Faustina Friday – Faustina Junior’s Top 5 Goddesses/Personifications

TGIFF! Happy Friday, everybody! Today we're going to take inventory.



We're going to inventory all the goddesses and personifications that appear on the various coins officially issued for circulation for Faustina II and we're going to rank them from most common to least common.

What counts as officially issued for circulation?

• The standard denominations: aureus, quinarius aureus, denarius, sestertius, and middle bronze.
• Both lifetime and posthumous issues are included.
• The existence of the coin must be documented photographically.

The following DO NOT count:

• Coins merely rumored to exist, i.e. simply listed in a catalog (I'm talking to you, Henry Cohen) without photographic proof or museum citation.
• Mules/hybrids; these are mint errors, not official issues.
• Barbarous imitations; while they may have circulated, they weren't official.
• Medallions; while they may have been official, they were not "business strikes" for circulation.

And while they were official and intended for circulation, I do not distinguish between dupondii and asses because they are not cataloged separately because they are not easily distinguished; they are considered as one denomination – the middle bronze.

What counts as a goddess or personification?

• A divine or allegorical figure that is a separate persona in Roman religion or public life, not a specific manifestation of a particular goddess. Juno is reckoned as Juno, whether she be Juno Lucina or Juno Regina; similarly, Venus Genetrix, Venus Victrix, Venus Felix are all simply counted as Venus.
• Mortal humans and animals do not count; peacocks and Faustina as Mater Castrorum are nice, but not taken into consideration here.

What counts as a separate issue?

• Different denominations with the same reverse type; a denarius is separate from a sestertius.
• Different obverse legends, for these were issued at different times.
• Similar reverse types if it can be demonstrated they were issued at different times.

What doesn't count as a separate issue?

• Bust types and hair-decorations; it doesn't matter if Faustina is left-facing or right-facing, what hairstyle she might be wearing, or whether she is wearing a strand or two of pearls in her hair, or a stephane. There's no evidence that such variations were issued separately or were so intended.
• Minor variations in reverse design or engraver's errors. Omitting the peacock at Juno's feet or placing Concordia's cornucopiae in a slightly different location with respect to her throne doesn't count as a separate issue; there's no evidence that such variations were issued separately or were so intended.

Got it?



So let's get on with it!

Personification / Number of issues

Venus 46
Concordia 29
Juno 21
Diana 16
Pudicitia 14
Ceres 10
Fecunditas 9
Laetitia 7
Salus 7
Hilaritas 7
Pietas 6
Aeternitas 5
Felicitas 5
Cybele 4
Spes 2
Vesta 2
Indulgentia 1
Fortuna 1​

Let's take a look at our winners!!!

In fifth place, we have the personification of modesty herself, Pudicitia! Come on out, Pudicitia, don't be shy. Let's have a big round of applause for Pudicitia!

Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman orichalcum dupondius, 13.03 g, 25.1 mm, 12 h.
Rome, early AD 148-March AD 149.
Obv: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, bust of Faustina II, draped, with band of pearls, right.
Rev: PVDICITIA S C, Pudicitia seated left, arranging drapery on should with right hand and resting left hand on lap; flower below seat.
Refs: RIC 1404b; BMCRE 2159; Cohen 187; Strack 1302; RCV 4732.​

In fourth place, we have the lovely mistress of the moon, patron of animals and of girls, the goddess of the hunt and of childbirth! Let's give a warm welcome to Diana!!!

Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 24.17 g, 32.0 mm.
Rome, c. AD 153.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVG PII AVG FIL, bare-headed and draped bust, right, with earlier (Beckmann type 2b) coiffure.
Rev: S C, Diana, draped, standing front, head left, holding out arrow in right hand and resting left on bow, set on ground.
Refs: RIC 1383(3); BMCRE 2180-81; Cohen 206; Strack 1325; Sear 4717.​

Third place goes to the goddess of childbirth, the queen of the gods herself! Let's give a big hand and a thumbs up to the lovely Juno!!

Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman Æ as or dupondius, 8.55 g, 23.6 mm, 1 h.
Rome, ca. AD 152-153.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVG PII AVG FIL, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: IVNO S C, Juno, veiled and draped, standing left, holding patera in right hand and vertical scepter in left hand.
Refs: RIC 1398; BMCRE 2188; Cohen 124; Strack 1319; RCV 4726.​

Our second place award goes to the delightful personification of harmony, Concordia!! Let's give her a big hand, ladies and gentlemen!

Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 24.67 g, 31.1 mm, 7 h.
Rome, mid 152- autumn 154.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVG PII AVG·FIL·, bare-headed and draped bust right.
Rev: CONCORDIA S C, Concordia seated left, holding flower and resting elbow on cornucopiae set on globe under chair.
Refs: RIC 1374a; BMC 2175-76; Cohen 57; RCV 4713; Strack 1315.​

And now, our winner, with an astonishing 46 appearances on coins, Faustina's number one goddess! Just as Paris judged her the fairest …



… she is number one in our hearts as well! Let's give a warm welcome to the goddess of love, the seductive and charming Venus!!!

Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman AR denarius, 3.23 g, 18.7 mm, 5 h.
Rome, c. AD 164-167.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Beckmann type 9 hairstyle.
Rev: VENERI VICTRICI, Venus standing right, resting right arm against column and holding transverse spear in right hand and helmet on extended left hand.
Refs: RIC 713; BMCRE 161-162; Cohen/RSC 240; RCV 5265; MIR 41-4/10b; CRE 223.​

Let's see your Faustina coins depicting her top five!

 

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What an entertaining and thoroughly researched post, RC! I have rather few coins of Faustina Jr and can only trot out my old dupondius with #5 Pudicitia.


FAUSTINA II
AE Dupondius. 11.56g, 26.7mm. Rome mint, AD 147-150. Sear 4731; RIC III 1403 (Antoninus); BMCRE 1086; Cohen 179. O: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, diademed and draped bust right. R: PVDICITIA, Pudicitia standing left, holding out cloak in both hands; S-C in fields.

 

Happy Faustina Friday, RC!

Looks like I only have three out of the top 5.

 

Great work, @Roman Collector! Unfortunately, I have only one coin with one of the top five reverses. Almost all the rest show either Fecunditas or Felicitas on the reverse (and/or Faustina herself as those deities), because I'm particularly interested in the types with her children depicted, which always seem to depict one of those two personifications. Here's my one example from the top five, which I bought because I thought it had a nice portrait of a very youthful Faustina II:

Faustina II [Junior] (wife of Marcus Aurelius & daughter of Antoninus Pius), AR Denarius, Rome mint, 147-149 AD (under Antoninus Pius). Obv. Draped bust right, single circlet of pearls around head, FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL / Venus standing left, holding apple in right hand and, in left hand, rudder set on dolphin, VENVS. RIC III [Antoninus] 517c, RSC II 266a, BMCRE [Antoninus] 1067. 18 mm., 3.45 g.

 

Very fun and educational post! Venus was my guess for first place, before I saw the list. Not surprising. All you need is looove....

 

Always look forward to Friday when FF is afoot - good job as always, @Roman Collector. My top five reverse types:

PUDICITIA: Here is the sestertius version of RC's middle bronze above:


Faustina II Æ Sestertius
(c. 147-150 A.D.)
Rome Mint
FAVSTINAE AVG PII [AVG FIL], draped bust right / [PVDICITIA], Pudicitia seated left, drawing out veil with right hand, left hand in lap, S C in field.
RIC 1381; BMCRE 2143.
(26.33 grams / 29 x 27 mm)
eBay June 2020

DIANA: Is Diana Lucifera cheating? I hope not! No bow n' arrow, but rather a torch. This one from CT friend @tenbobbit in 2020, with RC notes and my speculation that it is a dupondius for a type only described as an as (but as RC notes above, it is impossible to really tell with these, especially with a patina; but the weight sure is high on this one, and the flan small):


Faustina II Æ Dupondius
(c. 170-171 or 174-175 A.D.)
Rome Mint
FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right / [DIANA LVCIFERA] -C, Diana standing right holding long torch in both hands.
RIC 1632 var. (dupondius)
(13.36 grams / 23 x 21 mm)
@tenbobbit Jan. 2020
Attribution Note: This type is only listed in RIC as an as. But the weight of this
specimen makes it likely it is a dupondius. See:
Dr. Busso Peus Nachfolger E-Auction 420 Lot 5326 Nov. 18, 2017
dupondius (with stephane bust) 11.76 grams.
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4550011

"However, two possible dates come to mind: either c. AD 170- 171 if the coin's purpose was to commemorate the birth of Faustina's daughter Vibia Sabina, or mid-174 to 175 if the dative case sestertius was a mule of an obverse die intended for use with the MATRI CASTRORVM reverse type."
Roman Collector, CT Jan. 2022

JUNO: My latest Faustina II, a sestertius with Juno and her peacock:


Faustina II Æ Sestertius
(c. 162-164 A.D.)
Rome Mint
FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right wearing circlet of pearls / IVNONI REGINAE S-C, Juno, veiled, standing left, holding patera & sceptre; peacock at feet.
RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1651
(24.60 grams / 29 mm)
eBay Jan. 2022 Ck
Notes: "The lack of an all-round legend and the use of the type 7 hairstyle imply a date for the IVNONI REGINAE with Juno standing type of AD 162 at the earliest. The abundance of the issue suggests it was in production for at least a year or two. Therefore, I assign the issue a date of AD 162-164."
Roman Collector, CT Jan. 2022

CONDORDIA - denarius with continuous reverse legend (what's left of it) and an RC attribution note:


Faustina II Denarius
(154-156 A.D.)
Rome Mint
FAVSTINA AVG PII AVG FIL, draped bust right / CONCORDIA, Concordia seated left, holding flower and resting left arm on cornucopiae set on globe below seat.
RIC 502Aa (var.; see note)
(3.02 grams / 17 mm)
eBay July 2019
Note:
Reverse legend is continuous on this specimen:
"The British Museum has four examples (two of the five shown in the link have a different obverse legend & one is unpictured), BMC4, pp. 164-65. None of them have an unbroken reverse legend..."
Roman Collector on Coin Talk re: this coin. July 21, 2019

VENUS: A dupondius, cleaned so much you can see the yellow metal:


Faustina II Æ Dupondius
(Early 148 - March 149 A.D.)
Rome Mint
FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, draped bust right (no pearls) / VENVS S-C, Venus standing left, holding apple and rudder around which a dolphin is coiled.
RIC 1409a.
(11.67 grams / 26 x 22 mm)
eBay Apr. 2018

 

Faustina Junior as Augusta, AD 147-175, wife of Marcus Aurelius. Æ As (26mm, 11.24g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck under Marcus Aurelius, AD 164-169. Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA; Draped bust right. Rev: CONCORDIA; Concordia seated left holding patera, S C in fields. Ref: RIC 1627.

 

@Roman Collector.....Great post!
Faustina II Junior Silver Denarius 3.36g.,17mm, Rome mint, A.D. 154-156,
Obverse. FAVSTINA AVG-PIIAVGFIL Draped bust of Faustina right,
Reverse. CONC-O-RDIA, Concordia seated left, holding flower & resting left arm on cornucopiae set on globe below seat...(RCV 4704; RIC#502a).