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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Curtisimo, post: 3643078, member: 83845&quot;]So, I was / am intending to write a thoughtful response to your reply. I have been out in the field for work so I’ve been mobile and away from an easy method of research or easy way to type up my thoughts. </p><p><br /></p><p>I greatly enjoy these types of discussions as you well know. For the benefit of folks on the forum, SA and I often discuss hypothetical ancient coin theories and questions (usually via PM) so our back and forth here is only good fun <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>You have obviously done some great research on this thread so I am certainly outclassed in that department when giving my very inexpert thoughts. One thing I was hoping to look into more is I wonder if the elephant was to ancient republican Rome what the lion was to medieval Europe. By that I mean could it be perfectly acceptable for many prominent Romans (or families) to associate themselves with an elephant without it becoming solely symbolic of that person or family?&nbsp; We know that Pompey, the Caecilii Metelli and Julius Caesar all associated themselves with elephants (even if we discard the OP coin type and only think of triumphs etc.). Maybe an elephant was just a symbol of power that anyone could claim and Caesar wanted to stake his claim.&nbsp; Perhaps as a way of inventing his own legend to his name?</p><p><br /></p><p>I also want to know more about [USER=80147]@Ancient Aussie[/USER] ‘s coin. The snake certainly looks related iconographically. Do we know more about the message and circumstances of that coin issue? The thread raises some really great points and I am interested in looking more into it. </p><p><br /></p><p>For me trying to understand the message on the coin and what it meant to the people who issued it and who spent it is one of the funnest things about collecting.&nbsp; I rarely hold to the philosophy of a “generic” meaning, especially for new or unfamiliar iconography. I think there is almost always a specific meaning... we just don’t alway know how to interpret it.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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