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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 2923753, member: 81887&quot;]I won this coin in Frank Robinson&#039;s latest auction:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]708431[/ATTACH]</p><p>Roman Empire, Antoninus Pius, posthumous, under Marcus Aurelius (c. 161 AD).&nbsp; AR denarius.&nbsp; Obverse: Bust of Antoninus Pius right, drapery over shoulder, inscription DIVVS ANTONINVS.&nbsp; Reverse: Four-tiered funeral pyre, inscription CONSECRATIO.&nbsp; RIC (Marcus Aurelius) 438.</p><p><br /></p><p>Antoninus Pius (reigned 138-161 AD) is generally ranked as one of the better Roman emperors.&nbsp; While he did not have any notable military victories or initiate major government reforms, his reign was generally a time of peace and prosperity within the Empire, and Antoninus was a sensible and temperate man who did not abuse his powers or indulge in persecution of his enemies.&nbsp; After his death in 161 AD, he was quickly deified by the Senate upon recommendation of his two adopted sons and successors, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus.&nbsp; This coin reflects that act, with the obverse legend of &quot;Antoninus the God&quot; and the reverse &quot;Consecrated&quot;.&nbsp; The structure on the reverse looks a bit like a wedding cake, but is in fact an elaborate funeral pyre, including various decorations.</p><p><br /></p><p>At this point, I will quote at some length from Seth W. Stevenson&#039;s &quot;Dictionary of Roman Coins&quot;:</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;The Rogus, or Funeral Pile, is described by Dion, as &#039;a structure in the form of a turret, with three stories, of ivory and gold, and ornamented with statues.&#039;&nbsp; Herodian describes it as a mass of quadrangular shape, filled at the bottom with combustibles, on which again a second tier was placed of similar form and appearance, but narrower and furnished with openings; to this a third and a fourth were gradually added, each gradually diminishing in size, till the whole resembled a watch-tower.&nbsp; -The ceremony of consecration was very solemn and imposing.&nbsp; After the body had been clothed in the habiliments of death, it was placed on a bed of ivory; young men, chosen from the equestrian order, bore it on their shoulders to the pile.&nbsp; The corpse then being introduced into the second layer or story, it was surrounded with aromatics and precious balms.&nbsp; The usual ceremonies being completed, a torch was applied, and the mass was consumed.&nbsp; After this apotheosis, the deceased emperor or empress had temples, altars, and priests dedicated to his or her honour, and the same worship was paid to the defunct, as paganism rendered to its gods and goddesses; whilst the Augusti, or Augustae, were thenceforth called DIVI or DIVAE.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>I won this coin in Frank Robinson&#039;s latest auction at $65.&nbsp; This is a reasonable price for the coin, which is a fairly common type of an under-collected emperor.&nbsp; (Sane emperors who oversaw peace and prosperity just don&#039;t have the name draw of their more flamboyant peers.)&nbsp; Post your coins showing pyres or deification.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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