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<p>[QUOTE="TIF, post: 3594014, member: 56859"]Interesting writeup, Curtis, and wonderful new Constantius II!</p><p><br /></p><p>I've casually read theories about these LRB reverse and am not sure what to think but lean towards signaling structures, or <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-campgate-a-call-for-a-cultural-history.295150/#post-2719363" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-campgate-a-call-for-a-cultural-history.295150/#post-2719363">camps with signaling structures atop</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>Random thoughts:</p><p><br /></p><p>The Murray Dahm article, popularized by <a href="https://community.vcoins.com/the-celator-vol-18-no-1/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://community.vcoins.com/the-celator-vol-18-no-1/" rel="nofollow">its appearance in The Celator</a>, has been discussed on CoinTalk a few times. He does make good points but as you noted the lack of archaeological evidence matching the LRB "campgates" is vexing.</p><p><br /></p><p>Or is it? Late Roman bronzes aren't exactly known for their veristic artwork <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. Perhaps the globe-topped tripods are just a stylized engraving shortcut. Nah, probably not because it wouldn't be any harder to engrave a few more brick-like straight lines to make them resemble the Mobene camp you showed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Or, maybe those LRBs <i>were</i> accurately if stylistically rendered and those things atop the wall were bronze bowl-like structures meant for holding fire. Maybe there isn't archaeological evidence because the ash is corrosive and over time, the bronze bowls disintegrated? Or, maybe the bronze was plundered and melted down for other uses.</p><p><br /></p><p>If the globe-topped tripods aren't rooftop fire pits, then what might they be? I don't have any alternative theories but haven't put much time or imagination into it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many, but not all, LRB campgates have a star atop. Perhaps that was to emphasize that the towers are a signaling system? Eh, probably not, otherwise why wouldn't the die cutter just engrave stars instead of globes atop the tripods?</p><p><br /></p><p>Do the attempted perspective reverses of the tetrarachal argentei show the same type of structure as LRB "campgates"? I'm not sure. I've never really thought of them as showing the same type of structures but maybe they do.</p><p><br /></p><p>[USER=83956]@Gavin Richardson[/USER] had an <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-campgate-a-call-for-a-cultural-history.295150/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-campgate-a-call-for-a-cultural-history.295150/">interesting post about the cultural context of campgates in ancient times</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For those who are detail oriented in the <b>extreme</b> (<i>cough</i>OCD<i>cough</i>), check out Dane Kurth's <a href="http://www.catbikes.ch/coinstuff/coins-ric.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.catbikes.ch/coinstuff/coins-ric.htm" rel="nofollow">spreadsheet for LRB campgates</a>. There's even a column for number of courses of bricks <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. I guess you can't rule out the importance of such minutia unless it is properly studied but finding meaning from the number rows of bricks seems a stretch.</p><p><br /></p><p>She logs <b>one thousand three hundred and twenty-seven different</b> variations of LRB campgates <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie100" alt=":wideyed:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. Not all of them have their own RIC number but even if you were to collect them just by RIC number, it would be a dizzying task.</p><p><br /></p><p>I bought a group lot of LRBs several years ago, primarily because there were a bunch of campgates and wanted some, plus they had silvering and I didn't have any silvered LRBs. Many of the campgates in that lot are rarity-rated R3 and R4 according to RIC. Heh. There must be thousands of LRB campgates (tens of thousands? more?). It's hard to take any satisfaction about rarity when it's merely for some trivial difference, plus the RIC rarity data for these types doesn't reflect the market. From this lot I learned that I do not like silvering on base metal coins! Unless it is absolutely pristine it just detracts from the devices, almost like camouflage. Photographing them is difficult too. You have to position the lighting such that there are no harsh reflections or else the speckling is horrible! They look great to the naked eye but in photographs they are awful.</p><p><br /></p><p>Someday I'll get some of these campgates with doors, like the one shown by Curtis. The doored campgates LRBs are certainly less common in the marketplace. I'm not sure why that makes me want one but it does <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. They <i>are</i> visually a bit more interesting.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are some from that lot. Not sure if I still have all of these-- some have been given away.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 78, SMATΓ, rarity R4</b> (??? How rare can it be if there were three of them in this small mixed lot?):</p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgate6r-constantine-smantgamma-jpg.436938/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 78, SMANTE, rarity rating R3:</b></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater8-constantinei-smante-jpg.436947/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 78, SMANTZ, R3:</b></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater4-constantinei-smantz-jpg.436950/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 81, SMANTB, R3:</b></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater1-constantinei-smantb-jpg.436951/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 84, SMANTE, R4</b></p><p><b><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater11-constantinei-smante-jpg.436953/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 84, SMANTZ, R3:</b></p><p><b><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater15-constantinei-smantz-jpg.436957/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 63, SMANT, Δ-E across fields (9th officina; avoiding the "unlucky" theta, this officina used delta + epsilon, 4 + 5), R4:</b></p><p><b><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater7-constantine1-smant-delta-episilon-jpg.436959/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 63, SMANTΔ, R1:</b></p><p><b><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater5-constantinei-smantdelta-jpg.436961/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Here's my favorite because it has a "vintage" Sear certificate. Also, it has no silvering. Doesn't it look nicer than all of the silvered coins shown above, raggedly flan and sloppy engraving notwithstanding?</p><p><br /></p><p><b><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/constantinei-campgate-vintagesearcert-ricvii-trier-449-border-jpg.606559/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></b></p><p><b>Constantine I follis, /campgate; RIC VII Trier 449</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/vintagesearcert-1978-constantinei-campgate-jpg.606560/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="TIF, post: 3594014, member: 56859"]Interesting writeup, Curtis, and wonderful new Constantius II! I've casually read theories about these LRB reverse and am not sure what to think but lean towards signaling structures, or [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-campgate-a-call-for-a-cultural-history.295150/#post-2719363']camps with signaling structures atop[/URL]. Random thoughts: The Murray Dahm article, popularized by [URL='https://community.vcoins.com/the-celator-vol-18-no-1/']its appearance in The Celator[/URL], has been discussed on CoinTalk a few times. He does make good points but as you noted the lack of archaeological evidence matching the LRB "campgates" is vexing. Or is it? Late Roman bronzes aren't exactly known for their veristic artwork :D. Perhaps the globe-topped tripods are just a stylized engraving shortcut. Nah, probably not because it wouldn't be any harder to engrave a few more brick-like straight lines to make them resemble the Mobene camp you showed. Or, maybe those LRBs [I]were[/I] accurately if stylistically rendered and those things atop the wall were bronze bowl-like structures meant for holding fire. Maybe there isn't archaeological evidence because the ash is corrosive and over time, the bronze bowls disintegrated? Or, maybe the bronze was plundered and melted down for other uses. If the globe-topped tripods aren't rooftop fire pits, then what might they be? I don't have any alternative theories but haven't put much time or imagination into it. Many, but not all, LRB campgates have a star atop. Perhaps that was to emphasize that the towers are a signaling system? Eh, probably not, otherwise why wouldn't the die cutter just engrave stars instead of globes atop the tripods? Do the attempted perspective reverses of the tetrarachal argentei show the same type of structure as LRB "campgates"? I'm not sure. I've never really thought of them as showing the same type of structures but maybe they do. [USER=83956]@Gavin Richardson[/USER] had an [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-campgate-a-call-for-a-cultural-history.295150/']interesting post about the cultural context of campgates in ancient times[/URL]. For those who are detail oriented in the [B]extreme[/B] ([I]cough[/I]OCD[I]cough[/I]), check out Dane Kurth's [URL='http://www.catbikes.ch/coinstuff/coins-ric.htm']spreadsheet for LRB campgates[/URL]. There's even a column for number of courses of bricks :D. I guess you can't rule out the importance of such minutia unless it is properly studied but finding meaning from the number rows of bricks seems a stretch. She logs [B]one thousand three hundred and twenty-seven different[/B] variations of LRB campgates :wideyed:. Not all of them have their own RIC number but even if you were to collect them just by RIC number, it would be a dizzying task. I bought a group lot of LRBs several years ago, primarily because there were a bunch of campgates and wanted some, plus they had silvering and I didn't have any silvered LRBs. Many of the campgates in that lot are rarity-rated R3 and R4 according to RIC. Heh. There must be thousands of LRB campgates (tens of thousands? more?). It's hard to take any satisfaction about rarity when it's merely for some trivial difference, plus the RIC rarity data for these types doesn't reflect the market. From this lot I learned that I do not like silvering on base metal coins! Unless it is absolutely pristine it just detracts from the devices, almost like camouflage. Photographing them is difficult too. You have to position the lighting such that there are no harsh reflections or else the speckling is horrible! They look great to the naked eye but in photographs they are awful. Someday I'll get some of these campgates with doors, like the one shown by Curtis. The doored campgates LRBs are certainly less common in the marketplace. I'm not sure why that makes me want one but it does :D. They [I]are[/I] visually a bit more interesting. Here are some from that lot. Not sure if I still have all of these-- some have been given away. [B]Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 78, SMATΓ, rarity R4[/B] (??? How rare can it be if there were three of them in this small mixed lot?): [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgate6r-constantine-smantgamma-jpg.436938/[/IMG] [B]Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 78, SMANTE, rarity rating R3:[/B] [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater8-constantinei-smante-jpg.436947/[/IMG] [B]Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 78, SMANTZ, R3:[/B] [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater4-constantinei-smantz-jpg.436950/[/IMG] [B]Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 81, SMANTB, R3:[/B] [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater1-constantinei-smantb-jpg.436951/[/IMG] [B]Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 84, SMANTE, R4 [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater11-constantinei-smante-jpg.436953/[/IMG] Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 84, SMANTZ, R3: [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater15-constantinei-smantz-jpg.436957/[/IMG] Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 63, SMANT, Δ-E across fields (9th officina; avoiding the "unlucky" theta, this officina used delta + epsilon, 4 + 5), R4: [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater7-constantine1-smant-delta-episilon-jpg.436959/[/IMG] Constantine I, RIC VII Antioch 63, SMANTΔ, R1: [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/campgater5-constantinei-smantdelta-jpg.436961/[/IMG] [/B] Here's my favorite because it has a "vintage" Sear certificate. Also, it has no silvering. Doesn't it look nicer than all of the silvered coins shown above, raggedly flan and sloppy engraving notwithstanding? [B][IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/constantinei-campgate-vintagesearcert-ricvii-trier-449-border-jpg.606559/[/IMG] Constantine I follis, /campgate; RIC VII Trier 449 [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/vintagesearcert-1978-constantinei-campgate-jpg.606560/[/IMG][/B][/QUOTE]
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