Win #3 was another $100 coin, which in this particular instance I think is actually a bit overpriced. However, it comes from the Illustrious Vitangelo Collection. The what collection? I cannot find any information about who, or what Vitangelo was or is, besides a CoinWeek article on a Roma auction with superlative Byzantines from Vitangelo, and a couple CT threads mentioning Vitangelo. Please post if you know anything about Vitangelo. Roma Picture: Figure 1: Roma auction image of coin Roma Description: Macrinus and Diadumenian Æ 27mm of Marcianopolis, Moesia Inferior. AD 217-218. AVT K OΠEΛ CEY[...] ANTΩNINOC, laureate head of Macrinus to right, facing bare-head of Diadumenian to left / [YΠ ΠONTIANOY M]APKIANOΠOΛEITΩN, tetrastyle temple containing statue of Tyche standing to left, holding cornucopiae and leaning on rudder; E to left field. Varbanov 1218 var. (no E). 11.60g, 27mm, 6h . Near Very Fine; flan crack at 6h/12h. My picture: Figure 2: HWE's cell phone-thru-loupe image of coin Once more, my superior photography skills demonstrate the actual, in-hand appearance of this coin. Roma needs to dial down their exposure, or something. I really bought this coin for the reverse only. The obverse is rather well worn, and has nothing really much going for it. Mac and Di confronted coins aren't rare, and you can usually get a nice example for half what I paid. But, you rarely get such a nice temple so I had to get it. The reverse features a rather standard Roman temple - in contrast to most Greek temples, this one features smooth column drums, Corinthian column capitals, and an undecorated pediment. There is a rather huge statue of Tyche in between the tetrastyle columns. Figure 3: Close-up of colossal Tyche cult statue I believe that the reverse isn't necessarily true-to-life. As far as I can tell, the vast majority of temples did not have a large gap in the middle; the portico columns were placed relatively equidistant from each other. Considering that more major temples tended to be somewhere in the 40+ foot range. If this temple was 40 feet tall, then this cult statue would have been approximately 25 feet tall, which I think is rather unlikely. Granted, there were massive cult statues in Roman times, I doubt this one was much more than 10 feet tall; it's just not that common for HUGE statues to have been in temples, far as I can tell. To be fair.... In Temple B in the Area Sacra Largo Argentina, there was discovered the fragments of an absolutely massive acrolithic Fortuna statue that would have been around 40 feet tall, seated, filling up the entirety of this circular temple. So yes, there were temples compensating with gigantic statues in small places. Figure 4: colossal acrolithic statue of fortuna from Temple B However, I stand by my opinion it's unlikely to have been able to fill the entire porch and almost certainly not as tall as the columns themselves. I bet it was an artistic choice to be able to show the statue at a reasonable size, and to do so the celator had to push the columns to the extremities. Figure 5: Detail of unfluted, Corinthian columns Below is a reconstruction I made showing more likely proportions for this cult statue of Tyche. The temple model is the Temple of Augustus in Pula, Croatia, which is the only tetrastyle temple with smooth Corinthian columns I could find. The temple on the coin is rather more squat, looking more like the Parthenon. However, based on extant Roman tetrastyle temples (such as the Temple of Portunus), the building was likely less squat and more lanky, so I think my reconstruction is about as reasonable as we can get, not knowing anything at all about the actual structure the reverse was based upon. Figure 6: Artist's impression of a temple to Tyche, incorporating unfluted Corinthian columns and conjectured size of cult statue At the end of the day, although I believe I overpaid for the coin, I more than made up for it in the fun I had researching temple styles and whipping together that quick image up top! Please post up your favorite temple reverses, or coins from advertised provenances that nobody knows about.
Great coin and interesting write up Earl, my favorite temple coin is this of Faustina's temple still standing in the Forum. Diva Faustina Diva Faustina AD 141, AE Sestertius. RIC 1115, 24.88gm, 33mm, Black patina. Rare
Nice coin and interesting reconstruction of a temple. Here's another from Marcianopolis. This coin suggests that there may have been a Serapeum in Moesia Inferior, well-known to the inhabitants of the province, with a cult statue of Serapis posed in the manner depicted on this and similar coins. If so, online search engines reveal no mention of archaeological remains of such a structure. Caracalla with Julia Domna, AD 198-217. Roman provincial Æ Pentassarion, 25.5 mm, 12.01 g, 7 h. Moesia Inferior, Marcianopolis, Quintilianus, legatus consularis, AD 212-217. Obv: ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟC ΑVΓVCΤΟC ΙΟVΛΙΑ ΔΟΜΝΑ, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Caracalla right vis-à-vis draped bust of Julia Domna left. Rev: VΠ ΚVΝΤΙΛ-ΙΑΝ ΜΑΡΚΙΑ-NΟΠΟΛΙΤΩ-Ν, Tetrastyle temple with peaked roof and clipeus in pediment, statue of Serapis within, standing left, raising right hand and holding scepter; Є (mark of value) to left of Serapis. Refs: AMNG 689 var.; H&J Marcianopolis, 6.19.46.7 (same dies); Varbanov 1049; Moushmov 508; SNG Evelpides 812 var.; Lindgren II 713 var.; BMC 3. 30, 19 var.; SNRIS Marcianopolis 09
