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<p>[QUOTE="Heliodromus, post: 7794911, member: 120820"]It certainly seems possible these were made for some use associated with local festivals, but I do think the common SANCTO CERERI/APOLLONI/SARAPIDI + GENIO NICOM/ANTIOCHENI/ALEXAND pattern has to be more than a coincidence. I’d expect that whatever the usage/occasion(s) were it would been similar or the same at all three cities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Van Heesch’s theory of these being related to the persecutions and a reflection of Maximinus Daia’s “religious policy” seems highly speculative. If these were meant as imperial propaganda, then why would they not have imperial obverses, or include Daia’s Cyzicus mint ? Other than the lack of imperial obverses, what stands out about these coins isn’t the use of pagan deities, but rather the localized nature of the legends and types.</p><p><br /></p><p>The closest parallel to other coinage/tokens from this period might be the Festival of Isis / Vota Pvblica pieces, especially the later (post-Valentinian) anonymous ones, which while being struck at the imperial mint may well have been sponsored by wealthy pagans rather than being imperial coinage. Perhaps that was the case here too – tokens commissioned by wealthy pagans for local celebrations.</p><p><br /></p><p>The multiple mintmarks and types for both Antioch (ANT, SMA) and Alexandria (ALE, SM) could support the theory of these being multiple issues for some recurring festival. At Antioch we have different types associated with the different mintmarks (ANT/IOVI, SMA/APOLLO), and on closer inspection I realized we have the same at Alexandria (ALE/Nilus, SM/Tyche). Nilus holds a reed and cornucopia, and reclines against a sphinx, while Tyche holds a rudder and reclines against some unidentifiable object.</p><p><br /></p><p>Daia originally only controlled Antioch and Alexandria, then gained Nicomedia and Cyzicus after the death of Galerius. It’s certainly tempting to date these all to the time of Daia, given that it’s his mints involved, so perhaps there was one or two annual issues at Antioch and Alexandria before the death of Galerius, then another now including Nicomedia (OPA/CERERI) after that. I don’t think we need to take the “VICTORIA AVGG” legend as an indiction of there only being two augusti (AVGG) at the time, since we also see Licinius using AVGG (vs AVGGG) for all three of himself/Daia and Constantine.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Heliodromus, post: 7794911, member: 120820"]It certainly seems possible these were made for some use associated with local festivals, but I do think the common SANCTO CERERI/APOLLONI/SARAPIDI + GENIO NICOM/ANTIOCHENI/ALEXAND pattern has to be more than a coincidence. I’d expect that whatever the usage/occasion(s) were it would been similar or the same at all three cities. Van Heesch’s theory of these being related to the persecutions and a reflection of Maximinus Daia’s “religious policy” seems highly speculative. If these were meant as imperial propaganda, then why would they not have imperial obverses, or include Daia’s Cyzicus mint ? Other than the lack of imperial obverses, what stands out about these coins isn’t the use of pagan deities, but rather the localized nature of the legends and types. The closest parallel to other coinage/tokens from this period might be the Festival of Isis / Vota Pvblica pieces, especially the later (post-Valentinian) anonymous ones, which while being struck at the imperial mint may well have been sponsored by wealthy pagans rather than being imperial coinage. Perhaps that was the case here too – tokens commissioned by wealthy pagans for local celebrations. The multiple mintmarks and types for both Antioch (ANT, SMA) and Alexandria (ALE, SM) could support the theory of these being multiple issues for some recurring festival. At Antioch we have different types associated with the different mintmarks (ANT/IOVI, SMA/APOLLO), and on closer inspection I realized we have the same at Alexandria (ALE/Nilus, SM/Tyche). Nilus holds a reed and cornucopia, and reclines against a sphinx, while Tyche holds a rudder and reclines against some unidentifiable object. Daia originally only controlled Antioch and Alexandria, then gained Nicomedia and Cyzicus after the death of Galerius. It’s certainly tempting to date these all to the time of Daia, given that it’s his mints involved, so perhaps there was one or two annual issues at Antioch and Alexandria before the death of Galerius, then another now including Nicomedia (OPA/CERERI) after that. I don’t think we need to take the “VICTORIA AVGG” legend as an indiction of there only being two augusti (AVGG) at the time, since we also see Licinius using AVGG (vs AVGGG) for all three of himself/Daia and Constantine.[/QUOTE]
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