I'm just doing show and tell with this one, but with more show than tell. After all, there's no way I could add to what @red_spork has already written in this excellent article about this issue. This one is ex- @Sulla80 and I purchased it at a recent @John Anthony sale. I like the little Gaulish warrior riding buck-naked into battle armed with a spear and a shield. I'm not a general in the armed forces or anything, so I'm no expert, but I don't recommend that as a form of military attire. Not without sunscreen, anyway! I like the serrate edge. Looks like the blade of a circular saw. It's got a cool carnyx, too! L. Licinius Crassus and Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus with L Pomponius, 118 BC. Roman AR denarius serratus, 3.91 g, 19.6 mm, 1 h. Narbo, 118 BC. Obv: L POMPONI CNF, head of Roma, right, wearing Attic helmet; X behind. Rev: Naked Gaulish warrior in biga, right, holding shield, carnyx and reins in left hand and hurling spear with right hand; L·LIC·CN·DOM in exergue. Refs: Crawford RRC 282/4; BMCRR 1191-93; Sydenham CRR 522a; RSC Pomponia 7a; RCV 158. Let's see your serrate denarii, carnyxes, Attic helmets, Gaulish warriors, or anything else you feel is relevant!
Glad to see this fellow has a good home! As the Gauls were defeated and the Roman colony of Narbo established, their protective gear seems proven to be ineffective. Here's another type from the same issue: RRC 282/3 C MALLE C F on obverse with same reverse. For a fun read related to this coin - here is the 1922 paper that Crawford references in 1974 RRC where Mattingly shifts the dating from 92 BC and associates the coin with Narbo. Crawford didn't support other hypotheses from this paper e.g. the explanation for mark of value: The 1877 article in Revue Archeologique (RA) that Crawford references is here. "If we think of the importance that the complete defeat of the Allobroges and Arvernes had for the Romans, it is not surprising that they sought to perpetuate the memory by raising the Triumphal Arch of Orange and by striking coins featuring the captive king defeated by the Roman chiefs. Barely three years after the glorious feats of arms of which we have just spoken, the colony of Narbo Martius (Narbonne) was founded, which became the capital of the Roman province." -J. De Witte, RA, 1887, 2, 137 (translation) De Witte didn't complete the connection: 92 av. J.C.
I sold all of my republican Roman denarii except for the two pictured below . Roman Republic, 83-82 BC, AR Denarius serratus: 4.07 gm, 19 mm, 5 h. Obverse: Laureate head of Jupiter, S . C in left field. Reverse: Victory in quadriga holding reins & plam branch in one hand & wreath in the other. C below horses, Q . ANTO . BALB PR in exergue (Quintus Antonius Balbus Praetor). Crawford 364, Sear 279. I was lucky to score a mint state example of this coin struck from fresh dies .
Beautiful examples No carnyx to show, and one poor lonesome serratus at home L. Procilius L.F., Denarius - Rome mint, 80 BC Head of Juno Sospita right, clad in goat’s skin, S . C behind Juno Sospita in biga right holding spear and shield. A snake below biga. [L. PROCILI. F] at exergue 19,5 mm - 3.89 gr Ref : RCV # 307, RSC, Procilia # 2 Q
I got this coin last year - it's not meant to be a serratus, but I guess it was overstruck on an older Republican denarius serratus. Obv.: AVGVSTVS - CAESAR - Bare head right Rev.: M DVRMIVS / III VIR - Calydonian boar right, spear in shoulder Mint: Rome (19-18 BC) Wt./Size/Axis: 3.88g / - / - References: RIC 317 Provenances: Ex. T.R. Hardaker Collection Acquisition: Baldwin's Online auction BSJ Auction 48 #592 24-Sep-2020 ATB, Aidan.
Sounds like the music playable on a carnyx are very dependent on embouchure. The video clip was palatable to my Western ears but I wonder what style of music/sounds came forth from these horns in ancient times? @John Anthony posted a different YouTube carnyx clip some time ago and it was hideous . I have only one coin with a carnyx, also from the Roman Republic: L. Hostilius Saserna 48 BCE AR denarius, 19 mm, 4.1 g, 6 h. Rome Obv: Bare head of a Gallic woman to right, with long disheveled hair; behind, carnyx; in field to right, 3 test cuts. Rev: L.HOSTILIVS / SASERNA; Artemis (Diana) standing facing, holding stag with her right hand and spear with her left Ref: Crawford 448/3. Sydenham 953. Ex W. F. Stoecklin, Amriswil, Switzerland, acquired prior to 1975. ROMAN REPUBLIC Moneyer Q. Crepereius M.f. Rocus 69 BCE (revised from Crawford's 72 BCE) AR serrate denarius; 3.99 gm Obv: draped bust of Amphitrite seen from behind, with head turned r.; behind, sea anemone; horizontal I to right of right shoulder (only partly visible on this coin) Rev: Neptune in biga of hippocamps right, holding reins and brandishing trident; above, I and below, Q·CREPER·M·F / ROCVS Ref: Crawford 399/1b; Babelon Crepereia 1. Sydenham 796a. Rare. from HJB BBS 200, October 2016 ex NAC 78 lot 1828, from the JD Collection of Roman Republican Coins https://www.cointalk.com/threads/yeehah-giddyup-seahorsey.285894/ A serrate fourree: Roman Republic, Lucius Aurelius Cotta 105 BCE Fourree AR serrate denarius, 20 mm, 3.8 gm Obv: draped bust of Vulcan right, wearing laureate pileus; tongs and star behind; all within wreath and dotted border Rev: eagle standing on thunderbolt, head left; L·COT below, V to right; all within laurel wreath and dotted border Ref: c.f. Crawford 314/1c; Sydenham 577a; Aurelia 21b formerly slabbed, NGC ChVF, 5/5 strike, 3/5 surface A previous owner had filed inside a serration to examine the layering.
L COSCONIUS MF ROMAN REPUBLIC AR Denarius Serratus OBVERSE: Helmeted head of Roma right, L . COSCO . M . F around, X behind REVERSE: naked Celtic warrior (Bituitus), brandishing a spear & holding a shield & carnyx, driving a racing biga right, L LIC CN DOM in ex. Struck at Rome, 118 BC 3.72g, 19.13mm Cosconia.1. Cr.282 / 2 L. SCIPIO ASIAGENUS AR Serrate Denarius OBVERSE:Laureate head of Jupiter left; before, control-mark(R). Border of dots REVERSE: Jupiter in quadriga right, holding sceptre and reins in left hand and hurling thunderbold with right hand; in exergue, L SCIP ASIAG. Border of dots. Struck at Rome, 106 BC 3.5g, 20mm Crawford 311/1b; BMCRR Rome 1374; Babelon Cornelia 24; RSC Cornelia 24c C. SULPICIUS C.f. GALBA AR Serrate Denarius OBVERSE: Conjoined laureate heads of the Dei Penates left REVERSE: Two soldiers swearing oath over a sow; F above; C SVLPICI C F in ex Struck at Rome, 106 BC 3.8g, 19mm Cr312/1; Syd 572; Sulpicia 1 L ROSCIUS FABATUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS ROSCIA AR Serrate Denarius OBVERSE: Head of Juno Sospita in goat skin, L ROSCI below, Jug to left REVERSE: Girl standing right feeding serpent before, Unknown control mark (?) to left, FABATI in ex. Rome 59 BC 3.7g, 18mm Cr 412/1; Syd 915
SERRATUS - Some Roman RR C POBLICIUS Q f 80 BCE AR Denarius serratus 3.94g Rome Flan wgt control gouge Hercules strnglng Nemean lion club quiver Cr 380-1 Syd 768 Here is one from 79 BCE while he was retired... (And, it's a friggin TRIGA!) RR Naevius Balbus 79 BCE AR Den Venus SC TRIGA Sulla S 309 Cr 382-1
CARTHAGE - hard to find Serrated This was the last series that Carthage minted just before they were exterminated by the Romans in 146 BCE. The City was razed, with it not being resettled until Caesar's veterans almost 100 years later. No coins until even later. This is an odd issue from Carthage, as they did not produce serrated coins until their demise. This one is kinda hard to obtain. Carthage Third Punic War Serrate Double Shekel 149-146 BCE 12.8g 26mm Wreathd Tanit-Horse pellet raised leg SNG COP 404
Q. Antonius Balbus. 83-82 BC. AR Serrate Denarius (18mm; 3.84 gm; 8h). Rome mint. Obv: Laureate head of Jupiter right, SC behind. Rev: Victory driving galloping quadriga right; C below. Q • ANTO • BALB/PR (ligatured) in exergue. Crawford 364/1d; Syd.742b; Antonia 1
