Interesting article by Katarzyna Balbuza: "The Role of Imperial Women in the Monetary Distributions Liberalitas in Rome in the Light of Numismatic Sources." If you don't have a free account at academia.edu, I recommend you sign up for one. Balbuza discusses Liberalitas coinage in general and then notes that the first empress to depict Liberalitas on her coins was Julia Domna, citing this issue in particular and the circumstances behind its issue (pp. 11-13). Julia Domna, AD 193-217. Roman AR denarius, 2.94 g, 19 mm, 12 h. Uncertain eastern mint, AD 193-196. Obv: IVLIA DOMNA AVG, bare-headed and draped bust of Julia Domna, right. Rev: LIBERAL AVG, Liberalitas, draped, standing left, holding tessera in right hand and cornucopiae in left. Refs: RIC 627; BMCRE 418-419; Cohen/RSC 103; RCV 6591; CRE 366. Her article later discusses the Liberalitas issues of Julia Mamaea (i.e. RIC IV, 2: Sev. Alex. 372 & 663), a medallion of Philip I and Otacilia featuring a congiarium scene, and a medallion of Gallienus and Salonina featuring a similar design. Let's see your coins depicting Liberalitas, congiaria, or anything you feel is relevant.
@Roman Collector...Nice coin!...Interesting article thanks.. Philip I Antoninianus AD 244 / 249 Obverse..IMP M IVL PHILIPPUS AVG.... radiate, draped bust right. Reverse..LIBERALITAS AVGGII... liberalitus standing right holding abacua and cornucopiae. RIC 38b 4th Issue 5th Officina...This donative was given to celebrate the arrival of the Royal Family in Rome AD245
Thanks for sharing that article, @Roman Collector Here is my dreadful example of the Julia Domna Liberalitas type: Julia Domna Denarius (c. 193-196 A.D.) Emesa/Uncertain Eastern Mint IVLIA DO[MNA AV]G, draped bust right / LIBER[A]L AVG, Liberalitas, draped, standing left, holding tessera and cornucopiae. RIC 627; BMCRE 418-419; Cohen/RSC 103; RCV 6591. (3.00 grams / 18 mm) eBay Nov. 2020
"Liberalitas Augg": "liberality of the two Augusts". One could say that Philip the Arab and his son were damned liberals, which could explain why they were so hated by conservative senators like Decius. Well... that's not what liberalitas actually means. I like Philip the Arab. To begin with, if we admit what Eusebius wrote, he was probably the first Christian emperor - well before Constantine. When attending a Christian assembly for Easter in Caesarea, he humbly complied when the bishop ordered him to stand at the door with the penitents, because of his many sins. And when in Rome, he banned child prostitution, saying these poor boys were like his own son. He is also the only Roman emperor who proclaimed on his coins that he had negotiated peace rather than exterminated the enemies, I think of his antoniniani minted in Antioch with "Pax fundata cum Persis". Though he was a Christian himself, and originated from a distant oriental province, he wanted to be the emperor of all Romans and did not attempt to impose his own religious beliefs to the whole society like Elagabalus had done: he celebrated the Secular Games, showing his pietas and his careful observance of the traditions, the mos majorum. On this sestertius minted in 248/9 he his overseeing with his son their 3rd congiarium. Both are togate, seated on curule chairs. The Chronica Urbis Romae remembers : "The two Philips ruled 5 years, 5 months and 29 days. They gave a largess of 350 denarii. They held the real secular games in the circus maximus. The older was killed at Verona, the younger at Rome in the praetorian camps." The Chronica lists all the emperors, their reign duration and the amount of their largesses to the people. We can suppose it is the total amount or all their liberalitates (3 for Philip) because it is roughly proportional to their reign duration. Septimius Severus, 17 years, 1100 denarii. Caracalla, 6 years, 400 d. Macrinus, 1 year, 150 d. Elagabalus, 6 years (sic), 250 d. Severus Alexander, 13 years, 600 d. Maximinus, 3 years, 150 d. Balbinus and Pupienus, 99 days, 250 d. (that's a lot, but they had reinstated the antoninianus) Gordian III, 5 years, 350 d. the two Philips, 5 years, 350 d. Trajan Decius, 1 year, 250 d. Gallus and Volusianus, 2 years, 250 d. Gallienus, 14 years, 1250 d plus 1 binio of gold. (By far the most generous !) Claudius, 1 year, 250 d. Quintillus, 77 days, "He promised a largess but did not give it" Aurelian, 5 years, 500 d. etc.
Thanks for the article link @Roman Collector . Here is my Liberalitas. Roman Empire Severus Alexander AR Denarius, Antioch mint, struck AD 223 Dia.: 18.38 mm Wt.: 3.20 g Obv.: IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right Rev.: LIBERALITAS AVG, Liberalitas standing left, holding counting board and cornucopia Ref.: RIC IV 281 Antioch Ex Phil Peck (aka Morris Collection) with collectors envelope, private purchase from Herb Kreindler (Jan. 2005)
These liberalities are not as liberal as I expected. In fact, they're so paltry that it makes me wonder if they were mostly ritual and symbolic. I suppose I'm comparing them to the liberalities of modern welfare systems, which really isn't fair.
R. C., Thanks for posting the interesting article by Professor Balbuza . Pictured below is a new face for the thread, my $99.00 bargain for 2020 . Gordian III, AD 238-244, Rome Mint (struck AD 239), AE Sestertius: 31 mm, 20.63 gm, 11 h. RIC IV 269a.
Though, I don't have any congiaria (the doctor gave me a pill that got rid of that years ago), I have a few fellas that stood for Libertas...too bad she didn't stand for them: GALBA A.D. 68-69. AE Sestertius (24.75 gms), Rome Mint, A.D. 68. RIC-309. Laureate and draped bust of Galba right; Reverse: Libertas standing facing head left holding pileus and vertical rod. Vitellius AD 69. AR Denarius minted at Rome, Jul.-Dec. AD 69. Laureate head of Vitellius, right. Reverse : Libertas (Liberty) draped, standing facing, head right, holding pileus and scepter. RIC-1005; BMCRE-31. Pertinax (193 AD). AR Denarius. Obv. Head right, laureate. Rev. Liberalitas standing left, holding abacus and cornucopiae. RIC IV 5. AR. 2.43 g. 17.00 mm. RR. A rare type. Toned. A minor flan crack. Very slight test cut on the reverse. F. Purchased Artemide March 2021
