

Real cool, @DonnaML !

Here is mine:


Roman Empire
Arabia Petraea, Bostra.
Trajan. A.D. 98-117.
AR Drachm (18.57 mm, 2.92 g, 8 h). Struck A.D. 114-116.
AYTOKP KAIC NEP TPAIANω APICTω CЄB ΓЄPM ΔAK, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind /
ΔHMAPX EΞ UPATO ς, Camel walking left.
SNG ANS 1158; SNG von Aulock 6408; Sydenham, Caesarea 205. VF.
Ex: Harlan J. Berk.
Ex: Agora

 

Other issues like this Philip add OYCIAC to ΔHMAPX ЄΞ before YΠATO.

 

I think I've briefly owned a Trajan drachm, but not this type. It fascinates me how these provincial coins have essentially identical artistry to the Rome mint - perhaps they were minted there? Perhaps Rome sent "official" portrait dies to which local celators added Greek legends?

My Trajan with a camel is easily a top 10 favorite Roman for me

 

ЄΞOYCIAC is the genitive of ἐξουσία and means "under the authority" or "of the office," etc., so that identifies ЄΞ as an abbreviation! Thanks, @dougsmit .

I now realize that ЄΞ on @DonnaML 's coin doesn't mean six, but is an abbreviation for ἐξουσία (authority), corresponding to potestas! So TR P is is, with ΔHMAPX being the abbreviation for tribunicia and ЄΞ being the abbreviation for potestas!

 

Thanks for the comments about the meaning of the Greek legends. I do know that if you browse through the online version of RPC III, and the Trajan section of Sear's Greek Imperial Coins -- even though it usually includes only one coin per minting city per emperor, and has a different Trajan coin from this one for Arabia Bostra -- you'll see that ΔHMAPX ЄΞ appears on the reverses of a lot of provincial coins just for Trajan (never mind anyone else), so I assume that it must mean something pretty standard. Unfortunately, I haven't found an online equivalent for Greek coin legends of the various available reference sources for Latin coin legends.

 

I like engaging in this sort of translation exercise, which I did for the only provincial of Trajan I have in my collection, believe it or not, but the legend ΔHMAPX ЄΞ doesn't appear on the coin, so I never looked into this issue until just now. What an educational forum this is!


Trajan, AD 98-117.
Roman Provincial Æ 26.3 mm, 15.83 g, 1 h.
Syria, Seleucis and Pieria, Antioch, late AD 115 to early 116.
Obv: ΑΥΤΟΚΡ ΚΑΙϹ ΝΕΡ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟϹ ΑΡΙϹΤ ϹΕΒ ΓΕΡΜ ΔΑΚ, laureate head, right. Countermark: laurel branch in incuse rectangle, Howgego 378 (69 sp.).
Rev: S·C in laurel wreath; Є below.
Refs: RPC III 3616; cf. BMC 20, p. 185, 286 (with same countermark); Wruck 196; McAlee 489(e).
Notes: According to Romancoins.info, this is one of a group of countermarks on eastern provincial coins with possible links to the legionary administration of the eastern frontier towards Persia. The countermark was applied before A.D. 132-135. Reverse die-match to the RPC III plate coin (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford).

 

I note your coin, @DonnaML , contains KAIC NЄP in the obverse inscription (like mine of Antioch, above), and must date to late AD 115 to early AD 116, when CAES NER, appears on Trajan's inscriptions along with OPTIMO.

 

A PLAUTIUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS PLANCIA
AR Fouree Denarius
OBVERSE: Turreted hd of Cybele right, A PLAVTIVS before, AED CVR SC behind
REVERSE: supplicant offerng palm-branch, camel behind; IVDAEVS before, BACCHIVS below
Rome 55 BC
18mm, 3.2g
Cr431/1, Syd 932, Hendin 741, Plautia 13

Bacchius may be the Aristobulus, the Jewish king of Judaea who submitted himself and Judaea to Pompey in 63 B.C., bringing a train of camels loaded with gold as part of his "peace offering." This offering included, according to Josephus, the giganticgolden vine that had been set up in front of the temple doors,which was called "Terpole" (The Delight); it was to be seen on display in Rome in the Augustan era (Strabo mentions it). Thereplacement vine, set up under Herod Archelaus, (between 4. B.C.and A.D. 6) likely inspired the famous grape and vine coin typesof the First and Second Revolts. this is the earliest Roman coin with an explicit reference to Rome's intervention in Jewish/Judaean affairs!

 

Thanks for narrowing it down!

By the way, a search for "ΔHMAPX ЄΞ" on Coinarchives.com yields 111 results, for a variety of emperors and Caesars besides Trajan, including Caracalla, Geta, Septimius Severus, Macrinus, Diadumenian, Gordian III, Philip I and II, and Herennius Etruscus. So it's by no means limited to Trajan.

 

I sold this nice example to an expat in Saudi Arabia




Trajan
A.D. 103-111
Æ As 25x26mm 9.3gm
IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P; laureate head right, slight drapery on left shoulder.
S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI S-C; Arabia standing with head left, she holds branch and bundle of cinnamon sticks (?); at her feet, a camel.
In ex. ARAB ADQVIS
RIC II Rome 466


This type commemorates the annexation of Arabia in A.D. 106. “The submission of the Nabatean kingdom to Roman rule was a diplomatic rather than a military achievement. This was accomplished by Cornelius Palma, governor of Syria.” RIC II pg. 239

 

...kool 2 humper DonnaM......here's John & i's Trajan overstrike on a silver coin of Rabbel ll, one of the 1st provincial coins of the type to be minted...(no 2 humper tho )

 

The reverse image is essentially identical to the one on RPC III 4073; see https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/search/browse?volume_id=3&number=4073

Volume: III №: 4073
Reign: Trajan
Persons: Trajan (Augustus)
City: Arabian mint
Region: Arabia Province: Arabia
Denomination: AR Average weight: 3.12 g. Issue: Drachms: Antioch Style; Tr Pot XVI Cos VI (AD 112)
Obverse: ΑΥΤΟΚΡ ΚΑΙϹ ΝΕΡ ΤΡΑΙΑΝ ϹΕΒ ΓΕΡΜ ΔΑΚ; laureate head of Trajan, r., with drapery on l. shoulder
Reverse: ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞ ΙϚ ΥΠΑΤ Ϛ; Arabia standing facing, head l., wearing chiton, peplos and stephane, holding branch in r. hand over Arabian camel to l. and bundle of cinnamon sticks (?) in l.
Reference: S 184, Metcalf 15 Specimens: 66

[Note the ubiquitous "ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞ"!]

 

I just noticed this comment of yours . . . . I didn't realize that you had solved the mystery. Now I understand why those words appear on coins of so many different emperors, which wouldn't make sense if it had something to do with the number six rather than simply meaning Tribunicia Potestas.

 

What? You missed the big Homer Simpson?!

 

I don't know how, but apparently I did!

 

For a specific example which seems to confirm your comment about similarity, and raises the same questions -- although I don't think the provincial versions were minted in Rome; it seems clear that they were minted in Arabian mints -- compare the Roman provincial "Arabia with camel" drachm I posted above (RPC III 4073) (as well as your coin) with the Roman imperial sestertius with an almost identical reverse (RIC II 466) posted above by @Victor_Clark. There's also a denarius version (RIC II 142(D), RSC 89); see http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/trajan/RIC_0142.jpg. Can anyone tell from the respective legends which came first, or if the imperial and provincial versions were issued at the same time?

 

Beautiful OP coin.

Bought this camel type only a few days ago.....



Trajan denarius
Obv. IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P Laureate bust of Trajan right, slight drapery on shoulder. Rev. COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC Arabia, draped, standing left, holding branch in right hand extended over camel walking left before her and bundle of cinnamon upright in left.
RIC 142.