Since it's flag day here in the U.S., instead of posting flags. How about posting coins with Military Standards" instead. Here is a few of mine. Diadumenian (218 A.D.) AR Denarius O:M OPEL ANT DIADVMENIAN CAES Bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: PRINC IVVENTVTVS Prince standing facing, head r., holding standard and sceptre; two standards to right. Rome Mint 218 A.D. 3.8g 21mm RIC IV 102; RSC III 3b Postumus (260 - 269 A.D.) AR Antoninianus O: IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. R: FIDES EXERCITVS Four military standards, hand on top of second, eagle on third. Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck 266 A.D. 3.8g 20mm RIC V 303; Cunetio 2432; Elmer 417; RSC 65 Trajan Decius (249 - 251 A.D.) AR Antoninianus O: IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG; radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right. R: PANNONIAE; the two Pannoniae, veiled, standing right and left facing one another, clasping right hands in front of standard between them. Rome Mint, 251 A.D. 22mm 3.2g RIC IV Rome 26
Interesting point. I am unaware of the Roman empire having a flag. I wonder if flags simply derived from military standards, in that in Europe the countries were small enough that their army was effectively their country, and the idea of military standards WERE your country became the idea of a flag.
Diocletian A.D. 290- 292 23mm 3.3g IMP C VAL DIOCLETIANVS AVG; radiate and cuirassed bust right. IOVI CONSERVAT; Jupiter standing left, leaning on sceptre and holding thunderbolt, at foot, eagle, in background, two ensigns; S in left field. In ex. XXIT RIC Vii Ticinum 228 This coin is not in RIC with workshop S in left field.
MARCUS ANTONIUS AR Denarius OBVERSE: ANT AVG III VIR R P C, Praetorian galley, thyrsos behind prow REVERSE: CHORTIS SPECVLATORVM, three legionary standards Patrae 32-31 BC 3.52g, 18.mm Cr544/12; Syd 1214 ex. Marti Classical Numismatics AUGUSTUS Æ 31 Dupondius OBVERSE: PERMISSV CAESARIS AVGVSTI, bare head left REVERSE: COLONIA PATRICIA, aquila between legionary standards Colonia Patricia (Cordoba - spain) 15-14 BC 18g, 31 mm RPC 128, SNG Cop 464 MARCUS ANTHONY RESTITUTION AR Denarius OBVERSE: ANTONIVS AVGVR III VIR R P C, Galley left. REVERSE: ANTONINVS ET VERVS AVG REST, legionary eagle between two standards, LEG VI between Struck at Rome, 168AD 3.81g, 20mm RIC III 443 (Marcus Aurelius) ; BMCRE 500
Nice coins! Here's a sestertius of Philip I with four standards on the reverse. RIC 171a; Cohen 51 17.43 grams
here's a GE with large flan, like it was struck on an older flan Constantine I A.D. 330-3 20x22mm 2.6g CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG; rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right. •GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers helmeted, stg. facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them two standards. in ex. •SMHΓ• RIC VII Heraclea 131
Mark Antony Legionary Ar denarius, 32-31 BC. Military mint moving with Antony. ANT AVG[III] VI R.R.P.C, praetorian galley to r., rev., Aquila between two signa; LEG XXI across fields (RSC 58). 3.5g, diameter 18mm Ex. CJ Martin on Vcoins Elagabalus 218-222 AD AR Denarius 18 x 19 mm, 3.01 g Laureate, draped bust rt / FIDES MILITVM, Legionary Aquila (eagle) between two signa (standards) RIC IV 78 Ex. Glenn Terry on eBay
Marc Antony Legionary Denarius Legion II Patrae?? 32-31 BC Obv Galley right. Rv Legionary eagle flanked by two standards Crawford 544/15 CRI 350 3.75 grms 17 mm Photo by W. Hansen I hope @Bing likes this coin. I bought this coin in September 1985 I had just started collecting the coins of the Roman Republic the year before and I was very pleased to find this coin.
Like? Of course I like it. Well struck and centered. It would look fine in my collection. I am caretaker to 3 examples of Legio II coins, none of which are near as nice as your example:
Roman Provincial. Macedon. Philippi. Pseudo-autonomous issue (circa AD 41-69). Æ Assarion (Copper,19 mm, 4.32 g) Nike standing left on base, holding wreath and palm; VIC - AVG in field / Three military standards; COHOR PRAE PHIL (to left, right and exergue, respectively) - '(Honoring) the Praetorian Guard of Philippi.' The depiction of these standards reminds me of a shish kebab!
Maximinus I Thrax, 235-238 A.D. AR Denarius. 19mm, 3.7 grams Obverse: IMP MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right Reverse: FIDES MILITVM Fides standing between two standards Reference: RIC 18A; Sear 8307
Maybe a bit late but here some more: Emperor Gordian III - Provincial Bronze - Nicaea mint Emperor Constantin I. - Follis - Rome mint Obv.: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG Rev.: SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI Emperor Constantius II. - Follis - Siscia mint Obv.: DN CONSTANTIVS PF AVG Rev.: CONCORDIA MILITVM
A Flag Day? I had to ask Wikipedia for this. There is no such thing in my country, but I could see there are many others with a Flag Day: in Italy, Sweden, Portugal, etc... In my garden, next to the gate, there is a tall metallic mast with a nylon rope to hoist the flag, a real serious thing, like in barracks or embassies. I don't know who put it there, probably a previous owner of my house. I never used it: here it's not like in the USA, people don't hoist the national flag at their front doors (or only Tibetan or Portuguese flags, I don't know why...). Coins with standards, vexilla? Plenty of! Drusus junior, semis of Italica (Seville, Spain) Caracalla, two "vexillum-coins" of Rhesaina, Mesopotamia (Ras al-'Ayn in Arabic, or Serê Kaniyê in Kurdish, Syria, just at the Turkish border). The rev. legend is LEG III P S for the Legio III Parthica, which had its base there in the 3rd c. Philip the Arab, Provincia Dacia : Dacia holding the vexilla of the 5th Legion Macedonica and the XIIIth Legion Gemina, with their emblems: an eagle holding a crown in its beak, and a lion. Gallienus, Antioch of Pisidia (Yalvaç, Turkey). Postumus, double sestertius. Urbs Roma, Constantinople c. 330-340. Constantine IX (1059-1067), follis : Constantine IX and Eudocia holding the Labarum.