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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ancient Aussie, post: 3556315, member: 80147&quot;].One coin that has alluded me since I started collecting is this Juba I Drachm/Denarius, the few I have had the oportunity to buy/bid on usually have the temple side a bit of a mess i.e. parts of the building off the flan or scrubbed but usually the portrait is okay ( I prefer it the other way around) I guess the mint worker&#039;s were a bit scared to stuff up Juba&#039;s portrait. On a tight flan of 17mm I am lucky to get the unique building all in except the very top part of the gabled pedimented tower oh for another couple of millimeters of flan!!</p><p>[ATTACH=full]945309[/ATTACH] </p><p>KINGS of NUMIDIA. Juba I, Circa 60-46 BC. Drachm (Silver, 17mm, 3.76 g 12), Utica. REX IVBA Diademed, bearded, draped and cuirassed bust of Juba I to right, scepter over his right shoulder. Rev. (Punic legend) Octastyle temple with a flat roof and a small, central, pedimented tower. MAA 29. Mazard 84. SNG Copenhagen 523. Attractively toned grey. Bankers mark under ear.</p><p>A BRIEF HISTORY OF THIS RULER AND HIS PREDECESSORS.</p><p>The eastern part of Numidia was ruled by Jugurtha’s half-brother Gauda (c. 105 - c. 88 BCE) and then by his son Hiempsal II (c. 88-60 BCE).</p><p>Hiempsal II was driven from his throne by the people, reinstated by Rome, and succeeded by his son Juba I (60-46 BCE). Juba sided with Pompey during his war with Caesar, and when defeat was certain following the Battle of Thapsus in 46 BCE, he killed himself. Numidia was annexed by Caesar shortly after this engagement with the western part given to Bocchus II of Mauretania who had been Caesar’s ally. The mercenary Publius Sittius, who had fought for Caesar’s cause, was given the city of Cirta and possibly the area around it.</p><p>His son, Juba II, was taken back to Rome for Caesar&#039;s triple-triumph. Many years later Juba II was &#039;restored&#039; to the throne by Augustus as a puppet-ruler. Since Numidia had clearly thrown in her lot with Rome with the waning of the Ptolemaic and Punic societies, it is interesting to note the bilingualism of these issues. Punic script would very shortly die out as Africa became Romanized. </p><p>[ATTACH=full]945311[/ATTACH] </p><p>King Juba I of Numidia -profile, head of Roman sculpture (marble), 1st century BC -1st century AD, (Musée du Louvre, Paris).[ATTACH=full]945312[/ATTACH] </p><p>The use of the word REX, in Latin, as well as the direct use of the King&#039;s portrait, on what is ostensibly a denarius, is interesting -only a few short years later, Caesar&#039;s use of his own portrait along with the term &#039;dictator for life&#039; became one of the reasons for his assassination. One wonders how a coin with such an autocratic message, in the language of the Romans, would have been received by Juba&#039;s &quot;Republican&#039;&quot;allies.</p><p>POST YOUR NORTH AFRICAN COINS, I AM SURE THERE IS SOME INTERESTING COINS OUT THERE.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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