The Roman goddess Salus was responsible for the prosperity of the Roman state and its rulers and was an important deity on the coinage throughout the Flavian era. My latest arrival showcases a mysterious shrine possibly dedicated to her. Domitian Æ As, 9.54g Rome mint, 84 AD Obv: IMP CAES DOMITIAN AVG GERM COS X; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r., with aegis Rev: SALVTI AVGVSTI; S C in exergue; Altar RIC 224 (C2). BMC 291. BNC 309. Acquired from eBay, September 2020. Formerly in NGC holder #4285243-015, with grade Ch F. The SALVTI AVGVSTI altar type was first introduced on Domitian's aes coinage in 84 after a brief hiatus of the Senatorial mint's production in 82-83, presumably for re-organisational purposes. This earliest version of the type has the legend starting at the lower left, later issues would place the legend above and below. The structure on the reverse has been traditionally described as an altar, however, Marvin Tameanko has convincingly argued it is actually a sacellum, or small shrine. He states the steps at the base leading to two doors with handles are overwhelming evidence that the structure was much larger than an altar. As far as the shrine's significance - H. Mattingly in BMCRE II interprets the type as commemorating the Senate's dedication of an altar shrine celebrating Domitian's safe return from the Germanic Wars of 82-83. Alternately, the shrine may have been dedicated as an appeal to Salus for the emperor's continued good health. Tameanko attributed the reverse to Domitian's hypochondria. In any case, no trace of the shrine has survived antiquity. Post your shrine/altars!
Excellent coin David. Congrats on a great acquisition. Titus AR Denarius.Under Vespasian 76 CE (first issue) (18.91mm 3.14g) Obv:Leaureate head right, T CAESAR IMP VESPASIAN Rev:Jupiter standing facing with patera over altar, IOVIS CUSTOS RIC 863 [VESP] (R2) Purchased from ebay February 21, 2019
Very attractive coin, @David Atherton, and a fun theme for a thread. This reverse type is unique to Crispina, the wife of Commodus, who was childless as far as is known to history. We don't know the circumstances surrounding the issuance of this coin. It would seem that the empress had dedicated an altar to the dei genitales, either for having had children, or that she might obtain fertility from them, or that she might commend the child, with which she was pregnant, to their care and protection. The inscription is a dedicatory phrase -- the dative form of the plural, dei genitales ("generative gods") -- and thus means "to the generative gods." The dei genitales were divinities thought by the Romans to be the parents of all things, both animate and inanimate.* Crispina also issued coins with the inscription DIS CONIVGALIBVS, perhaps wishing for happiness in marriage. Unfortunately, the wishes expressed on her coins could not be said to have been successful. The coin comes with two obverse inscriptions, CRISPINA AVG (earlier; RSC 15) and CRISPINA AVGVSTA (later; RSC 16); it is also known with a left-facing bust (RSC 16a). Crispina, AD 180-182 Roman AR denarius, 3.15 g, 19.5 mm, 11 h Rome, AD 177-180 Obv: CRISPINA AVG, bare-headed and draped bust, right Rev: DIS GENITALIBVS, large rectangular altar, garlanded and lighted Refs: RIC 281a; BMCRE 31-32; RSC 15; RCV 5999 var.; MIR 18, 8-4a; CRE 277. *Penn, R. G. Medicine on Ancient Greek and Roman Coins. Seaby, 1994, p. 66.
I'm not sure what to make of my example. Is the lack of detail in the 'trench' at top and bottom from a die variation or from overly exuberant cleaning?
Love this coin! I have a few ancients but really starting to like them over the last few years. Did you break it out of the holder or you purchased it removed? I'm too scared to use eBay for ancients as I don't know enough not to be duped.
Nice coin and very informative write up. I have the "XI" version: Domitian Æ As (85 A.D.) Rome Mint IMP CAES DOMITIAN AVG GERM COS XI, laureate bust right, wearing aegis / SALVTI AVGVSTI above and beneath facade of Ara Salutis Augusti with horns above, S-C. RIC 305; BMCRE 316-317. (10.94 grams / 28 mm) Here's an example of that altar type by Crispina as noted by RC: Crispina Denarius (Wife of Commodus) (180-183 A.D.) CRISPINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right / DIS GENITALIBVS, garlanded and lighted rectangular altar. RIC 281b; RSC 16. (2.88 grams / 17 mm) Stevenson says of this reverse (p. 332): "It would seem that the empress had dedicated an altar to the dii genitales, either for having had children, or that she might obtain fertility from them, or that she might commend the child with which she was pregnant to their care and protection." (FORVM)
The horizontal "trenches" at top and bottom of the altar on Doug's example: apparently an early design variation, also visible on RIC pl. 138, 209 and 210, which are also IMP X, the earliest date for this type
Thank you very much. When we who know not see something like this we worry that something like this might mean that the patina was fake and placed over a coin tooled for some reason. Some of us hope to learn all we want to know but I fear I am likely to be 150 years old before that happens. I suggest others with this goal work harder at it than I did. Now that I know there was something to look for, I could confirm the legitimacy by doing an acsearch and finding a Gorny sale of a, of course, much nicer one. I wonder it its buyer was hoping for one like that or if they really wanted 'full steps'. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5746422
Domitian AE As. AD 85. RIC 305 IMP CAES DOMITIAN AVG GERM COS XI, laureate head right, wearing aegis / SALVTI AVGVSTI above and beneath the altar of the Ara Salutis Augusti with double-paneled door and horns above, S-C across fields. RIC 305; BMCRE 316-317; Paris 339; Cohen 417. there are later COS XI issues with lateral legend , RIC 304: http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.2_1(2).dom.304 https://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/domitian/RIC_0304.jpg
