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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;robinjojo, post: 24816249, member: 110226&quot;]This is a coin that I purchased purely for the reverse.&nbsp; I don&#039;t really collect Roman provincial coins on any systematic basis, but instead on what attracts me to a particular coin.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Otacilia Severa, 244-249 AD, AE 27, Coele-Syria, Damascus.&nbsp; Astarte on reverse.</b></p><p><b>17.55 grams</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>[ATTACH=full]1588488[/ATTACH] </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Despite the coin&#039;s rough surfaces the reverse is pretty well defined, with Astarte seated above, facing left, with five figures giving homage, one to the immediate left and four more below, something of a Astarte fan club I&#039;d guess.</p><p><br /></p><p>Astarte is an interesting female deity, worshipped in the East, notably in Syria, but in other regions as well.&nbsp; Originally a Canaanite and Phoenician deity, her worship became associated with fertility, sexuality, war and hunting, spanning from the Bronze Age to the Classical period.&nbsp; While this coin well post dates the latter period, it is clear that Astarte continued to play an important religious role in Syria, well into the period of the Roman Empire.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about Astarte, here&#039;s a link.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astarte" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astarte" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astarte</a></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Edit:</b>&nbsp; I looked this coin up on the RPC website, something I probably should have done first, rather than relying on the dealer&#039;s description, and found this information:</p><p><br /></p><p>RPC Volume VIII</p><p><br /></p><p>Unassigned ID 26755</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;For the reverse, in upper register, Fortuna seated l., on rock, holding fillet or diadem and cornucopia; in upper l. field, ram leaping l., head r.; before, Marsyas standing r., holding wineskin and raising hand; in lower register, four Tychai: the outer pair with hands raised towards Fortuna of Damascus; l. of centre figure holding up uncertain object; r. of centre figure sacrificing over altar.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>There are 11 examples of this type, six of which are in the core collections.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, does the reverse depict Astarte or Fortuna?&nbsp; The leaping ram, quite obscure on this coin, is an interesting element and one that I would not associate with Fortuna.&nbsp; Besides, Astarte is a far more interesting goddess![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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