Today I won this denarius of Julia Donna and it’s my first denarius in MS condition. ^_^. I love that it has the Palladium on it. In Greek & Roman mythology the Palladium was a cult image of great antiquity on which the safety of Troy and later Rome was said to depend. A wooden statue (xoanon) of Pallas Athena that Odysseus and Diomedes stole from the citadel of Troy and which was later taken to the future site of Rome by Aeneas. Rome possessed an object regarded as the actual Palladium for several centuries; it was in the care of the Vestal Virgins nearly all this time. Julia Domna (AD 193-217). AR denarius (19mm, 3.07 gm, 6h). NGC MS 4/5 - 4/5. Rome, AD 211-217. IVLIA PIA-FELIX AVG, draped bust of Julia Domna right, seen from front, wearing helmet-like wig of plaits with large chignon at back of head, a single lock of her own hair across cheek / VE-S-TA, Vesta standing facing, veiled head left, palladium in right hand, scepter in left. RIC IV.I (Caracalla) 390. Lustrous toned flan. From the Ed's Treasures Collection
Here's my version of the coin: Some other interesting Domna Vesta types: JULIA DOMNA, AD 193-217. Roman AR Denarius, 3.66 g, 18.2 mm, 1 h. Rome mint, AD 195. Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust right. Rev: VESTA, Vesta seated left, holding palladium in right hand, transverse scepter in left. Refs: RIC 582; BMCRE --; Cohen 223 var. (aureus); RCV --; Hill 187; CRE 415. Notes: Ex-Perron collection 1960; ex-A.K. collection; ex-CNG lot #614, Triton XX. This one is actually very rare. See if you can spot what distinguishes it from the example above: JULIA DOMNA, AD 193-217. Roman AR Denarius, 2.23 g, 16.8 mm, 1 h. Rome mint, AD 195. Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust right. Rev: VESTA, Vesta seated left, holding palladium. Refs: RIC --; BMCRE 93; RSC --; RCV --; Hill 188; CRE --. Another similar one. What's different about it?
Nice! It’s hard for me to tell the differences between some because some of the details are worn down.
Oh wait I think I got it! Is it the staff in the left hand present in two of them but not in the middle one?
I have the same coin, too, but it's certainly not "mint state"...still very pleasing, and I love the portrait - I really think this is how she would've looked in the last couple years of her life, when this coin was minted.
Great addition to your collection, @Gam3rBlake . I have three Julia Domna denarii but none with Vesta on the reverse. I purchased these because I liked the portraits.
Yesss!! I love the Palladium because in mythology it came from Troy after the Trojan War which is such a legendary event even if it wasn’t exactly as Homer wrote in the Iliad. I’m sure it was based on or inspired by an actual historical event. But still the Trojan War influenced the Greek world for centuries. Alexander the Great modeled himself after Achilles. So for this coin to have the Palladium on it gives me a sort of emotional connection to the Trojan War. As I’m sure the original intention of putting it on the coin was.