Geographic Personifications

I have only a small number of Roman coins with geographic personifications, but a new one arrived today: a Septimius Severus denarius showing the personification of Africa on the reverse. It's hardly the best example I've seen of this coin, but of all the ones I've looked at in the last year or so, it's one of the few that actually has a recognizable lion crouched at Africa's feet, instead of something looking like an indeterminate lump!

Septimius Severus, AR Denarius 207 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, SEVERVS - PIVS AVG / Rev. Africa in elephant-skin headdress standing facing, head right, holding out drapery containing basket of fruit[?], lion crouching to her right at her feet, head left, PM TR P XV CPOS III PP. RIC IV 207, RSC III 493, Sear RCV II 6341. 18.73 mm., 2.95 g. Purchased from Marc Breitsprecher; Ex. Madroosi Collection (Joe Blazick).



Here are my other coins depicting geographic personifications:

Roman Republic, Cn. Plancius, AR Denarius, 55 BCE, Rome mint. Obv. Head of Macedonia right, wearing causia, CN. PLANCIVS before, AED. CVR. S. C. behind/ Rev. Cretan goat standing right, bow and quiver to left. RSC I Plancia 1, Crawford 432/1, Sydenham 933, Sear RCV I 396 (ill.), Harlan, RRM II Ch. 17 at pp. 141-144, BMCRR Rome 3920. 18 mm, 3.82 gm, 5h.



Hadrian AR Denarius, 136 AD, Travel Series, Rome Mint. Obv: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bare head right / Rev: AEGYPTOS, Egypt reclining left, holding sistrum in right hand and resting left arm on basket; to left, ibis standing right. RIC II-3 1482 (2019 ed.), old RIC II 297d (1926 ed.), RSC II 99, Sear RCV II 3456, BMCRE 801-3. 18 mm., 3.11 g., 7 h.





Trajan Decius, AR Antoninianus, 249-250 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Radiate and cuirassed bust right, IMP C MA Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG / Rev. Dacia standing left, wearing cloak over left shoulder and, with right hand, holding Dacian battle-standard surmounted by Draco (wolf’s head), D-A-CIA. RIC IV 12(b), RSC IV 16, Sear RCV III 9368. 22.28 mm., 4.09 g.



And, finally, a Republican coin I created a thread about just the other day:

Roman Republic, A. Postumius A.f. Sp.n. Albinus (Aulus Postumius Albinus, son of Aulus [mint magistrate ca. 96 BCE], and grandson of Spurius [Consul 110 BCE]), AR Serrate Denarius, 81 BCE, Rome mint. Obv. Veiled head of Hispania right, with disheveled hair; HISPAN behind / Rev. Togate figure standing left, raising right hand towards legionary eagle to left; fasces with ax to right; A •/ ALBIN/ N • S [AL in monogram] across fields; POST • A • F in exergue. Crawford 372/2, RSC I Postumia 8 (ill.), Sydenham 746, Sear RCV I 297 (ill.), BMCRR Rome 2839-42, Harlan RRM I Ch. 1 at pp. 6-7 [Harlan, Michael, Roman Republican Moneyers and their Coins, 81 BCE-64 BCE (2012)]. 19 mm., 3.92 g., 6 h. (Purchased from Brad Bowlin; Ex.“old French collection in Paris.” Double die-match to Die AB for type, RRDP, Schaefer Binder 5, p. 193-0; see http://numismatics.org/archives/ark:/53695/schaefer.rrdp.b05#schaefer_372-2_b05_p193.) [Footnote explaining coin's symbolism omitted.]



Please feel free to post your own Roman coins showing geographic personifications -- whether rivers, cities, provinces, countries, or continents! Please no coins showing Roma or Constantinopolis; I've seen enough of those already.

[Edited to add: I realized after posting this that I also have a Marcus Aurelius sestertius with a personification of Italia on the reverse. I posted a description and photo of it in a separate comment below.]

 

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Nice ones, @DonnaML .

I have a couple...


RI Philip II 244-249 Nisibis Mesopotamia-farthest EAST Temple Tyche river god Mygdonius - sinister left



Sicily Gela AR Litra Horse - River God, Achelous 0.63g 13mm 465-450 BCE HGC 2 p 373

 

I have nothing to add except - this is a very cool thread.

How did they choose what the country/region/province should look like? I get that Africa has lions so they put a lion on it.... but what is the figure of Dacia supposed to represent?

 

Not just a lion next to Africa; don't forget her elephant-skin headdress! Dacia carries a Dacian battle-standard surmounted by a wolf's head, which is something that most Romans would probably recognize as something typifying that province. Same thing with the sistrum held by Egypt, and the ibis next to her. I have no idea how they decided whether geographic personifications were male or female, unless it was simply by the grammatical gender of the name.

 

Excellent coins Donna and a great idea for a topic!

Here is Germania.

Domitian
AR Denarius, 3.20g
Rome mint, 85 AD
Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P IIII; Bust of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r., with aegis
Rev: IMP VIIII COS XI CENS POTES P P; Germania seated r. on shield; below, broken spear
RIC 331 (R2). BMC 82. RSC 181. BNC 84.
Ex Roma Auction V, 23 March 2013, lot 728.

 

Thanks. I was hoping someone would post a coin depicting Germania, since I don't think I've seen one before.

 

Does this count? Tyche as the personification of Antioch?

GENIO ANTIOCHENI, Tyche of Antioch seated facing on rocks, holding ears of grain; river god Orontes swimming below.
APOLLONI SANCTO, Apollo standing left, pouring wine from patera, and holding lyre

 

Was Tyche specifically associated with Antioch? If so, then it certainly counts!

 

Roma:

Egypt:

And my favorite personification:

 

So, what's the third one? I'm confused!

 

If you don't mind small Germans, the Gallienus is the easiest to find.


The other Septimius Africa type has no lion but I still like scorpions and snakes so I'll keep it.

 

@DonnaML i forgot to say, fantastic thread! Vesta is the goddess of home. My favorite place to be

 

If I read correctly the Greek idea of Tyche evolved to be personifications of important cities such that by late Roman times Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch were represented by their own Tyche.

Corrections or further explanations are always welcome.

 

Does anyone have an Asia? Britannia? Gallia? Italia? Sicily? Europa? Arabia? Nilus? Libya? Judaea? I'm pretty sure there are coins with other riparian personifications, like the Danube (Danubius) and the Rhine (Rhenus). And I think I once saw a personification of Parthia, strangely enough.

 

Well call me a double then because the Tyche is seated above the river god Orontes for whom the river passing Antioch is named.

Of course I had never heard of him until I researched this coin.

And with these two tangential connections to your topic I shall take my leave in gratitude.

 

Great thread! I don't think we've had one of these before.

Here is another Germania, but from Hadrian's Travel series.

HADRIAN
AR Denarius. 3.38g, 17.3mm. Rome mint, AD 134-138. RIC 302a var (no drapery). O: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bare-headed and draped bust right. R: GERMANIA, Germania standing facing, head right, holding vertical spear in right hand and resting left on shield set on ground.

Others from the same series, excluding Aegyptos which has already been shown in the OP:


HADRIAN
AR Denarius. 3.48g, 17.8mm. Rome mint, AD 134-138. RIC II 301a; BMCRE 830; RSC 188. O: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bare head right. R: ASIA, Asia standing left, right foot on prow, holding hook in right hand and rudder over left shoulder.

And Italia on denarii of Hadrian and Antoninus Pius:


HADRIAN
AR Denarius. 3.38g, 17.9mm. Rome mint, circa AD 134-138. RIC 307; Cohen 867. O: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bare head right. R: ITALIA, Italia standing left, holding sceptre and cornucopiae.


ANTONINUS PIUS
AR Denarius. 2.87g, 17.5mm. Rome mint, AD 140-143. RIC 98c; Cohen 469. O: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P, laureate head right. R: TR POT COS III, Italia, wearing turreted crown, holding cornucopiae and sceptre, seated left on globe; ITALIA in exergue.
Ex Prof. Dr. Hildebrecht Hommel Collection, with old collection tag noting acquisition from Cahn, ex List 206 (11 Jan 1961), lot 322

VESPASIAN
AR Denarius. 3.05g, 18.4mm. Rome mint, 21 October 69 - early 70. RIC 2; Cohen 226; BMC 35; Hendin 1479. O: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head right. R: Judaea seated right on ground in attitude of mourning, trophy set on shields behind her; IVDAEA in exergue.
Ex Prof. Dr. Hildebrecht Hommel Collection, with tag noting acquisition date 15 Feb 1943

I especially like Africa as depicted on the Tetrarchic folles issued at Carthage:


MAXIMIANUS
AE Follis. 10.03g, 26.5mm. Carthage mint, AD 297. RIC VI 21b. O: IMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, laureate head right. R: FELIX AD-VENT AVGG N N, Africa standing left, holding standard in right hand, tusk in left, lion at feet left; B in left field, PKS in exergue.
Ex Giovanni Dattari Collection (1853-1923)

There are river gods by the boatloads depicted on provincial coinage, but far fewer in the Imperial series. My favorite is the remarkable Euphrates, issued by Constantine I in the name of Hanniballianus as Rex Regum.


HANNIBALLIANUS
AE4. 1.48g, 16mm. Constantinople mint, AD 336-337. RIC VII 147; LRBC 1034, Cohen 2. O: FL HANNIBALLIANO REGI, bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right. R: SE-CVRITAS PVBLICA, river god Euphrates seated right on ground, holding sceptre, overturned urn at his side, from which waters flow, reed in background; CONSS in exergue.

 

Will you take an asiaticus (conqueror of Asia & relative of Africanus)?

 

Another Domitian, with Rhenus reclining.


Domitian
Æ Sestertius, 22.60g
Rome mint, 86 AD
Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XII CENS PER P P; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r., with aegis
Rev: S C in field; Domitian standing l., with parazonium and spear; to l., river-god (Rhenus) reclining
RIC 468 (C). BMC 377. BNC 399.
Ex eBay, 9 February 2020. Ex Künker, eLive Auction 57, 12 December 2019, lot 97.

 

Listing various personifications in my last comment reminded me that I have a coin showing Italia myself:

Marcus Aurelius, AE Sestertius, 173 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, slight drapery on left shoulder; M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVII / Rev. Marcus Aurelius standing left, holding scepter with left hand, and, with his right hand, raising by her right hand a kneeling figure of Italia, wearing turret and holding a globe with her left hand; [RESTITVTORI ITALIAE] IMP VI COS III [bracketed portion off flan]. RIC III 1078, Sear RCV II 4997, Cohen 538. 30mm, 25.8g. [According to David Sear (see RCV II at p. 315), this coin "commemorates the deliverance of Italy from the threat of barbarian invasion resulting from the emperor's successes in his wars against the Germanic tribes of the Danubian region."] [Purchased from Incitatus Coins, June 2020.]

 

Wow, @zumbly! I didn't expect any one person to have so many great examples, but I should have known better. Italia also wears a turreted crown on the Marcus Aurelius sestertius I just posted a little while ago, so I wonder if that's how she was usually portrayed.