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<p>[QUOTE="Cucumbor, post: 2829656, member: 4298"]Fantastic post as usual and a pleasant reading (to say the least)</p><p><br /></p><p>Some more coins from the Imperatorial period, featuring Lepidus, Octavian, Marcus Antoninus, his brother Lucius Antoninus and Agrippa. None of them is flawless, all of them are precious to my heart for a reason or another :</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11724/0023-065.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b> Lepidus and Octavian, Denarius </b> minted in Italy, 42 BC</p><p>LEPIDVS PONT MAX III V R P C, bare head of Lepidus right (NT and MA in monograms)</p><p>C CAESAR IMPIII VIR R P C, bare head of Octavian right (MP in monogram)</p><p>3.78 gr</p><p>Ref : HCRI # 140, RCV # 1523, Cohen # 2</p><p><br /></p><p>The following comment is from Forvm catalog :</p><p><i>"Lepidus was a faithful follower of Julius Caesar, and he served as Praetor and Consul. When Caesar was assassinated, Lepidus was in charge of the cavalry and commanded a legion. This position secured him a place in the Second Triumvirate along Marc Antony and Octavian. His cut was Africa. When Octavian attacked Sextus Pompey's Sicily, Lepidus' ships and troops supported him. In an uninspired move, Lepidus thought he could force Octavian to leave him the island. The two armies separated and isolated skirmishes occurred, but soon the soldiers sick of yet another civil war, acknowledging Octavian's superiority deserted Lepidus en-masse. Lepidus left the island as a simple civilian, retaining only his priesthood, but he was the only defeated Imperator not to suffer a violent death."</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><img src="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11724/0023-056.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </i></p><p><b>Marcus Antoninus, Denarius </b> Struck in a travelling mint, moving with Mark Antony in 41 BC</p><p>ANT AVG IMP III VI R P C, Head of Mark Antony right</p><p>Fortuna standing left, holding rudder in right hand and cornucopiae in left; at feet, stork; below, PIETAS COS</p><p>3,82 gr - 20 mm</p><p>Ref : Crawford # 516/2, Sydenham # 1174, HCRI # 241, C # 77</p><p>Ex. Auctiones.GmbH</p><p><br /></p><p>The following comment is copied from NAC auction # 52/294 about the very rare corresponding aureus :</p><p><i><i>"The year 41 B.C., when this aureus was struck at a mint travelling in the East with Marc Antony, was a period of unusual calm for the triumvir, who took a welcomed, if unexpected, rest after the great victory he and Octavian had won late in 42 B.C. against Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi. Antony’s original plan of organising an invasion of Parthia was put on hold after he sailed to Tarsus, where he had summoned Cleopatra VII, the Greek queen of Egypt. She was to defend herself against accusations that she had aided Brutus and Cassius before Philippi, but it is generally agreed that the summons was merely a pretext for Antony’s plan to secure aid for his Parthian campaign. Their meeting was anything but a source of conflict; indeed, they found much common ground, including their agreement that it was in their mutual interests to execute Cleopatra’s sister and rival Arsinoe IV, who had been ruling Cyprus. In addition to sharing political interests, the two agreed that Antony would winter in Egypt to share a luxurious vacation with Cleopatra that caused a further postponement of Antony’s designs on Parthia. Thus began another of the queen’s liaisons with noble Romans, a prior having been Julius Caesar (and, according to Plutarch, Pompey Jr. before him). During the course of his stay in Egypt Cleopatra was impregnated, which resulted in twins born to her in 40 B.C. But this care-free period was only a momentary calm in the storm, for trouble was brewing in both the East and the West. Early in 40 B.C. Syria was overrun by the Parthians, seemingly while Antony travelled to Italy to meet Octavian following the Perusine War, in which Octavian defeated the armies of Antony’s wife and brother. The conflict with Octavian was resolved when they signed a pact at Brundisium in October, and Syria was eventually recovered through the efforts of Antony’s commanders from 40 to 38 B.C</i></i>"</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11724/normal_0023-070np_noir.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b> Marcus Antonninus and Lucius Antonius, Denarius </b> minted in Ephesus in 41 BC</p><p>M ANT IMP AVG III VIR RPCM NERVA PROQ P, Bare head of Marcus Antoninus right</p><p>L ANTONIUS COS, Bare head of Lucius Antonius right</p><p>3.58 gr</p><p>Ref : HCRI # 246, RCV #1509, Cohen #2</p><p><br /></p><p>Following description taken from NAC auction 40, #617, about an other example of the same coin :</p><p>"<i>This denarius, depicting the bare heads of Marc Antony and his youngest brother Lucius Antony, is a rare dual-portrait issue of the Imperatorial period. The family resemblance is uncanny, and one wonders if they truly looked this much alike, or if it is another case of portrait fusion, much like we observe with the dual-portrait billon tetradrachms of Antioch on which the face of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII takes on the square dimensions of Marc Antony. When Antony fled Rome to separate himself from Octavian and to take up his governorship in Gaul, Lucius went with him, and suffered equally from the siege of Mutina. This coin, however, was struck in a later period, when Lucius had for a second time taken up arms against Octavian in the west. Marc Antony was already in the east, and that is the region from which this coinage emanates. Since Lucius lost the ‘Perusine War’ he waged against Octavian, and was subsequently appointed to an office in Spain, where he died, it is likely that he never even saw one of his portrait coins.</i>"</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11724/0030-0210.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b> Octavian, Denarius </b> Italian mint, possibly Rome, 31-30 BC</p><p>Anepigraph, bare head of Octavian left</p><p>CAESAR - DIVI F, Victory standing right on globe, holding wreath</p><p>3.84 gr</p><p>Ref : HCRI # 408, RCV # 1552v, Cohen # 66, RIC # 255</p><p><br /></p><p>The following comment is taken from CNG, sale 84 # 957 :</p><p><i>"Following his victory at Actium, Octavian ordered a golden statue of Victory, standing on a globe and holding a wreath and palm, to be set up on an altar in the Curia in Rome. This statue had been captured by the Romans from Pyrrhus in 272 BC, and it assumed a somewhat tutelary mystique, protecting the Roman state from dissolution. In AD 382, the emperor Gratian ordered its removal. Two years later, the senator and orator Symmachus urged Valentinian II to replace it, a request that was met with stiff opposition from the bishop of Milan, Ambrose. Though it was briefly returned to its place by the usurper Eugenius, it was again removed following his defeat. Petitions to Theodosius I for its subsequent replacement were refused, on grounds that the once-important symbol of the gods’ blessing on the Roman Empire was now nothing more than a piece of paganism"</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><img src="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11724/0030-405.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </i></p><p><b>Octavian & Agrippa, AE Dupondius </b> Arausio mint (Orange), 30-29 BC (Colonia Firma Julia Secundanorum Arausio)</p><p>IMP DIVI F (IMPerator DIVI Filii), bare heads of Augustus (right) and Agrippa (left), back to back</p><p>Prow of galley right, ram's head (?) enclosed in a medaillion above</p><p>17.61 gr - 28 mm.</p><p>Ref : RPC # 533</p><p>Ex. CNG e-auction #181/28, from the Patrick Villemur collection</p><p><br /></p><p>Following comment taken from <a href="http://www.asdenimes.com/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.asdenimes.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.asdenimes.com/</a> :</p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>"Un très bel exemplaire du dupondius d'Orange. Têtes adossées d'Agrippa (à gauche) et Octave (à droite). Très beaux reliefs. </i></p><p><i>L’as (ou dupondius) d’Orange est très rare et nombre d'exemplaires connus (quelques dizaines) sont souvent de médiocre conservation. Le dupondius d'Orange préfigure le dupondius de Nîmes frappé à partir de 28/27 av. J.-C. et qui reprendra l’avers quasiment à l’identique (y compris les légendes), avec les profils d’Octave devenu Auguste et d’Agrippa. Le revers sera interprété de façon parodique sur l’as de Nîmes, puisque la galère sera remplacée par le crocodile qui garde à peu près la forme générale du vaisseau et dont l’oeil prophylactique (pas visible sur cet exemplaire : voir les as de Vienne page suivante) deviendra l’oeil du crocodile. On y ajoutera la palme pour former le mat et quelques autres accessoires tout aussi symboliques.</i></p><p><i>La tête de bélier représentée dans le médaillon du revers serait l’emblème des vétérans de la légio II Gallica qui a fondé la colonie d’Arausio vers 35 av. J.-C.</i></p><p><i>On distingue 2 types de dupondius d'Orange : ceux dont les portraits occupent la plus grande partie de l'avers et ceux qui montrent des têtes plutôt petites. " </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>Q[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Cucumbor, post: 2829656, member: 4298"]Fantastic post as usual and a pleasant reading (to say the least) Some more coins from the Imperatorial period, featuring Lepidus, Octavian, Marcus Antoninus, his brother Lucius Antoninus and Agrippa. None of them is flawless, all of them are precious to my heart for a reason or another : [IMG]http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11724/0023-065.jpg[/IMG] [B] Lepidus and Octavian, Denarius [/B] minted in Italy, 42 BC LEPIDVS PONT MAX III V R P C, bare head of Lepidus right (NT and MA in monograms) C CAESAR IMPIII VIR R P C, bare head of Octavian right (MP in monogram) 3.78 gr Ref : HCRI # 140, RCV # 1523, Cohen # 2 The following comment is from Forvm catalog : [I]"Lepidus was a faithful follower of Julius Caesar, and he served as Praetor and Consul. When Caesar was assassinated, Lepidus was in charge of the cavalry and commanded a legion. This position secured him a place in the Second Triumvirate along Marc Antony and Octavian. His cut was Africa. When Octavian attacked Sextus Pompey's Sicily, Lepidus' ships and troops supported him. In an uninspired move, Lepidus thought he could force Octavian to leave him the island. The two armies separated and isolated skirmishes occurred, but soon the soldiers sick of yet another civil war, acknowledging Octavian's superiority deserted Lepidus en-masse. Lepidus left the island as a simple civilian, retaining only his priesthood, but he was the only defeated Imperator not to suffer a violent death." [IMG]http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11724/0023-056.jpg[/IMG] [/I] [B]Marcus Antoninus, Denarius [/B] Struck in a travelling mint, moving with Mark Antony in 41 BC ANT AVG IMP III VI R P C, Head of Mark Antony right Fortuna standing left, holding rudder in right hand and cornucopiae in left; at feet, stork; below, PIETAS COS 3,82 gr - 20 mm Ref : Crawford # 516/2, Sydenham # 1174, HCRI # 241, C # 77 Ex. Auctiones.GmbH The following comment is copied from NAC auction # 52/294 about the very rare corresponding aureus : [I][I]"The year 41 B.C., when this aureus was struck at a mint travelling in the East with Marc Antony, was a period of unusual calm for the triumvir, who took a welcomed, if unexpected, rest after the great victory he and Octavian had won late in 42 B.C. against Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi. Antony’s original plan of organising an invasion of Parthia was put on hold after he sailed to Tarsus, where he had summoned Cleopatra VII, the Greek queen of Egypt. She was to defend herself against accusations that she had aided Brutus and Cassius before Philippi, but it is generally agreed that the summons was merely a pretext for Antony’s plan to secure aid for his Parthian campaign. Their meeting was anything but a source of conflict; indeed, they found much common ground, including their agreement that it was in their mutual interests to execute Cleopatra’s sister and rival Arsinoe IV, who had been ruling Cyprus. In addition to sharing political interests, the two agreed that Antony would winter in Egypt to share a luxurious vacation with Cleopatra that caused a further postponement of Antony’s designs on Parthia. Thus began another of the queen’s liaisons with noble Romans, a prior having been Julius Caesar (and, according to Plutarch, Pompey Jr. before him). During the course of his stay in Egypt Cleopatra was impregnated, which resulted in twins born to her in 40 B.C. But this care-free period was only a momentary calm in the storm, for trouble was brewing in both the East and the West. Early in 40 B.C. Syria was overrun by the Parthians, seemingly while Antony travelled to Italy to meet Octavian following the Perusine War, in which Octavian defeated the armies of Antony’s wife and brother. The conflict with Octavian was resolved when they signed a pact at Brundisium in October, and Syria was eventually recovered through the efforts of Antony’s commanders from 40 to 38 B.C[/I][/I]" [IMG]http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11724/normal_0023-070np_noir.jpg[/IMG] [B] Marcus Antonninus and Lucius Antonius, Denarius [/B] minted in Ephesus in 41 BC M ANT IMP AVG III VIR RPCM NERVA PROQ P, Bare head of Marcus Antoninus right L ANTONIUS COS, Bare head of Lucius Antonius right 3.58 gr Ref : HCRI # 246, RCV #1509, Cohen #2 Following description taken from NAC auction 40, #617, about an other example of the same coin : "[I]This denarius, depicting the bare heads of Marc Antony and his youngest brother Lucius Antony, is a rare dual-portrait issue of the Imperatorial period. The family resemblance is uncanny, and one wonders if they truly looked this much alike, or if it is another case of portrait fusion, much like we observe with the dual-portrait billon tetradrachms of Antioch on which the face of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII takes on the square dimensions of Marc Antony. When Antony fled Rome to separate himself from Octavian and to take up his governorship in Gaul, Lucius went with him, and suffered equally from the siege of Mutina. This coin, however, was struck in a later period, when Lucius had for a second time taken up arms against Octavian in the west. Marc Antony was already in the east, and that is the region from which this coinage emanates. Since Lucius lost the ‘Perusine War’ he waged against Octavian, and was subsequently appointed to an office in Spain, where he died, it is likely that he never even saw one of his portrait coins.[/I]" [IMG]http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11724/0030-0210.jpg[/IMG] [B] Octavian, Denarius [/B] Italian mint, possibly Rome, 31-30 BC Anepigraph, bare head of Octavian left CAESAR - DIVI F, Victory standing right on globe, holding wreath 3.84 gr Ref : HCRI # 408, RCV # 1552v, Cohen # 66, RIC # 255 The following comment is taken from CNG, sale 84 # 957 : [I]"Following his victory at Actium, Octavian ordered a golden statue of Victory, standing on a globe and holding a wreath and palm, to be set up on an altar in the Curia in Rome. This statue had been captured by the Romans from Pyrrhus in 272 BC, and it assumed a somewhat tutelary mystique, protecting the Roman state from dissolution. In AD 382, the emperor Gratian ordered its removal. Two years later, the senator and orator Symmachus urged Valentinian II to replace it, a request that was met with stiff opposition from the bishop of Milan, Ambrose. Though it was briefly returned to its place by the usurper Eugenius, it was again removed following his defeat. Petitions to Theodosius I for its subsequent replacement were refused, on grounds that the once-important symbol of the gods’ blessing on the Roman Empire was now nothing more than a piece of paganism" [IMG]http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11724/0030-405.jpg[/IMG] [/I] [B]Octavian & Agrippa, AE Dupondius [/B] Arausio mint (Orange), 30-29 BC (Colonia Firma Julia Secundanorum Arausio) IMP DIVI F (IMPerator DIVI Filii), bare heads of Augustus (right) and Agrippa (left), back to back Prow of galley right, ram's head (?) enclosed in a medaillion above 17.61 gr - 28 mm. Ref : RPC # 533 Ex. CNG e-auction #181/28, from the Patrick Villemur collection Following comment taken from [url]http://www.asdenimes.com/[/url] : [I] "Un très bel exemplaire du dupondius d'Orange. Têtes adossées d'Agrippa (à gauche) et Octave (à droite). Très beaux reliefs. L’as (ou dupondius) d’Orange est très rare et nombre d'exemplaires connus (quelques dizaines) sont souvent de médiocre conservation. Le dupondius d'Orange préfigure le dupondius de Nîmes frappé à partir de 28/27 av. J.-C. et qui reprendra l’avers quasiment à l’identique (y compris les légendes), avec les profils d’Octave devenu Auguste et d’Agrippa. Le revers sera interprété de façon parodique sur l’as de Nîmes, puisque la galère sera remplacée par le crocodile qui garde à peu près la forme générale du vaisseau et dont l’oeil prophylactique (pas visible sur cet exemplaire : voir les as de Vienne page suivante) deviendra l’oeil du crocodile. On y ajoutera la palme pour former le mat et quelques autres accessoires tout aussi symboliques. La tête de bélier représentée dans le médaillon du revers serait l’emblème des vétérans de la légio II Gallica qui a fondé la colonie d’Arausio vers 35 av. J.-C. On distingue 2 types de dupondius d'Orange : ceux dont les portraits occupent la plus grande partie de l'avers et ceux qui montrent des têtes plutôt petites. " [/I] Q[/QUOTE]
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