Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 1682435, member: 19463&quot;]A characteristic of these online groups is that many people do not read posts before replying to them. The reason I posted that question from my Quiz page was Ardatirion had just explained question 6-4 (the avoidance of theta) and that theta was the Greek numeral for nine (question 6-1).&nbsp; 6-2 is regnal year which would have been L theta except for the thanatos matter so they wrote out the Greek word ENATOY or 9th.&nbsp; This group has seen many tets of Alexandria with year=L followed by a numeral but this coin might be your first exposure to a nine.&nbsp; I do recall that we have seen other numbers written out (the Hadrian drachms with 10 and 13 in words come to mind) within the last year.&nbsp; 6-3 is workshop or officina.&nbsp; Coin A might be called tricky since they split the two parts of the number DE on either side of the tower and coin C requires you to realize that the mintmark CONS is followed by a workshop number (here theta which is the only number on this coin).&nbsp; The only coins with a number other than 9 are the two denarii.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>The earliest coins are the two denarii of Titus both showing TRP 9 but one has VIIII while the other is IX.&nbsp; Coin E has IMP XIIII while D has IMP XV so E is earlier in the same year. If that is not enough for you, coin E has COS VII while D is COS VIII so E was struck in late 79 AD while D was in early 80 AD.&nbsp; I have not memorized the TRP assumption dates for all the emperors but will point out that Sear&#039;s old one volume <b>Roman Coins and their Values</b> points out that Titus assumed TRP on July 1 and renewed it each year on that date.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Next is the Alexandrian tetradrachm of Diocletian with his typical tiny letters that are hard to read unless you realize that rather few rulers lasted until year nine and the letter o of this period is regularly more like a dot that a big fat thing.&nbsp; As these go, this coin is pretty clear.&nbsp; As was stated correctly Constantine and Constantius II bring up the rear so the answer is EDBAC.&nbsp; Note that coin C has reverted to the use of theta in the mintmark for the workshop letter.&nbsp; By that time, it was inappropriate to cling to Pagan superstitions in the new Christian era so the fear of Thanatos was old fashioned.&nbsp; Coin A dates from a time when Constantine was still catering to the Pagan part of the populace and still used the ED work-around.&nbsp; Coin C is a generation later and the old Pagan ways were no longer being considered by the very Christian emperors.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>The reason I created the Quiz was to see if I could ask fair questions that could not be defeated by search engines.&nbsp; Search engines might lead you to a site that explains the TRP and IMP dating systems but you have to think to realize that the IMP awards were not attached to a year as were TRP and COS offices so they could come mid-year as here.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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