Camel & Nabatean King Aretas Kneeling, Jupiter, quadriga & scorpion reverse

This is new purchase #2 from this last weekend. What do you think?



ROMAN REPUBLIC
M. Aemillus Scaurus &
Pub. Plautius Hypsaeus
AR Denarius, Rome Mint
58 BC

3.80 grams, 18 mm.
Obv: Camel standing right & Nabatean King Aretas kneeling right.
M.SCAVR / AED.CVR above camel. SC to right. REX ARETAS in exergue.
Rev: Jupiter in galloping quadriga left, scorpion below horses.
P.HYPSAE / CVR above, CAPTV on right, C.HVPSAE.COS/PREIVE in ex.
Grade: aVF nicely toned & centered.
Other: Commemorative coin describes the surrender of the Nabateans to the Romans in 58 BC. Full camel on tight flan resulting in some lettering off the flan. From Eye Appealing Coins 11/2013.

 

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Nice one!

 

I posted one of these a few years ago. Doug SMith was nice enough to fill me in on the importance. Before this coin, no one portrayed themselves on Roman coins, only their ancestor. This coin, though, actually shows the minter on the reverse accepting the surrender of Aretas. Nine years later, another guy thought that now its ok to put his picture on a coin, and got whacked as a result. So, in a way, this very coin led to the Ides of March and the Roman Imperatorial struggle that forever changed the western world.

Yeah, I like them. I own a few.

 

Please post em if you got em.

 

I had two pics, but lost them in the CT conversion. I always go for a full camel head and the name ARETAS, like yours. Great pick up man. There are actually two versions of the coin, one slightly rarer than the other. Look it up in Sear and see the two types.

 

I'm going to quote myself from FORVM on this coin...

I haven't collected one of these denarii yet, but it's certainly on my to-do list. It's a testament to the power of propaganda on coinage that whenever this piece is described in catalogs, it is said to commemorate Scaurus' victory over Aretas III. More than two millennia later, that story is still being repeated just because the coin says so!

What really happened? We know that Scaurus was an incorrigible extortionist. Aristobulus accused him of extorting 1000 talents, he took Aretas' bribe in the incident commemorated on the coin, he was accused of extortion in Sardinia but acquitted despite his guilt (evidently Cicero was as accomplished a defense attorney as philosopher), and finally went into exile after being accused of ambitio (shameless bribery).

The only reason Scaurus went after the Nabataeans in 62 BCE was to plunder them, but it was a dismal failure. Josephus reports that although the Romans sacked the areas around Petra, they could make no headway against the fortress itself, and the army was suffering fatigue and famine. It must have come as a relief to Scaurus when Pompey desired to withdraw from the so-called siege after the murder of Mithridates VI.

Did Aretas know of the imminent Roman withdrawal when he offered the bribe? Was he greasing the wheels for future Roman generals to receive payments to leave the Nabataeans alone? And what of the sum? The Nabataeans were enormously wealthy by this time, owing to the frankincense trade. 300 talents wouldn't have been pocket change of course, but neither would it have set Aretas back all that much. Was it a consolation prize? Did the Nabataeans have a good chuckle over it?

The fact that we can even ask these questions betrays any notion that Aretas III submitted to the Romans. In fact, the Nabataean Kingdom would flourish as an independent nation for the next 169 years, until it was annexed by Trajan as Provincia Arabia in 106 CE.

But go home, make a coin that celebrates your victory over the barbarians (by taking a bribe COUGH COUGH), and people will repeat the story for the next 2000 years!

 

Wow C89, very cool Camel coin, there's more legs on this coin than a centipede...

 

awesome coin ... I have an example as well (and yes, I have also had thread-interaction with Doug and it only reinforces how much I love these coins!!) ...

congrats

... sorry, this is the 2nd time today I've posted this coin, but oh well

=> these coins rock!!

 

Beautiful coin. I wouldnt mind one later one myself.

 

Very nice. I have t get me an upgrade to the one I have. That is, when I get off the wagon....... Dumb wagon

 

I too have climbed onto the Dumb wagon and will sadly miss the large coin show in Westchester NY this weekend (unless I hit the lottery between now & Friday). I really can't complain too loudly because I got three nice additions this last weekend.

 

great coin and great story behind it...i didn't know it.

i'm off the dumb wagon! yipeeee!

 

It's now going on 10 weeks for me on the wagon. My last purchase was 24 Sep. DUMB WAGON!!!

 

Everything I know about this one has been covered but I'll emphasize the aleady mentioned fact that these coins are usually on a small flan that loses something you wish had been on your flan. I agree the camel head is nice to have but I wish mine had more of the REX ARETAS at the bottom. Certainly it would be nice to have all the names of the issuers since the story makes them more celebrities than the average Republican. Obviously one of our number has the answer here: Buy several centered different ways. It will be very hard to find a perfect single specimen.

As for the story: Truth is overrated. The idea of propaganda on coins is to make history your friend. I can not help wishing our current coins were issued by our politicians using Roman rules. I live in Virginia where we just endured a nasty race for Governor and a nastier one for Attorney General. We could have covered the complete cost of issuing money had we allowed those guys to issue 90% silver legal tender at their expense calling each other names like they did on TV. Canadians could trade with me since I'd need a source for some Toronto mayoral coins. Roman coins, especially Republicans, were considerably more tied to their times than our modern sensibilities would allow but we need to study more deeply than most are willing to understand every issue.

 

Bringing back another thread

3.66g
19m

 

that "stuff" never gets old => great addition (congrats)

=> cool banker's mark (I always love 'em ... beauty marks)

... super definition on the obverse, oh and a nice big flan (congrats on a very sweet coin)

 

A real beauty iamT

 

Nice example! Still on The List.

 

Funny, I didn't notice. I thought it was part of the camel saddle? Design until you pointed it out.

 

Well, I'm fairly sure it's a banker's mark? (I'm no expert, but it does look like an after-the-fact modification) ... ummm, it certainly doesn't detract from the coin's appeal (again, I'm actually drawn to these cool modifications) ....

... don't ya think that it's kinda cool that the local merchant may have dug his dagger into your coin to see if you were trying to pull a fast one on him?!! (I think it's cool)

... yummy-yummy (great coin)