Transportation on Ancient Coins

The latest video from Classical Numismatics discusses forms of transportation on coins. Let's see yours!!!



Water transportation:


Gratian, AD 367-383.
Roman Æ maiorina, 5.90 g, 21.4 mm, 11 h.
Constantinople, AD 383.
Obv: D N GRATIA-NVS P F AVG, helmeted, draped and cuirassed bust, right, holding spear and shield.
Rev: GLORIA RO-MANORVM, Emperor standing facing, head right, on ship, raising right hand. Victory seated at helm. No wreath in field; in exergue, CONΓ.
Refs: RIC 52a (unlisted officina).

Land transportation:


Philistis, wife of Hieron II.
Greek AR 5 litrae.
Syracuse 270-230 BCE, 4.46 gm, 18.1 mm.
Obv: Diademed and veiled head, l., palm branch behind.
Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΑΣ ΦΙΛΙΣΤΙΔΟΣ, Nike driving biga to left, E in l. field.
Refs: SNG ANS 893; SNG III (Lockett) 1017; Forrer 196.

 

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I feel like this is a great thread for @TIF. If I remember correctly, she has a pretty good coin gif. Y'all know the one

 

She has a couple, at least, involving transportation! One of them is based on this coin, the Lucius Julius L.f. Caesar denarius with Venus on the reverse driving a
biga of cupids:



More air transportation, namely Pegasus on a Corinth stater:



Some water transportation:

Cupid/Infant genius on a dolphin, L. Lucretius Trio:


More water transportation from Tarentum:



A C. Fonteius denarius, with a Janiform head of the Dioscuri on the obverse and a very detailed galley on the reverse:



A Roman Alexandrian tetradrachm of Antoninus Pius depicting Isis Pharia standing on a prow, holding the billowing sail:



There are so many coins depicting ground transportation that it's difficult to pick any out, but how about a desultor riding not one but two horses, from C. Marcius Censorinus?



And another jockey, this time with one horse, from C. Calpurnius Piso L.f. Frugi:




And a biga driven by Victory, from Ti. Claudius Ti.f. Ap.n. Nero (the Emperor Tiberius's grandfather), going so fast that it's almost flying:



Finally, an elephant used as transportation, from Philip I in commemoration of the 1000th anniversary of Rome's founding:

 

One if by land:


Two if by sea:

 

Land transportation only...

Syrace. Hiketas II. 287-278 BC.

 

A Celtic horse (this one has a serious back problem):

And, if you're a Phoenician god, you might even get to ride one of these:

 

A desultor riding left on an Iberian coin. @DonnaML has going the other way.

 

Move over people speed demon is coming through. Well not quite. Derrones Ar Dodekadrachm 475-465 BC Obv. Man driving ox cart pulled by two oxen right. Helmet above. Rv. Triskeles within shallow incuse circle. HGC 279 35.51 grms 35 mm to 40 mm more or less. Photo by W. Hansen This very large and crudely struck coin seems to present us with a number of problems. First off the weight standard is all over the map. Even with this issue with the name PEI or PIE can be about 5 grams apart from the heaviest to the lightest coin. A few issues which I assume could be later rarely get above 29 grams. Unfortunately this coinage does not make for easy interpretation. The total number of specimens known is quite small and they are further divided into a series of issues some of which are only known by one specimen.
There have been attempts to present these coins as some form of trade coin however I do not like that explanation that much at all. However I can come up with only one explanation and to be perfectly honest it is very weak. I assume that this coin formed some form of ceremonial function where the number of coins was more important than the weight.

 

By air...

ROMAN REPUBLIC. L Cossutius Sabula
AR Denarius. 3.95g, 18mm. Rome mint, 72 BC. Crawford 395/1; Sydenham 790; Cossutia 1. O: Head of Medusa left, winged and entwined with serpents; SABVLA upwards behind. R: Bellerophon riding Pegasus right, hurling spear; control mark X behind, L COSSVTI C F below.
Ex Eucharius Collection

By sea...

CARACALLA
AR Denarius. 3.17g, 18.5mm. Rome mint, AD 201-202. RIC IV 120. O: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate and draped bust right. R: ADVENT AVGG, galley sailing left over waves, aquila at prow, two signa at stern; three oarsman on deck, officer in the middle saluting three seated imperial figures (Septimius Severus, Caracalla and Geta?).
Ex Stevex6 Collection, CNG E-Sale 352 (3 June 2015), lot 449; ex Dr. George Spradling Collection

On camelback...


MESOPOTAMIA. Adiabene. Natounia
AE22. 6.62g, 21.8mm. MESOPOTAMIA, Adiabene. Natounia, circa 2nd - 1st centuries BC. CSE II 846; Hoover, Natounia Series 1, 1-7; Seyrig, Trésor 13a. O: Radiate and diademed male head (Helios-Shamash?) right. R: Rider (Arsu?) on camelback right, holding short staff in right hand; all within wreath border.

 

Great thread idea RC! Happy to oblige:
Roman Gods got around on mythical sea beasts:


Father's got around on their heroic sons shoulders:


Kids of Gods got around on kids (see what I did there?):


Ladies were carried around, or off, by the men:

Even the satyr's where kind enough to give them a ride:


And if your snake needed transportation he could just hop on the front half of a horse:


Sheesh, and I get myself and the family around in a minivan like a sucker!

 

Mule and a cart. It's out of operation though. Darn you Nerva!

 

Parthian horse



Snakes



Lions

 

I was hoping someone would post the snake biga coin! I've never even seen the lion biga before. But it reminds me of one other method of ground transportation: riding a lion directly -- sidesaddle, of course, like a lady should:

 

Persephone being "taken for a ride"

The Abduction of Persephone. LYDIA, Nysa. After 133 BC. Æ (18mm, 5.78 gm, 10h). Obv: Head of Persephone right, poppy behind neck. Square countermark on nose. Rev: Hades in galloping quadriga right, carrying off struggling Persephone. Flower basket falling left from hands of Persephone. A valley near Nysa was the site where, according to the myth, the abduction happened. SNG Copenhagen 306; BMC Lydia 16.

 

Ahhhh, the only way to fly!



Trajan Æ Drachm, Year 16 (112/113 CE), Alexandria, Egypt
Size: 36x37 mm
Weight: 19.1 grams
Axis: 11:00

OBV: Trajan bust laureate facing right. Legend: AYTTP - AIANCEB - ΓEPMΔAKIK. Dotted border.
REV: Zeus holding scepter or fulman, reclining on back of eagle with spread wings on fulman. Zeus cradles upright scepter in right arm. In right field below wing: LIϚ. Dotted border.
References: Emmett-0616.16; Geissen-0628; Dattari-1078, pl xxv; Dattari/Savio-7184; RPC III-4699.3; Vogt II 35.

- Broucheion

 

And why not a "NUMISMATIC AND TRANSPORTATION" auction ?

https://www.biddr.com/auctions/inumis/browse?a=1730

Snowboard


Wheelchair


Galley

 

DEADHEAD TRANSPORT (one-way)


RI Mariniana AR Ant 253-254 CE DIVA Crescent - On Peacock flying 21.2mm 3.1g RIC VII 6 Rome



RI Paulina w Maximinus I D before CE 235 AE sestertius 30.77mm 19.66g 2nd emiss of Maximinus I CE 236 Peacock RIC IV 3 R



RI Julia Flavia Titi Diva 90-91 CE d-Titus concubine-uncle Domitian AE Sestert 33mm 20.4g - Carpentum mules SPQR - SC R

 

Of course the goats of the times had achieved both transcendental and physical levitation, as such they used space and time to transport:


Crabs often got around beaches on the backs of crayfish just as eagles often didn't fly on the wind but rather the backs of rabbits and dolphins:




Of course when ancient women got tired of the men folk they would grow wings to fly away and leave: