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<p>[QUOTE="Orielensis, post: 4243502, member: 96898"]<font size="3"><font size="4">That's a very interesting coin! </font></font></p><p><br /></p><p><font size="3"><font size="4">It's noteworthy that hexagonal shields on Roman coins almost emblematically stand for the Germanic tribes. At one point, I tried to find out whether there is any depiction of a hexagonal shield on Roman coins that is not referring to Rome's Germanic foes, and I couldn't find any. Also, only few Germanic references on Roman coins don't feature this type of shield. I would thus assume that your coin simply didn't need an inscription like "Victoria Germanica" in order to be intelligible – most contemporary Romans probably had the visual literacy to "read" the shields as signifying Germanic people.</font></font></p><p><br /></p><p><font size="3"><font size="4">Archeological finds suggest that round, oblong, and hexagonal shields were in parallel use among the Germanic tribes. The sestertius below has all these shield shapes as well as a Roman-style war trumpet and other military equipment.</font></font></p><p><br /></p><p><font size="3"><font size="4"><font size="3">[ATTACH=full]1083434[/ATTACH] </font></font></font></p><p><font size="3"><font size="4"><font size="3">Commodus, Roman Empire, sestertius, 177 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP L AVREL COMMODVS AVG [GERM] SARM; laureate and draped bust of Commodus r. Rev: T[R P] II COS [P]P; pile of Germanic arms (round, hexagonal, and oblong shields, spears, war trumpets, scale armor, bows and standards?); in fields, S-C; in exergue, DE GERMANIS. 31mm, 21.84g. Ref: RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1570. Ex CNG, e-auction 142, lot 134; ex CNG, e-auction 447, lot 471. Smoothed.</font></font></font></p><p><font size="3"><br /></font></p><p><font size="3"><font size="4"><font size="3"><font size="4">The carnyx apparently had a similar function when it came to referring to Gauls and Gallic victorie<font size="3"><font size="4">s. Below are two Republican denarii celebrating military successes in Gaul by showing trophies featuring such trumpets:</font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="3"><br /></font></p><p><font size="3">[ATTACH=full]1083435[/ATTACH] </font></p><p><font size="3">Roman Republic, moneyer: M. Furius L. f. Philus, AR denarius, 119 BC, Rome mint. Obv: M. FOVRI. L. F; head of Janus. Rev: ROMA; Roma standing l., holding sceptre, crowns trophy with carnyx and two shields; in exergue, PHL I. 19mm, 3.81g. Ref: RRC 281/1. Ex Leu, Webauktion 8, lot 866.</font></p><p><font size="3"><br /></font></p><p><font size="3">[ATTACH=full]1083436[/ATTACH] </font></p><p><font size="3">Roman Republic, moneyer: T. Cloelius, AR quinarius, 98 BC, Rome mint. Obv: head of Jupiter, laureate, r., control mark .C. before. Rev: T.CLOVLI; Victory standing r. crowns trophy with seated captive and carnyx; in exergue, Q. 16mm, 1.9g. Ref: RRC 332/1c. Ex Artemide, eLive Auktion 81, lot 195.</font>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Orielensis, post: 4243502, member: 96898"][SIZE=3][SIZE=4]That's a very interesting coin! [/SIZE][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][SIZE=4]It's noteworthy that hexagonal shields on Roman coins almost emblematically stand for the Germanic tribes. At one point, I tried to find out whether there is any depiction of a hexagonal shield on Roman coins that is not referring to Rome's Germanic foes, and I couldn't find any. Also, only few Germanic references on Roman coins don't feature this type of shield. I would thus assume that your coin simply didn't need an inscription like "Victoria Germanica" in order to be intelligible – most contemporary Romans probably had the visual literacy to "read" the shields as signifying Germanic people.[/SIZE][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][SIZE=4]Archeological finds suggest that round, oblong, and hexagonal shields were in parallel use among the Germanic tribes. The sestertius below has all these shield shapes as well as a Roman-style war trumpet and other military equipment.[/SIZE][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][SIZE=4][SIZE=3][ATTACH=full]1083434[/ATTACH] [/SIZE][/SIZE] [SIZE=4][SIZE=3]Commodus, Roman Empire, sestertius, 177 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP L AVREL COMMODVS AVG [GERM] SARM; laureate and draped bust of Commodus r. Rev: T[R P] II COS [P]P; pile of Germanic arms (round, hexagonal, and oblong shields, spears, war trumpets, scale armor, bows and standards?); in fields, S-C; in exergue, DE GERMANIS. 31mm, 21.84g. Ref: RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1570. Ex CNG, e-auction 142, lot 134; ex CNG, e-auction 447, lot 471. Smoothed.[/SIZE][/SIZE] [SIZE=4][SIZE=3][SIZE=4]The carnyx apparently had a similar function when it came to referring to Gauls and Gallic victorie[SIZE=3][SIZE=4]s. Below are two Republican denarii celebrating military successes in Gaul by showing trophies featuring such trumpets:[/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE] [SIZE=3] [ATTACH=full]1083435[/ATTACH] Roman Republic, moneyer: M. Furius L. f. Philus, AR denarius, 119 BC, Rome mint. Obv: M. FOVRI. L. F; head of Janus. Rev: ROMA; Roma standing l., holding sceptre, crowns trophy with carnyx and two shields; in exergue, PHL I. 19mm, 3.81g. Ref: RRC 281/1. Ex Leu, Webauktion 8, lot 866. [ATTACH=full]1083436[/ATTACH] Roman Republic, moneyer: T. Cloelius, AR quinarius, 98 BC, Rome mint. Obv: head of Jupiter, laureate, r., control mark .C. before. Rev: T.CLOVLI; Victory standing r. crowns trophy with seated captive and carnyx; in exergue, Q. 16mm, 1.9g. Ref: RRC 332/1c. Ex Artemide, eLive Auktion 81, lot 195.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]
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