The town of Dioshieron, which means "sanctuary of Zeus" in Greek, in Lydia was located in the upper valley of the Kaystros River (Greek Κάϋστρος, modern Küçük Menderes), roughly midway between Sardis and Nycaea. The city became part of the Roman Republic and the Roman province of Asia with the annexation of the Kingdom of Pergamon. It was an episcopal see from as early as the fifth century. It was renamed to Christoupolis in the 7th century and was known as Pyrgion from the 12th century on. Pyrgion fell to the Turks in 1307, and was renamed Birgi. The mint in Dioshieron issued coins in the Roman imperial period from the reigns of Augustus through Gordian. This coin is one of two reverse types issued by the city for Faustina II: A type featuring Asklepios standing facing (RPC IV.2, 1236) and another with Hera standing left, holding a patera and scepter (RPC IV.2, 1432). The former features an unusual coiffure for the empress, attested nowhere else, and probably representing the imagination of the die-engravers who likely had no official bust or portrait to base their image upon. This bust type is known with and without a stephane. The coiffure on the issue with the Hera reverse type is more conventional. Faustina II, AD 147-175/6. Roman provincial Æ 17.1 mm, 3.04 g, 7 h. Lydia, Dioshieron, Magistrate L. Iouli. Mithres (Grammateus), AD 147-161. Obv: ΦAVCTЄINA CЄBACTH, bare-headed and draped bust right, hair in a top-knot and looped ponytail. Rev: ЄΠI MIΘPOV ΔIOCIЄPЄITΩN, Asklepios standing left, holding serpent-entwined staff. Refs: RPC IV.2, 1236 (temp); BMC 22.76, 12; SNG Cop 116; SNG Turkey 240-41; Waddington 4963. Notes: Double-die match to Paris specimen (BNF) and Ashmolean specimen. The looped ponytail is very much a first century hairstyle, seen on empresses such as Agrippina II, Julia Titi, Domitia, Domitilla, and Plotina. For example: Claudius, AD 41-54 and Agrippina II, AD 50-59. Roman provincial Æ 20.2 mm, 5.81 g, 10 h. Lydia, Thyatira, AD 50-54. Obv: ΤΙ ΚΛΑYΔΙΟC CЄΒΑCΤΟC, bare head of Claudius right. Rev: ΑΓΡΙΠΠΙΝΑΝ CЄΒΑCΤΗΝ ΘΥΑΤΙΡΗΝΟΙ, draped bust of Agrippina right. Refs: Sear 507; RPC I 2380; BMC 22. 301, 57; SNG München 611; SNG von Aulock --; SNG Copenhagen --; Mionnet --; Wiczay --. Julia Titi, c. AD 79-90/91. Roman AR denarius, 3.2 gm, 20.0 mm, 7 h. Rome, AD 79-81. Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA TITI AVGVSTI F, bust of Julia, draped and diademed, right, hair in long plait. Rev: VENVS AVGVST, Venus standing right, leaning on column holding helmet in right hand and transverse spear in left hand. Refs: RIC2 388; BMCRE 141-143; Cohen/RSC 14; RCV 2612. The other issue of the city for the empress is undoubtedly later, for the hairstyle has been corrected to Faustina's actual coiffure: Post anything you feel is relevant!
The Roman Empresses did not have hair salons to get dolled up. There where few "hot" empresses. Here is one of mine....
..seems that there might have been some artistic license granted to the diemakers on hair styles on coins...until i got hangin' round here, i only had two empresses coin (and i got one by mistake)...to me my purdiest empress coin Herennia Estruscila sestertius
@Roman Collector......Very interesting thread thanks, and really like the Faustina.......Cool depiction of Asklepios. I have a Plotina from Lydia but was minted in Gordus-Julia...Does show the looped ponytail.... Plotina, AE18 of Gordus-Julia, Lydia. 98-117. Magistrate Poplios. Obverse..ΠΛΩTEINA CEBACTH, draped bust right. Reverse..EΠI ΠOΠΛIOY ΓOΡΔHNΩ, Zeus seated left, holding patera and sceptre. BMC 18.....Ref wildwinds(thanks)
That's cool, @Spaniard ! Don't forget that beyond Wildwinds, we have RPC online, a project by the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. The project is not yet complete, so we don't have access to coins of the early Severan period, but we certainly do for coins of other times. There are three varieties of your coin at RPC, differing by reverse legend. Yours is RPC III, 2550, which is a reverse die-match to your coin. It is indeed BMC 18, which is cited as a reference at RPC.
@Roman Collector ......Thank you really appreciated!....Nice surprise! And will use the RPC reference site a great deal in the future thanks for the link.... I actually picked this coin up for an absolute song!...It was Forum member @Finn235's sharp eyes that spotted this one at auction miss attributed as an Agrippa II, so this is why I now have this 'financially difficult' (for me), little lady in my collection today (Thanks Finn)..
You're welcome! Plotina's tough, alright. I only have two coins of her -- both provincials, and one is in less-than-FDC condition.
