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<p>[QUOTE="Jochen1, post: 3875939, member: 103829"]Dear Friends of ancient mythology!</p><p><br /></p><p>Some notes on the mysterious Veiovis:</p><p><br /></p><p><b> 1st Coin:</b></p><p>Roman Republic, Mn. Fonteius, gens Fonteia</p><p>AR - Denarius, Rome, 85 B.C.</p><p>Obv.: Head of Apollo Veiovis r., wearing laurel wreath with berries</p><p>behind MN FONTEI</p><p>[below thunderbolt,] CF under chin</p><p>Rev.: Winged young genius on a goat riding r., before and behind the hats of the</p><p>Dioscuri, decorated with stars,</p><p>in ex. thyrsos, all in laurel wreath.</p><p>Ref.: Crawford 353/1d; Sydenham 724b; Fonteia 11</p><p>VF, pretty details of the goat</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1023907[/ATTACH]</p><p>The reverse imitates a statue in the temple of Veiovis in Rome which shows the young genius riding the goat Amalthea. According to the myth, Amalthea had suckled Jupiter on Mount Ida on Crete. The cornucopiae is said to have originated from her horns.</p><p><br /></p><p>The figure of Veiovis is very mysterious. I found the most detailed explanation at the famous Wissowa (RE), in his article 'Religion und Kultus der Römer, München 1912:</p><p><br /></p><p>Exactly in the middle between the Lemuria and Carnaria festivities, on the old table on 21 May, there is an <i>agonium</i> which, according to the inscription of the <i>Fastu Venusini</i>, was dedicated to the god Vediovis. Although this testimony is isolated, it is credible, because the affiliation of Vediovis to this oldest cult is beyond question and the date of the feast fits well to the few other things we know about this god today. His name appears in the forms <i>Vediovis</i>, <i>Vedius</i> or <i>Veiovis</i> and thus clearly identifies him as the counter-image of <i>Diovis</i>, <i>Dius</i> or <i>Iovis</i>, thus as the counter-image of the supreme God of heaven. In the formula of devotion in Macrobius he is invoked together with the <i>di manes</i>, which certainly points to an underworld God. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, who lived at the time of Augustus, named a <i>Zeus katachthonios</i>, to whom according to a law attributed to Romulus the wrong-doer had fallen against the statutes of the clientele relationship. It is also found in the Twelve Tables. This god is probably none other than Veiovis. An apparently younger version of the devotion formula names the Greek underworld god <i>Dis pater </i>before Veiovis and the Manes, who stands here still beside Veiovis. But soon he displaced or replaced him, so that the Augustan time knew nothing more about the nature and meaning of the old God and went by in the most different suppositions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Outside of Latium there is no trace of his worship. The only extra-Roman monument is the altar found near Bovillae and dedicated to <i>Veiovis pater</i>(sic!) by the gentiles Iulii.</p><p><br /></p><p>In Rome, however, at the beginning of the 2nd century B.C., the god received almost 2 temples at the same time:</p><p><br /></p><p>(1) One was praised by L. Furiius Purpureo in his praetur 200 B.C., started during his consulate in 196, lay on the Tiber Island and was consecrated on 1 January 194.</p><p><br /></p><p>(2) The other was <i>inter duos lucos</i>, the saddle between Capitol and the castle, donated in 192 and celebrated its foundation on 7 March.</p><p><br /></p><p>In this second temple there was a statue of the god made of cypress wood, which showed him youthful, with arrows in his hand and a goat on his side. In memory of the Greek mythology, which told how Zeus was raised by the goat Amaltheia, the name Ve-iovis was explained by analogy of <i>vegrandis </i>(tiny), <i>vescus </i>(meager) and others and the God was interpreted as a "infant Jupiter".</p><p><br /></p><p>In fact, however, the picture depicted an Apollo as the god of death with the corrupting arrows. The goat had been given to him according to the Roman idea, because the Romans regarded the goat as an animal of the subterranean. In their ritual regulation, the Flames Dialis were not allowed to touch a goat any more than a corpse or beans.</p><p><br /></p><p>The identification of the god of the dead with Apollo can also be found with the god who was worshipped on Mount Soracte near Falerii. The god was originally called <i>Soranus pater </i>without a proper name, but was then called Apollo in literature and in cult services, while others explained the name as <i>Dis pater</i>. His cult included a rite of atonement in which the priests, who always came from certain families in the area and were called <i>hirpi</i> (= wolves), walked barefoot over glowing coals. This rite still existed in Roman Imperisal times.</p><p><br /></p><p>The representation of the goat or the emperor's son riding the goat can be found on imperial coins up to Gallienus. I suspect that at the time of Gallienus, but also before that, the meaning of the goat was no longer really known. Because already in former times the interpretation of the goat as Amalthea was rather a sign for the fact that the whole prehistory with the cult of the dead had already fallen into oblivion.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Summary:</b></p><p>The interpretation as 'infant Jupiter' contradicts the designation of Veiovis in the gentile cult of the Julians in Bovillae as '<i>pater</i>', as he is considered in the oldest testimonies. The goat was therefore a symbol of death and played an important role in the cult of the dead. Devotion was also an invocation of the gods of death, in which the commander (and his army) consecrated himself to death if they gave him victory for it. And this devotion also took place in the name of Veiovis.</p><p><br /></p><p>Today it is assumed that Veiovis was distinguished from Jupiter only after the transformation of the Jupiter cult in the sense of the Olympians, whereby he kept the name Jovis (Kleiner Pauly).</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Coin #2:</b></p><p>Roman Republic, L. Iulius Bursio, gens Iulia</p><p>AR - Denarius, 3.94g, 19.92mm, 0°</p><p>Rome, 85 B.C.</p><p>Av.: Apollo Veiovis, laureate and winged, r.</p><p>behind trident and symbol (wing)</p><p>Rv: Victoria in Quadriga r., holding the reins in the left and in the outstretched</p><p>right the wreath</p><p>before H (control mark #314)</p><p>in ex. L IVLI BVRSIO</p><p>Ref: Crawford 352/1a; Sydenham 728; Juklia 6</p><p>About EF</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1023908[/ATTACH]</p><p>This coin shows the close relationship between the gens Iulia and the cult of Veiovis. And since he was called pater in Bovillae, this contradicts the interpretation of the infant Jupiter on the goat.</p><p><br /></p><p>And then, of course, the next coin belongs in this context, representing the nymph Amaltheia with the real infant Zeus:</p><p><br /></p><p><b>3rd Coin:</b></p><p>Cilicia, Aigeai, Hadrian, AD 117-138</p><p>AR - Tetradrachm (Tridrachm?), 26mm, 10.46g</p><p>struck AD 117/118 (year 164 of the Caesarian era)</p><p>Obv.: AVTOKP KAIC TPAIANOC - AΔPIANOC CEB</p><p>So-called Heroic Bust, some drapery on the left shoulder, laureate, r.</p><p>Rev.: in l. field AIΓEAIΩN, in r. field ETOVC ΔΞP (= year 164)</p><p>The nymph Amaltheia, here as city goddess with kalathos and in long garment,</p><p>standing frontal, head r., holds in her right arm cornucopiae and in her left arm</p><p>infant Zeus, who wants to crown her with a wreat in his raised right hand; at her</p><p>right side the goat recumbent r., looking back to her.</p><p>Ref: SNG Levante 1714; SNG Paris 2328; SNG von Aulock 5450; Prieur 716</p><p>Rare, almost VF</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1023909[/ATTACH]</p><p>This type, struck in the first year of Hadrian's government, shows a remarkable depiction: Infant Zeus wreaths Amaltheia. This is an allusion to mythology, in which Zeus was suckled by Amaltheia in the shape of a goat. The goat is also a symbol for Aigeai as a play on words, because goat is Greek <i>AIΞ, AIΓOΣ</i>. Such word games with city names were very popular in ancient times. Here it also shows the tolerance of Hadrian towards such Greek word games.</p><p><br /></p><p>Best regards[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Jochen1, post: 3875939, member: 103829"]Dear Friends of ancient mythology! Some notes on the mysterious Veiovis: [B] 1st Coin:[/B] Roman Republic, Mn. Fonteius, gens Fonteia AR - Denarius, Rome, 85 B.C. Obv.: Head of Apollo Veiovis r., wearing laurel wreath with berries behind MN FONTEI [below thunderbolt,] CF under chin Rev.: Winged young genius on a goat riding r., before and behind the hats of the Dioscuri, decorated with stars, in ex. thyrsos, all in laurel wreath. Ref.: Crawford 353/1d; Sydenham 724b; Fonteia 11 VF, pretty details of the goat [ATTACH=full]1023907[/ATTACH] The reverse imitates a statue in the temple of Veiovis in Rome which shows the young genius riding the goat Amalthea. According to the myth, Amalthea had suckled Jupiter on Mount Ida on Crete. The cornucopiae is said to have originated from her horns. The figure of Veiovis is very mysterious. I found the most detailed explanation at the famous Wissowa (RE), in his article 'Religion und Kultus der Römer, München 1912: Exactly in the middle between the Lemuria and Carnaria festivities, on the old table on 21 May, there is an [I]agonium[/I] which, according to the inscription of the [I]Fastu Venusini[/I], was dedicated to the god Vediovis. Although this testimony is isolated, it is credible, because the affiliation of Vediovis to this oldest cult is beyond question and the date of the feast fits well to the few other things we know about this god today. His name appears in the forms [I]Vediovis[/I], [I]Vedius[/I] or [I]Veiovis[/I] and thus clearly identifies him as the counter-image of [I]Diovis[/I], [I]Dius[/I] or [I]Iovis[/I], thus as the counter-image of the supreme God of heaven. In the formula of devotion in Macrobius he is invoked together with the [I]di manes[/I], which certainly points to an underworld God. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, who lived at the time of Augustus, named a [I]Zeus katachthonios[/I], to whom according to a law attributed to Romulus the wrong-doer had fallen against the statutes of the clientele relationship. It is also found in the Twelve Tables. This god is probably none other than Veiovis. An apparently younger version of the devotion formula names the Greek underworld god [I]Dis pater [/I]before Veiovis and the Manes, who stands here still beside Veiovis. But soon he displaced or replaced him, so that the Augustan time knew nothing more about the nature and meaning of the old God and went by in the most different suppositions. Outside of Latium there is no trace of his worship. The only extra-Roman monument is the altar found near Bovillae and dedicated to [I]Veiovis pater[/I](sic!) by the gentiles Iulii. In Rome, however, at the beginning of the 2nd century B.C., the god received almost 2 temples at the same time: (1) One was praised by L. Furiius Purpureo in his praetur 200 B.C., started during his consulate in 196, lay on the Tiber Island and was consecrated on 1 January 194. (2) The other was [I]inter duos lucos[/I], the saddle between Capitol and the castle, donated in 192 and celebrated its foundation on 7 March. In this second temple there was a statue of the god made of cypress wood, which showed him youthful, with arrows in his hand and a goat on his side. In memory of the Greek mythology, which told how Zeus was raised by the goat Amaltheia, the name Ve-iovis was explained by analogy of [I]vegrandis [/I](tiny), [I]vescus [/I](meager) and others and the God was interpreted as a "infant Jupiter". In fact, however, the picture depicted an Apollo as the god of death with the corrupting arrows. The goat had been given to him according to the Roman idea, because the Romans regarded the goat as an animal of the subterranean. In their ritual regulation, the Flames Dialis were not allowed to touch a goat any more than a corpse or beans. The identification of the god of the dead with Apollo can also be found with the god who was worshipped on Mount Soracte near Falerii. The god was originally called [I]Soranus pater [/I]without a proper name, but was then called Apollo in literature and in cult services, while others explained the name as [I]Dis pater[/I]. His cult included a rite of atonement in which the priests, who always came from certain families in the area and were called [I]hirpi[/I] (= wolves), walked barefoot over glowing coals. This rite still existed in Roman Imperisal times. The representation of the goat or the emperor's son riding the goat can be found on imperial coins up to Gallienus. I suspect that at the time of Gallienus, but also before that, the meaning of the goat was no longer really known. Because already in former times the interpretation of the goat as Amalthea was rather a sign for the fact that the whole prehistory with the cult of the dead had already fallen into oblivion. [B]Summary:[/B] The interpretation as 'infant Jupiter' contradicts the designation of Veiovis in the gentile cult of the Julians in Bovillae as '[I]pater[/I]', as he is considered in the oldest testimonies. The goat was therefore a symbol of death and played an important role in the cult of the dead. Devotion was also an invocation of the gods of death, in which the commander (and his army) consecrated himself to death if they gave him victory for it. And this devotion also took place in the name of Veiovis. Today it is assumed that Veiovis was distinguished from Jupiter only after the transformation of the Jupiter cult in the sense of the Olympians, whereby he kept the name Jovis (Kleiner Pauly). [B]Coin #2:[/B] Roman Republic, L. Iulius Bursio, gens Iulia AR - Denarius, 3.94g, 19.92mm, 0° Rome, 85 B.C. Av.: Apollo Veiovis, laureate and winged, r. behind trident and symbol (wing) Rv: Victoria in Quadriga r., holding the reins in the left and in the outstretched right the wreath before H (control mark #314) in ex. L IVLI BVRSIO Ref: Crawford 352/1a; Sydenham 728; Juklia 6 About EF [ATTACH=full]1023908[/ATTACH] This coin shows the close relationship between the gens Iulia and the cult of Veiovis. And since he was called pater in Bovillae, this contradicts the interpretation of the infant Jupiter on the goat. And then, of course, the next coin belongs in this context, representing the nymph Amaltheia with the real infant Zeus: [B]3rd Coin:[/B] Cilicia, Aigeai, Hadrian, AD 117-138 AR - Tetradrachm (Tridrachm?), 26mm, 10.46g struck AD 117/118 (year 164 of the Caesarian era) Obv.: AVTOKP KAIC TPAIANOC - AΔPIANOC CEB So-called Heroic Bust, some drapery on the left shoulder, laureate, r. Rev.: in l. field AIΓEAIΩN, in r. field ETOVC ΔΞP (= year 164) The nymph Amaltheia, here as city goddess with kalathos and in long garment, standing frontal, head r., holds in her right arm cornucopiae and in her left arm infant Zeus, who wants to crown her with a wreat in his raised right hand; at her right side the goat recumbent r., looking back to her. Ref: SNG Levante 1714; SNG Paris 2328; SNG von Aulock 5450; Prieur 716 Rare, almost VF [ATTACH=full]1023909[/ATTACH] This type, struck in the first year of Hadrian's government, shows a remarkable depiction: Infant Zeus wreaths Amaltheia. This is an allusion to mythology, in which Zeus was suckled by Amaltheia in the shape of a goat. The goat is also a symbol for Aigeai as a play on words, because goat is Greek [I]AIΞ, AIΓOΣ[/I]. Such word games with city names were very popular in ancient times. Here it also shows the tolerance of Hadrian towards such Greek word games. Best regards[/QUOTE]
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