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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;DonnaML, post: 7760021, member: 110350&quot;]This is a coin I haven&#039;t even really written up yet -- it would be my Roman Republican No. 58 -- but since I have no idea when I&#039;ll get to that given my recent health issues, I might as well post it now. Perhaps not &quot;the&quot; Baetyl, but &quot;a&quot; baetyl.</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Republic, M. Nonius Sufenas, AR Denarius, 59 BCE (Harlan: 57 BCE), Rome Mint. Obv. Bearded head of Saturn right, with long hair; behind head, <i>harpa</i> with conical stone (baetyl or omphalos)* beneath it -- i.e., and S•C upwards above it; before, SVFENAS downwards / Rev. Roma seated left on pile of shields, holding scepter in right hand and sword in left hand; behind, Victory left, crowning Roma with wreath and holding palm-branch extending behind her over right shoulder; around to left from 4:00, PR•L• - V• - P•F; in exergue, SEX•NONI [Reverse legend = Sex. Noni[us] pr[aetor] L[udi] V[ictoriae] p[rimus] f[ecit]. Crawford 421/1; RSC Nonia1 (ill.); BMCRR 3820; Sear RCV I 377 (ill.); Sydenham 885; Harlan, RRM II Ch. 13 at pp. 104-111; RBW Collection 1517. 19 mm., 3.95 g.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1330255[/ATTACH]</p><p>* See Harlan RRM II at p. 107: &quot;The head of Saturn clearly identified by the <i>harpa</i> and the conical stone beside his head is on the obverse of the coin. The <i>harpa</i> recalls the castration of his father Uranus that resulted in the birth of Venus and the conical stone recalls that Saturn swallowed a stone thinking it was his infant son Jupiter whom he was trying to keep from growing up to replace him.</p><p><br /></p><p>Saturn, always identified by the <i>harpa</i>, appeared five times on Republican denarii.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>Next: another coin showing Saturn [or his Greek original, Kronos].[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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