Up until his final battle, Publius Quinctilius Varus was one of the most celebrated of Augustus’ generals. He had been consul in 13 BC (along with the future emperor Tiberius), governor of Syria from 7-4 BC, where he had sent two legions into Judaea to quell local unrest after the territory was converted to a Roman province, and subsequently governor of Germania. By AD 9, Augustus had decided to straighten (and thereby shorten) Rome’s borders by conquering the vast region of Germania beyond the Rhine. He assigned Varus to develop the region without war, but the mixed Gauls and Germans living there were not prepared to accept Romanization. The Cherusci under their king Arminius, along with other allies, ambushed Varus in the Teutoburg Forest of northwest Germany, and there annihilated the XVII, XVIII and XIX Roman legions in a pitched battle that lasted for three days. Varus, sensing doom, committed suicide, and when Augustus heard of the disaster, he tore his clothes and screamed, “Varus, give me back my legions.” No further attempts were made to subdue the Germans beyond the Rhine until the reign of Domitian, and Varus was blamed for the collapse of imperial policy in Germany. Seleucis and Pieria, Antioch. Pseudo-autonomous issue. temp. Augustus, 27 BC-AD 14. Æ Trichalkon. Struck under P. Quinctillius Varus, Governor of Syria. Dated year 27 of the Actian Era (5/4 BC). Obverse: Laureate head of Zeus right. Reverse: ΑΝΤΙΟΧΕΩΝ ΕΠΙ ΟΥΑΡΟΥ, Tyche seated right on rocky outcropping, holding palm branch; ZK (date) to right; at feet, half-length figure of river-god Orontes swimming right. Reference: RPC I, 4252. During his time as governor in Syria from 7/6 BC until 4 BC with four legions under his command, he was known for his harsh rule and high taxes. The Jewish historian Josephus mentions the swift action of Varus against a messianic revolt in Judaea after the death of the Roman client king, Herod the Great, in 4 BC. After occupying Jeruzalem, he crucified 2000 Jewish rebels and may have thus been one of the prime objects of popular anti-Roman sentiment in Judaea This above coin is one of the civic coins struck during his 'harsh' governing in Antioch. Share your coins related to Publius Quinctilius Varus!
I don't have any, but I took this photo at the Museum und Park Kalkriese where skirmishes took place between his legions and the Germans. Tons of coins found there, none dating later than 9 AD.
SELEUCIS and PIERIA, Antioch. Pseudo-autonomous issue. temp. Augustus, 27 BC-AD 14. Æ Trichalkon. Struck under P. Quinctillius Varus, Governor of Syria. Dated year 25 of the Actian Era (7/6 BC). O: Laureate head of Zeus right R: Tyche seated right on rocky outcropping, holding palm branch; at feet, river-god Orontes swimming right; EK (date) in right field.
Well done, @Pavlos ! You and I have the same year, very similar coins. You have a great example, congrats on the find! Publius Quinctilius Varus Roman Imperatorial Publius Quinctilius Varus 5-4 BCE AE20 8.0g Tetrachalkon Zeus Tyche Orontes Antioch Yr ZK RPC 4252 SNG Cop 92 This is the guy who lost the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, 3 legions, and 3 standards in 9 CE. Afterwards, Emperor Augustus lamented this loss until his death. "Quintili Vare, legiones redde!" (Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions!)
Nice grab! I found this one in a bulk lot of garbage bronzes, still one of my favorite finds to date! Augustus AE19 of Berytus, Phoenicia P Quinctilius Varus, Legate IMP CAESAR AVGVSTV, Bare head of Augustus right P QVINTILVS VRVS around two Aquiliae (Legionary standards) Minted 6-4 BC This is, AFAIK, the only "budget" coin of Varus that bears his name, although there are some extremely pricey (read: high $,$$$ to $$,$$$) provincials that feature his portrait!
MARCUS ANTONIUS AR Denarius OBVERSE: ANT AVG III VIR R P C, Praetorian galley, thyrsos behind prow REVERSE: LEG XVIII LYBICAE, legionary eagle between two standards Patrae 32-31 BC 3.5g, 18mm Cr544/11, Syd 1240 ex. Marti Classical Numismatics
Awesome! I really need to start going to museums with coins again. The last I went was in Florance, to see the Medici private coin collection. I toke a lot of pictures to share here on the forum, but then my phone broke... Love it Nice and clear coin! Very nice, I like the sand patina, really fits with where the coin comes from. Cool, nice find! I didn't know he was governor of Phoenicia as well. I like those denarius, I need to get one if I have the budget. Awesome @Bing, I look forward seeing your whole LEG collection appear on the forum again.
Really? I thought everyone was tired of seeing it. There for a while I seemed to be posting it all too often.
Nope. I enjoy them, and there are always new people here who have not seen them. Go for it! Even when folks show their coins several times, I see something I had missed before, learn something new, or folks comment on them that I had not realized.
