Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
A Posthumous Portrait of Nerva from Perinthos, Thrace
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="Marsyas Mike, post: 8332023, member: 85693"]I've been working up a scruffy batch of Roman Provinicials (and two imperials) from eBay and I made what seems to be an unusual discovery - a posthumous issue for Nerva on a big, sestertius-sized flan (31 mm / 21.84 grams) from Perinthos, Thrace. </p><p><br /></p><p>At first the portrait really threw me off - Hadrian? Domitian? Also, I at first thought it was from Perge, not Perinthos. So yeah, it took me a long time to track this down, but I think I'm correct; I even found a couple of die-matches for it (obverse). Mine has what might be a countermark on the obverse bust, or maybe just be a random bit of ancient damage:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1476927[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Trajan (for Divus Nerva) Æ 31</b></p><p><b>(98-102 A.D.)</b></p><p><b>Perinthos, Thrace</b></p><p>[NEPOV]AΣ ΘEOΣ ΣE[BAΣTOΣ], laureate head of Nerva right / ΠER[IN]ΘIΩN,</p><p>Homonoia standing left, holding phiale and cornucopiae.</p><p>RPC III 684; Varbanov 43; Schönert-Geiss 312-4; BMC 18. </p><p>(21.84 grams / 31 x 29 mm)</p><p>eBay April 2022</p><p><b>Countermark:</b> Unclear on obverse bust; eagle facing? This countermark is found on</p><p>many issues from Thrace. </p><p><b>Obv. die-match (Note heavy brow ridge, lettering):</b></p><p>Numismatik Lanz München Auction 144; Lot 462; 24.11.2008</p><p><a href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=551540" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=551540" rel="nofollow">https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=551540</a></p><p>Gorny & Mosch Giessener Auction 134; Lot 1855; 11.10.2004</p><p><a href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=191941" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=191941" rel="nofollow">https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=191941</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Obverse die matches, I think (and nicer examples than mine, so you can see what these are supposed to look like - big noses!): </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1476928[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>RPC has five examples: <a href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/684" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/684" rel="nofollow">https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/684</a> </p><p><br /></p><p>As for other portraits of Nerva from Perinthos, there were, per RCP, six types, all seen here (different reverse deities):</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/search/browse?volume_id=&number=&city_id=153&region_id=&province_id=&subprovince_id=&reign_id=&date_min=&date_max=&obverse_inscription_simplified=&reverse_inscription_simplified=&obverse_design=Nerva&reverse_design=&metal_id=&weight_min=&weight_max=&diameter_min=&diameter_max=&format=" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/search/browse?volume_id=&number=&city_id=153&region_id=&province_id=&subprovince_id=&reign_id=&date_min=&date_max=&obverse_inscription_simplified=&reverse_inscription_simplified=&obverse_design=Nerva&reverse_design=&metal_id=&weight_min=&weight_max=&diameter_min=&diameter_max=&format=" rel="nofollow">https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/search/browse?volume_id=&number=&city_id=153&region_id=&province_id=&subprovince_id=&reign_id=&date_min=&date_max=&obverse_inscription_simplified=&reverse_inscription_simplified=&obverse_design=Nerva&reverse_design=&metal_id=&weight_min=&weight_max=&diameter_min=&diameter_max=&format=</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Along the same lines, a while back I found a reference to an Imperial issue of Trajan that <i>may</i> depict an otherwise unknown Temple to the Divine Nerva in Rome: </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1476942[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Trajan Æ As</b></p><p><b>(103-111 A.D.) </b></p><p><b>Rome Mint</b></p><p>[IMP CAES NERVAE TRAI]ANO AVG GER DAC PM [TR P COS V P P], laureate head</p><p>right, drapery on left shoulder / [SPQR OPTIMO] PRINCIPI, SC in exergue, Pax (Honos? Nerva?) standing within octastyle temple.</p><p>RIC II 575; BMCRE 955.</p><p>(8.82 grams / 25 x 24 mm)</p><p>eBay June 2020</p><p><b>Notes:</b> Mary Taliaferro Boatwright, <i>Hadrian and the City of Rome</i>, "If the seated statue is to be identified as male (in the coins dated 105-107 A.D.), it is possible that Trajan did begin a temple here to honor Nerva. But given the time lag between the coin issues and the actual dedication of the temple by Hadrian, and the fact that the temple was dedicated to Trajan and Plotina without Nerva, it would be more plausible to assume that a different Trajanic series struck ca. 105-108, showing a standing male figure in an unidentified temple, depicts the otherwise unattested Temple of the Deified Nerva (fn. BMC Emp. III, nos. 955-58). In addition to chronological arguments against assuming that the Temple was first destined for Trajan's deified blood father, we note again that there is no evidence that a temple ever honored this individual." (p. 92)</p><p><br /></p><p>Nerva's deification didn't seem to get much numismatic action, unless I am missing something. Any additional information, coins, etc. appreciated.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Marsyas Mike, post: 8332023, member: 85693"]I've been working up a scruffy batch of Roman Provinicials (and two imperials) from eBay and I made what seems to be an unusual discovery - a posthumous issue for Nerva on a big, sestertius-sized flan (31 mm / 21.84 grams) from Perinthos, Thrace. At first the portrait really threw me off - Hadrian? Domitian? Also, I at first thought it was from Perge, not Perinthos. So yeah, it took me a long time to track this down, but I think I'm correct; I even found a couple of die-matches for it (obverse). Mine has what might be a countermark on the obverse bust, or maybe just be a random bit of ancient damage: [ATTACH=full]1476927[/ATTACH] [B]Trajan (for Divus Nerva) Æ 31 (98-102 A.D.) Perinthos, Thrace[/B] [NEPOV]AΣ ΘEOΣ ΣE[BAΣTOΣ], laureate head of Nerva right / ΠER[IN]ΘIΩN, Homonoia standing left, holding phiale and cornucopiae. RPC III 684; Varbanov 43; Schönert-Geiss 312-4; BMC 18. (21.84 grams / 31 x 29 mm) eBay April 2022 [B]Countermark:[/B] Unclear on obverse bust; eagle facing? This countermark is found on many issues from Thrace. [B]Obv. die-match (Note heavy brow ridge, lettering):[/B] Numismatik Lanz München Auction 144; Lot 462; 24.11.2008 [URL]https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=551540[/URL] Gorny & Mosch Giessener Auction 134; Lot 1855; 11.10.2004 [URL]https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=191941[/URL] Obverse die matches, I think (and nicer examples than mine, so you can see what these are supposed to look like - big noses!): [ATTACH=full]1476928[/ATTACH] RPC has five examples: [URL]https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/684[/URL] As for other portraits of Nerva from Perinthos, there were, per RCP, six types, all seen here (different reverse deities): [URL]https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/search/browse?volume_id=&number=&city_id=153®ion_id=&province_id=&subprovince_id=&reign_id=&date_min=&date_max=&obverse_inscription_simplified=&reverse_inscription_simplified=&obverse_design=Nerva&reverse_design=&metal_id=&weight_min=&weight_max=&diameter_min=&diameter_max=&format=[/URL] Along the same lines, a while back I found a reference to an Imperial issue of Trajan that [I]may[/I] depict an otherwise unknown Temple to the Divine Nerva in Rome: [ATTACH=full]1476942[/ATTACH] [B]Trajan Æ As (103-111 A.D.) Rome Mint[/B] [IMP CAES NERVAE TRAI]ANO AVG GER DAC PM [TR P COS V P P], laureate head right, drapery on left shoulder / [SPQR OPTIMO] PRINCIPI, SC in exergue, Pax (Honos? Nerva?) standing within octastyle temple. RIC II 575; BMCRE 955. (8.82 grams / 25 x 24 mm) eBay June 2020 [B]Notes:[/B] Mary Taliaferro Boatwright, [I]Hadrian and the City of Rome[/I], "If the seated statue is to be identified as male (in the coins dated 105-107 A.D.), it is possible that Trajan did begin a temple here to honor Nerva. But given the time lag between the coin issues and the actual dedication of the temple by Hadrian, and the fact that the temple was dedicated to Trajan and Plotina without Nerva, it would be more plausible to assume that a different Trajanic series struck ca. 105-108, showing a standing male figure in an unidentified temple, depicts the otherwise unattested Temple of the Deified Nerva (fn. BMC Emp. III, nos. 955-58). In addition to chronological arguments against assuming that the Temple was first destined for Trajan's deified blood father, we note again that there is no evidence that a temple ever honored this individual." (p. 92) Nerva's deification didn't seem to get much numismatic action, unless I am missing something. Any additional information, coins, etc. appreciated.[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
A Posthumous Portrait of Nerva from Perinthos, Thrace
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...
