Faustina Friday – They Had to Put Up a Fence!

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Roman Collector, Oct 22, 2021.

  1. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    TGIFF, everybody!!

    [​IMG]

    We're going to talk about some coins depicting the Temple of Diva Faustina. Let's see your temple coins of Faustina and Antoninus Pius or anything you feel is relevant!

    Becker, in his die-linkage study of the aurei and sestertii of Faustina the Elder, demonstrated that a trio of aurei bearing the obverse legend DIVA FAVSTINA and the reverse inscription AETERNITAS were issued in AD 150 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Faustina's deification.[1] These three types appear simultaneously in the die-linkage chain and are new types, but each reprises a design from years previously: an elephant cart reverse type, the temple of Diva Faustina type, and a Fortuna standing type.

    20211005_133340.jpg
    Beckmann's Die Chart 2 demonstrates the appearance of three new reverse types with the reverse inscription AETERNITAs. These may be dated to AD 150 by linkage to a hybrid of an aureus of Faustina II with a securely established date. These types are elephant cart (bottom left), the Temple of Diva Faustina (bottom middle), and Fortuna standing (bottom right).

    This week's installment of Faustina Friday discusses one of these types, the Temple of Diva Faustina type, and compares it to the earlier issues depicting the temple. We will explore the features of the coins' designs that illustrate probable modifications to the temple that occurred between its dedication and the tenth anniversary of the empress' death.

    Three types were minted in AD 143 depicting the temple on the occasion of its dedication: an anepigraphic type issued in the aureus denomination, silver and bronze issues bearing the inscription DEDICATIO AEDIS ("the dedication of the temple") and silver and bronze issues bearing the inscription PIETAS AVG[VSTI] ("the piety of the emperor"). Here are some representative denarii from my collection to illustrate the types.

    Faustina Sr DEDICATIO AEDIS denarius.jpg
    Faustina I, AD 138-140.
    Roman AR denarius, 3.44 g, 18.7 mm, 7 h.
    Rome, AD 143.
    Obv: DIVA AVG FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
    Rev: DEDICATIO AEDIS, hexastyle temple on stepped podium, above, a quadriga, Victories as acroteria.
    Refs: RIC 388; BMCRE 306; Cohen 191; Strack 426; RCV 4596; UCR 434; CRE 127.

    Faustina Sr PIETAS AVG temple denarius.jpg
    Faustina I, AD 138-140.
    Roman AR denarius, 3.55 g, 17.4 mm, 7 h.
    Rome, AD 143.
    Obv: DIVA AVG FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
    Rev: PIETAS AVG, hexastyle temple on stepped podium, above, a quadriga, Victories as acroteria.
    Refs: RIC 396; BMCRE 319-21; Cohen 253; Strack 432; RCV 4599; UCR 435; CRE 129.

    Faustina Sr PIETAS AVGVSTI temple denarius.jpg
    Faustina I, AD 138-140.
    Roman AR denarius, 3.17 g, 17.4 mm, 7 h.
    Rome, AD 143.
    Obv: DIVA AVG FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
    Rev: PIETAS AVGVSTI, hexastyle temple on stepped podium, above, a quadriga, Victories as acroteria.
    Refs: RIC –; BMCRE 322-323; Cohen –; RSC 253b; Strack –; RCV –;CRE 130.
    Note: Extremely rare; known specimens limited to the two in the British Museum collection, a specimen in the ANS collection (ANS 1956.127.574), and one in a private Ukrainian collection (CRE 130). This coin is a double die-match to BMCRE 323 and to the ANS specimen.

    The coins of the reprised issue of AD 150 include aurei and bronze issues with the AETERNITAS legend, a denarius with the legend AED DIV FAVSTINAE ("the temple of Diva Faustina"), and anepigraphic sestertii and dupondii. The temple on these coins exhibits four differences from its predecessor, though not all four are visible on any given specimen. Here are the examples of coins from my own collection, as well as a dupondius from the British Museum collection and a sestertius sold at auction, which illustrate these features.

    Faustina Sr AED DIV FAVSTINAE denarius.jpg
    Faustina I, AD 138-140.
    Roman AR denarius, 3.27 g, 17.5 mm, 5 h.
    Rome, AD 150.
    Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
    Rev: AED DIV FAVSTINAE, hexastyle temple; within, figure seated front, holding vertical scepter; in pediment, uncertain figures; above, a quadriga, and at angles, Victories; in front, lattice fence; to left and right, statues on pedestals.
    Refs: RIC 343; BMCRE 341; Cohen 1; RCV 4573; CRE 126; Strack 442.

    Faustina Sr AETERNITAS S C Temple MB LAC.jpg
    Faustina I, AD 138-140.
    Roman Æ as or dupondius, 10.28 g, 25.4 mm, 5 h.
    Rome, AD 150.
    Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
    Rev: AETERNITAS S C, hexastyle temple; within, figure seated front, raising right hand and holding vertical scepter in left; in pediment, uncertain figures; above, a quadriga, and at angles, Victories; in front, lattice fence; to left and right, statues on pedestals.
    Refs: RIC 1168; BMCRE 1562-63; Cohen 66; RCV 4644; Strack 1259.

    Faustina Sr S C Temple dupondius BMC.jpg
    Anepigraphic dupondius in the British Museum collection, BMCRE 1605. The reverse depicts, in addition to the attributes on the coins above, a square podium surmounted by a facing carpentum in the bottom center, behind the latticework fence.

    Faustina Sr AETERNITAS S C Temple sestertius Kunker.jpg
    Sestertius, RIC 1115. Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., auction 274, lot 769, 14 March 2016. This coin well illustrates the design features discussed below.

    1. A fence has been erected.

    The first modification from the type of AD 143 is the addition of a fence in front of the bottom of the steps. This fence is readily seen on all four coins illustrated above. Beckmann discusses this fence in detail:

    There was not much space in front of the temple (it fronted directly onto the Via Sacra), so this barrier must have been situated at the base of the stairs. It was formed by a series of bars (almost certainly of metal—the pattern is much the same as on coins showing the metal railing atop the capital of Trajan's Column) between a series of uprights. These may have been of metal or stone; a number of dies … show them clearly in the form of herms with rounded heads and tapered torsos. This barrier probably had the simple purpose of keeping the crowds of the Forum off the steps and out of the pronaos of Faustina's temple, but … it was not fixed in a permanently straight line but rather hinged to form gates that could be opened when rituals were being conducted at the temple.[2]​

    The herm-like, upright portions of the fence which formed the gates are well-demonstrated on the middle bronze in my collection with the AETERNITAS S C reverse legend and on the dupondius in the British Museum collection.

    The fence was probably erected to solve a problem that still plagues us today: graffiti artists. Lugli has noted the presence of 2nd century graffiti on the columns of the temple which show among other things Venus, Hercules, Victory and a Lar.[3] Beckmann postulates the "fence may have been a reaction to this defacement of the monument."[4]

    More follows …
     
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  3. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Faustina Friday – They Had to Put Up a Fence! (Continued)

    2. Faustina's carpentum has been installed.

    The second difference between the coins of AD 143 and 150 is that there is an object behind the fence in the middle of the stairs which takes the form of a square shape topped by an arched line. There is empty space between the square object and the arched line through which can be seen the temple in the background. This has led Beckmann to interpret this object as the carpentum used in the currus elephantorum during her funeral as seen head-on.[5]

    Faustina Sr AETERNITAS S C Temple sestertius Kunker closeup 1.jpg
    Enlargement of the reverse of the sestertius (Künker specimen) above detailing the object Beckmann has interpreted as representing Faustina's funerary carpentum.

    Faustina Sr AETERNITAS elephant carpentum aureus BMC.jpg
    Ꜹ aureus depicting Faustina’s currus elephantorum. RIC 352, British Museum specimen. This coin was also issued in AD 150 as part of the 10th anniversary commemoration.

    The carpentum was apparently displayed on a specially constructed pedestal at the base of the temple steps. This pedestal is still present today.

    Temple of Divus Antoninus and Diva Faustina 2.jpg
    The Temple of Divus Antoninus and Diva Faustina still survives in the Roman Forum, enclosing the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda. The pedestal for Faustina's carpentum is visible at the base of the steps. Photo courtesy of Parco Archeologico Del Colosseo.[6]

    The pedestal on which Faustina's carpentum stood was possibly added as part of her death-anniversary celebrations because it does not appear on the earlier temple coins from AD 143.[7]

    3. Two statues have been placed flanking the staircase.

    On the coins of AD 150, when compared to the early coins of AD 143, two statues on pedestals have been added to the wings of the podium on either side of the staircase. These figures are extremely difficult to make out clearly, even on well-preserved sestertii, such as the Künker specimen above. Beckmann interprets them as representing Ceres with one torch and Proserpina with two torches, but cautions that this hypothesis is "tentative."[8]

    Faustina Sr AED DIV FAVSTINAE denarius closeup.jpg
    Enlargement of the reverse of the denarius, above (RIC 343), with the AED DIV FAVSTINAE reverse inscription. Two statues on pedestals are visible flanking the staircase. Note the addition of a statue of a central seated figure not previously seen on the temple coins of AD 143.

    Faustina Sr AETERNITAS S C Temple sestertius Kunker closeup 2.jpg
    Enlargement of the reverse of the sestertius (Künker specimen) above detailing the two statues on pedestals flanking the staircase. Note the addition of a statue of a central seated figure not previously seen on the temple coins of AD 143.

    4. A seated figure has been added to the central cella.

    Lastly, a seated figure has been added to the central cella, which is visible on all the examples of the AD 150 coins above. The figure is often rendered without much detail, such as on the AED DIVAE FAVSTINAE denarius, above. However, detailed sestertii demonstrate the figure to be seated, fully draped, and holding a staff in one hand and a small, elongated object – perhaps a statuette – in the other hand. Beckmann notes the "closest parallel to this figure on Faustina's coinage is the type of Aeternitas seated holding a staff and a globe topped by a Phoenix, but there is no guarantee that this type is meant to represent Faustina's cult statue."[9] This reverse type was also struck in AD 150 as part of the 10th death anniversary issue.

    Faustina Sr AETERNITAS S C Aeternitas seated sestertius.jpg
    Faustina I, AD 138-140.
    Roman orichalcum Sestertius, 26.57 gm, 32.5 mm, 1h.
    Rome, AD 150.
    Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
    Rev: AETERNITAS SC, Aeternitas enthroned left, holding nimbate phoenix on globe in right hand and scepter in left.
    Refs: RIC 1103Aa, BMCRE 1482; Cohen 15; RCV 4606; Strack 1265.

    ~~~

    Notes

    1. Beckmann, Martin. Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces. American Numismatic Society, 2012, pp. 65 ff.

    2. Ibid., p. 66.

    3. Lugli, Giuseppe. La Zona Archeologica Di Roma: Il Campidoglio e Il Fori Imperiali: Il Foro Romano: La Regione Fra L'Esquilino e Il Celio Il Palatino: Il Foro Olitorioe Il Foro Boario: Il Tratto Urbano Della Via Appia. Libreria Di Scienze e Lettere, 1924, p. 167. This graffiti is also noted by Beckmann (ibid., p. 66), but he does not cite a source.

    4. Beckmann, op. cit., pp. 66.

    5. Ibid., pp. 33-35, 67.

    6. "Temple of Antoninus and Faustina." Parco Archeologico Del Colosseo, https://parcocolosseo.it/en/marvels/temple-of-antoninus-and-faustina/.

    7. Beckmann, op. cit., p. 68.

    8. Ibid. For a discussion of the significance of the number of torches in Roman depictions of Ceres and Proserpina, see this previous installment of Faustina Friday.

    9. Ibid.
     
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2021
  4. zumbly

    zumbly Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

    Nice array of Diva Faustina temple coins, RC. I only have a Temple of Venus and Roma on an A-Pi sestertius.

    Antoninus Pius - Sest Temple 2191.jpg
    ANTONINUS PIUS
    AE Sestertius. 24.09g, 32.3mm. Rome mint, AD 141-143. RIC 622. O: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P [P TR P COS III], laureate head right. R: [ROMAE AETERN]AE, Temple of Venus and Roma: Decastyle temple, decorated with statues on roof and in pediment; S C below.
     
  5. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Gorgeous! That coin has been on my wish list for some time now.
     
    zumbly likes this.
  6. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    [​IMG]
    FAUSTINA Sr. (138-141 AD)
    AR Denarius
    DIVA FAVSTINA
    Draped bust right.
    AED DIV FAVSTINAE
    Hexastyle temple of diva faustina, containing seated statue of the deity, trellis-work fencing in foreground at foot of steps.
    17mm
    3.2g
    RIC 343
     
  7. happy_collector

    happy_collector Well-Known Member

    Thanks for another nice article, RC.
    Nice to see Faustina I's various temple designs in one place. :)
     
    Roman Collector likes this.
  8. Curtisimo

    Curtisimo the Great(ish)

    Great post @Roman Collector . I have an example both with and without the fence. I bought the second denarius below specifically because of the fence and the visible cult statue. I think they work well as a set.

    B6E49343-ADE3-4945-A5A4-14476628890E.jpeg
    Roman Empire
    Diva Faustina I (Died ca. AD 141)
    AR Denarius, Rome mint, struck after AD 141
    Obv.: DIVA AVG FAVSTINA; bust right, hair elaborately styled.
    Rev.: DEDICATIO AEDIS; Hexa-style Temple of the Divine Faustina showing podium, statues etc.
    Ref.: RIC III 388


    4C8DDB51-8002-409D-BE81-BCF1165C370D.jpeg
    Roman Empire
    Diva Faustina (died AD 141)
    AR Denarius, Rome mint, struck after AD 141
    Dia.: 18 mm
    Wt.: 3.25 g
    Obv.: DIVA FAVSTINA; Draped bust right
    Rev.: AED DIV FAVSTINAE; Hexastyle temple, cult statue of Faustina inside
    Ref.: RIC 343
    Ex J.B. Collection (Edmonton) with tag (purchased spring 2002), Ex AMCC 2, Lot 153 (Nov. 9, 2019)



    I also took a number of photos of this building the last time I was in Rome. This is still a very prominent building in the forum today.
    B2657AD2-39D1-44E4-AA71-7D230CF125C8.jpeg
    BDE975D7-1EC8-4F15-94BC-04622CED2AAF.jpeg

    Happy Friday!
     
  9. John Anthony

    John Anthony Ultracrepidarian

    A very interesting feature of one of the earlier anepigraphic reverse aurei (RIC III 406a) is the scene behind the columns - walls of stone blocks and a doorway. A beautiful use of perspective...

    DF Aureus.jpg

    CNG 102 Lot 983
     
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2021
  10. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Great example, @Mat, with particularly nice reverse detail.

    Thank you for the kind words, @happy_collector!

    Lovely coins, @Curtisimo, which really illustrate the before and after state of the temple. Fantastic photos of the actual temple in the Forum, too! Thanks for sharing them.

    Wow, that IS some great artistry on that aureus!!
     
    Curtisimo likes this.
  11. ominus1

    ominus1 Well-Known Member

    ...another great Faustina Friday thread RC, very informative and entertaining :)
     
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