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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;David Atherton, post: 5186129, member: 82616&quot;]There is no doubt that Minerva took pride and place among all the deities with Domitian. His coinage is chock full of her image on all denominations and metals. Suetonious says that Domitian &#039;worshipped with superstitious veneration&#039; the goddess. My latest coin demonstrates how thankful Domitian was for her protection.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1213563[/ATTACH]<b>Domitian</b></p><p>Æ Sestertius, 25.18g</p><p>Rome mint, 85 AD</p><p>Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XI CENS POT P P; Head of Domitian, laureate, r., with aegis</p><p>Rev: S C in field; Domitian stg. l., sacrificing with patera over altar in front of shrine containing cult statue of Minerva</p><p>RIC 355 (C). BMC 336. BNC 356.</p><p>Acquired from Castellet Classical Numismatics, December 2020.</p><p><br /></p><p>85 AD saw the mint at Rome introduce many new types on Domitian&#039;s aes coinage. This sestertius from the second issue of the year shows Domitian sacrificing in front of a small shrine. Mattingly in BMCRE (p. xciii) had this to say concerning the type - &#039;Minerva is not represented here by her own types, as on the gold and silver, but by a type that recurs year after year of Domitian sacrificing before the goddess in a shrine. While recording his achievements, Domitian does not omit to acknowledge the goddess to whom they are due.&#039; The nod here to Minerva is quite pious. The shrine in question is a mystery and may perhaps just be a generic design to frame the cult image.</p><p><br /></p><p>Please show your coins featuring shrines or pious activities.</p><p><br /></p><p>NB: In honour of the dark milk chocolate toning of my new piece, I celebrated its arrival with a pint of Ohio based Graeter&#039;s Dutch Milk Chocolate ice cream - the best chocolate ice cream commercially available! (I know it&#039;s a stretch, but any excuse is a good excuse for Graeter&#039;s!)</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1213565[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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