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Camel & Nabatean King Aretas Kneeling, Jupiter, quadriga & scorpion reverse
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<p>[QUOTE="John Anthony, post: 1821196, member: 42773"]I'm going to quote myself from FORVM on this coin...</p><p><br /></p><p>I haven't collected one of these <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=denarii" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=denarii" rel="nofollow">denarii</a> 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' <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=1479" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=1479" rel="nofollow">victory</a> over <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" rel="nofollow">Aretas</a> III. More than two millennia later, that story is still being repeated just because the coin says so!</p><p><br /></p><p>What really happened? We know that Scaurus was an incorrigible extortionist. Aristobulus accused him of extorting 1000 talents, he took <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" rel="nofollow">Aretas</a>' bribe in the incident commemorated on the coin, he was accused of extortion in Sardinia but acquitted despite <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=his" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=his" rel="nofollow">his</a> guilt (evidently <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=cicero" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=cicero" rel="nofollow">Cicero</a> was as accomplished a defense attorney as philosopher), and finally went into exile after being accused of <i>ambitio</i> (shameless bribery).</p><p><br /></p><p>The only reason Scaurus went after the <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" rel="nofollow">Nabataeans</a> in 62 BCE was to plunder them, but it was a dismal failure. Josephus reports that although the <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=55&pos=0" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=55&pos=0" rel="nofollow">Romans</a> 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 <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=mithridates%20vi" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=mithridates%20vi" rel="nofollow">Mithridates VI</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>Did <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" rel="nofollow">Aretas</a> know of the imminent <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=55&pos=0" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=55&pos=0" rel="nofollow">Roman</a> withdrawal when he offered the bribe? Was he greasing the wheels for future <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=55&pos=0" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=55&pos=0" rel="nofollow">Roman</a> generals to receive payments to leave the <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" rel="nofollow">Nabataeans</a> alone? And what of the sum? The <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" rel="nofollow">Nabataeans</a> 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 <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" rel="nofollow">Aretas</a> back all that much. Was it a consolation prize? Did the <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" rel="nofollow">Nabataeans</a> have a good chuckle over it?</p><p><br /></p><p>The fact that we can even ask these questions betrays any notion that <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies" rel="nofollow">Aretas</a> III submitted to the <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=55&pos=0" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=55&pos=0" rel="nofollow">Romans</a>. In fact, the <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976" rel="nofollow">Nabataean Kingdom</a> would flourish as an independent nation for the next 169 years, until it was annexed by <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=409" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=409" rel="nofollow">Trajan</a> as Provincia <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=1195" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=1195" rel="nofollow">Arabia</a> in 106 CE.</p><p><br /></p><p>But go <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/" rel="nofollow">home</a>, make a coin that celebrates your <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=1479" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=1479" rel="nofollow">victory</a> over the barbarians (<font size="1">by taking a bribe</font> <b>COUGH COUGH</b>), and people will repeat the story for the next 2000 years![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="John Anthony, post: 1821196, member: 42773"]I'm going to quote myself from FORVM on this coin... I haven't collected one of these [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=denarii']denarii[/URL] 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' [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=1479']victory[/URL] over [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies']Aretas[/URL] 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 [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies']Aretas[/URL]' bribe in the incident commemorated on the coin, he was accused of extortion in Sardinia but acquitted despite [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=his']his[/URL] guilt (evidently [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=cicero']Cicero[/URL] was as accomplished a defense attorney as philosopher), and finally went into exile after being accused of [I]ambitio[/I] (shameless bribery). The only reason Scaurus went after the [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies']Nabataeans[/URL] in 62 BCE was to plunder them, but it was a dismal failure. Josephus reports that although the [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=55&pos=0']Romans[/URL] 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 [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=mithridates%20vi']Mithridates VI[/URL]. Did [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies']Aretas[/URL] know of the imminent [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=55&pos=0']Roman[/URL] withdrawal when he offered the bribe? Was he greasing the wheels for future [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=55&pos=0']Roman[/URL] generals to receive payments to leave the [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies']Nabataeans[/URL] alone? And what of the sum? The [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies']Nabataeans[/URL] 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 [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies']Aretas[/URL] back all that much. Was it a consolation prize? Did the [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies']Nabataeans[/URL] have a good chuckle over it? The fact that we can even ask these questions betrays any notion that [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976&pos=0#Hellenistic%20Monarchies']Aretas[/URL] III submitted to the [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=55&pos=0']Romans[/URL]. In fact, the [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=976']Nabataean Kingdom[/URL] would flourish as an independent nation for the next 169 years, until it was annexed by [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=409']Trajan[/URL] as Provincia [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=1195']Arabia[/URL] in 106 CE. But go [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/']home[/URL], make a coin that celebrates your [URL='http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=1479']victory[/URL] over the barbarians ([SIZE=1]by taking a bribe[/SIZE] [B]COUGH COUGH[/B]), and people will repeat the story for the next 2000 years![/QUOTE]
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Camel & Nabatean King Aretas Kneeling, Jupiter, quadriga & scorpion reverse
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