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<p>[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 6683019, member: 75937"]We know that Faustina II died sometime during the winter of 175-176, at Halala, a small town in the Taurus Mountains of Cappadocia, where Marcus Aurelius had been campaigning following the revolt of Avidius Cassius. Szaivert (p. 235) dates her death to sometime in November, AD 175 because medallions issued in her name to celebrate New Years, AD 176, already used posthumous titulature for her and they would have been minted some time in December in advance of New Years day. Szaivert reasonably assumes it would have taken some weeks for the news to reach Rome from Cappacocia, therefore placing her death in November.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following the empress' death, a series of posthumous coins were issued to commemorate her deification and consecration, about which I have <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-consecration-of-faustina-ii.348897/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-consecration-of-faustina-ii.348897/">previously written</a>. Four obverse legends are used on these issues. In likely chronological order, they read:</p><p><br /></p><p>DIVAE FAVSTINAE PIAE</p><p>DIVAE FAVSTIN AVG MATR CASTROR</p><p>DIVA AVG FAVSTINA</p><p>DIVA FAVSTINA PIA</p><p><br /></p><p>Among these bearing the final posthumous inscription, DIVA FAVSTINA PIA, are a denarius and a sestertius bearing the inscription CONSECRATIO and featuring a rectangular altar enclosure with closed doors and ornaments at the corners of the roof, which have puzzled the authors of the various major references.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1269796[/ATTACH]</p><p>Faustina II, AD 147-175.</p><p>Roman AR denarius, 3.36 g, 17.1 mm, 5 h.</p><p>Rome, 4th posthumous issue, AD 176 or later.</p><p>Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA PIA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.</p><p>Rev: CONSECRATIO, altar-enclosure, with door in front and antefixae on corners above.</p><p>Refs: RIC 746; BMCRE 725-27; Cohen 75; RCV 5217; MIR 61-4/10; CRE 158.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/faustina-jr-consecratio-s-c-altar-no-palmettes-sestertius-jpg.1220829/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Faustina II, AD 147-175.</p><p>Roman orichalcum Sestertius, 19.75 g, 30.0 mm, 1 h.</p><p>Rome, 4th posthumous issue, AD 176 or later.</p><p>Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA PIA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.</p><p>Rev: CONSECRATIO S C, altar-enclosure, with door in front and antefixae on corners above.</p><p>Refs: RIC 1706; BMCRE 1579-81; Cohen 76; RCV 5230; MIR 60-6/10.</p><p><br /></p><p>As I noted above, the nature of the ornaments at the corners of the roof of the altar-enclosure have puzzled numismatists over the years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cohen notes the altar is "sometimes ornamented with two palmettes."</p><p><br /></p><p>Mattingly and Seydenham (RIC 3, pp. 273, 349), following Cohen, describe the reverse as "Altar (sometimes decorated with palms)."</p><p><br /></p><p>Later, writing in BMCRE4 (p. 491) Mattingly describes the reverse as "rectangular altar, with horns l. and r., and door in front."</p><p><br /></p><p>Sear (p. 338) similarly describes the reverse as "altar-enclosure with doors in front and horns visible above."</p><p><br /></p><p>These ornaments are more prominent on some coins than others, depending on the die engraver. See, for example, this sestertius. This must have been what Cohen had in mind when he called them "palmettes."</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1269805[/ATTACH]</p><p>Roman orichalcum Sestertius, 19.75 g, 30.0 mm, 1 h.</p><p><br /></p><p>Palmettes? Horns? What are those things? They are most likely <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antefix" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antefix" rel="nofollow"><i>antefixae</i></a>, ornaments placed at the eaves of a classical building to conceal the ends of the joint tiles of the roof. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antefix" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antefix" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia article on antefixae</a> illustrates many <i>antefixae</i> from a variety of cultures in antiquity, such as these Etruscan and Roman examples.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1269808[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1269809[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For a fascinating article about ancient roofing styles and construction, see <a href="https://www.iko.com/na/blog/ancient-roofs/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.iko.com/na/blog/ancient-roofs/" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do you have any coins that illustrate roofs with antefixae??? Let's see them! Post anything you feel is relevant![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 6683019, member: 75937"]We know that Faustina II died sometime during the winter of 175-176, at Halala, a small town in the Taurus Mountains of Cappadocia, where Marcus Aurelius had been campaigning following the revolt of Avidius Cassius. Szaivert (p. 235) dates her death to sometime in November, AD 175 because medallions issued in her name to celebrate New Years, AD 176, already used posthumous titulature for her and they would have been minted some time in December in advance of New Years day. Szaivert reasonably assumes it would have taken some weeks for the news to reach Rome from Cappacocia, therefore placing her death in November. Following the empress' death, a series of posthumous coins were issued to commemorate her deification and consecration, about which I have [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-consecration-of-faustina-ii.348897/']previously written[/URL]. Four obverse legends are used on these issues. In likely chronological order, they read: DIVAE FAVSTINAE PIAE DIVAE FAVSTIN AVG MATR CASTROR DIVA AVG FAVSTINA DIVA FAVSTINA PIA Among these bearing the final posthumous inscription, DIVA FAVSTINA PIA, are a denarius and a sestertius bearing the inscription CONSECRATIO and featuring a rectangular altar enclosure with closed doors and ornaments at the corners of the roof, which have puzzled the authors of the various major references. [ATTACH=full]1269796[/ATTACH] Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman AR denarius, 3.36 g, 17.1 mm, 5 h. Rome, 4th posthumous issue, AD 176 or later. Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA PIA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: CONSECRATIO, altar-enclosure, with door in front and antefixae on corners above. Refs: RIC 746; BMCRE 725-27; Cohen 75; RCV 5217; MIR 61-4/10; CRE 158. [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/faustina-jr-consecratio-s-c-altar-no-palmettes-sestertius-jpg.1220829/[/IMG] Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman orichalcum Sestertius, 19.75 g, 30.0 mm, 1 h. Rome, 4th posthumous issue, AD 176 or later. Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA PIA, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: CONSECRATIO S C, altar-enclosure, with door in front and antefixae on corners above. Refs: RIC 1706; BMCRE 1579-81; Cohen 76; RCV 5230; MIR 60-6/10. As I noted above, the nature of the ornaments at the corners of the roof of the altar-enclosure have puzzled numismatists over the years. Cohen notes the altar is "sometimes ornamented with two palmettes." Mattingly and Seydenham (RIC 3, pp. 273, 349), following Cohen, describe the reverse as "Altar (sometimes decorated with palms)." Later, writing in BMCRE4 (p. 491) Mattingly describes the reverse as "rectangular altar, with horns l. and r., and door in front." Sear (p. 338) similarly describes the reverse as "altar-enclosure with doors in front and horns visible above." These ornaments are more prominent on some coins than others, depending on the die engraver. See, for example, this sestertius. This must have been what Cohen had in mind when he called them "palmettes." [ATTACH=full]1269805[/ATTACH] Roman orichalcum Sestertius, 19.75 g, 30.0 mm, 1 h. Palmettes? Horns? What are those things? They are most likely [URL='https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antefix'][I]antefixae[/I][/URL], ornaments placed at the eaves of a classical building to conceal the ends of the joint tiles of the roof. The [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antefix']Wikipedia article on antefixae[/URL] illustrates many [I]antefixae[/I] from a variety of cultures in antiquity, such as these Etruscan and Roman examples. [ATTACH=full]1269808[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1269809[/ATTACH] For a fascinating article about ancient roofing styles and construction, see [URL='https://www.iko.com/na/blog/ancient-roofs/']here[/URL]. Do you have any coins that illustrate roofs with antefixae??? Let's see them! Post anything you feel is relevant![/QUOTE]
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