Happy Birthday, Sol Invictus December 25 is the birthday of the Roman Sun God, Sol Invictus Dies Natalis Solis Invicti means "the birthday of the unconquered Sun". The use of the title Sol Invictus allowed several solar deities to be worshipped collectively, including Elah-Gabal, a Syrian sun god, Sol, the god of Emperor Aurelian, and Mithras, a soldiers' god of Persian origin. Emperor Elagabalus (AD 218-222) introduced the festival, and it reached the height of its popularity under Aurelian, who promoted it as an empire-wide holiday. The festival was placed on the date of the solstice because this was on this day that the Sun reversed its southward retreat and proved itself to be "unconquered". These coins are from the emperors Antoninus Pius (AD 138-161), Aurelian (AD 270-275), and Constantine (AD 306-337). Antoninus Pius Provincial AE 23 - Emesa, Syria Obverse: Laureate bust right AVT KAI TI AIL ANTWNEINOC CEB EV Reverse: Eagle standing right on sacred stone of Elagabal, B in right field EMICHNWN Catalog: BMC 1, SNG Cop-307, 309 Aurelian Antoninianus - Sol Invictus with Captive Obverse: Radiate and cuirassed bust right IMP AVRELIANVS AVG Reverse: Sol standing left, right hand raised, holding globe, captive at foot ORIENS AVG - Exergue: S (Serdica mint) Catalog: RIC Serdica 276 Aurelian Antoninianus - Sol Invictus Walking Obverse: Radiate and cuirassed bust right IMP AVRELIANVS AVG Reverse: Sol walking right with laurel-branch and bow, treading down an enemy ORIENS AVG, letter A to left - Exergue: XXIR (Rome mint) Catalog: RIC Rome 64 Constantine AE Follis - Sol Invictus - Ticinum Mint Obverse: Laureate cuirassed bust IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG Reverse: Sol standing left with orb and raising right hand SOLI INVICTO COMITI - Exergue: ST (Ticinum Mint) Catalog: RIC Ticinum 8 - Struck AD 313-314 - Size: 19mm Constantine AE Follis - Sol Invictus - Rome Mint Obverse: Laureate cuirassed bust IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG Reverse: Sol standing left with orb and raising right hand, captive to left of Sol SOLI INVICTO COMITI - Exergue: RP (Rome Mint) Catalog: RIC Rome 2 - Struck around AD 326 - Size: 19mm
[ça gad yesuqah nagapi tappúajit nyipah qumi] Mr. Willieboyd: This hebrew modern transliteration of your coin, share that the sun doesn´t exist on their legend. Your comment it´s based in a wrong reading on ancient coinage from Europe. It´s the historiographic idea wich pretend read latin on those, semítics artifacts. You can comprove that the symbol A, on CONSTANTINVS, isn´t alef, that he is H, latin he, and hebrew jyta. Latin language doesn´t have this letter H on this name. Their hebrew text ist easily to read, on reverse [ça gad yesuqah nagapi tappúajit nyipáh qumi]. Word [tappúajit], apples, have one legendum as [paj], sheet, that link the coin and their disseny on observe. Exergue, "tn", [tanah], mean to celebrate, and this coin isn´t from Ticinum. Best regards from Spain.
Willie, thanks for posting those coins. I appreciate the intent, despite the rudeness and ignorance of other posters. I'll share this gorgeous beauty, even though I gave it away earlier in the year: AE follis – 20mm, 3.13g Trier, 317 AD laureate, cuirassed bust r. CONSTANTINVS PF AVG Sol standing facing, head left, nude but for chlamys across left shoulder, r. hand raised, globe divided into hemispheres in l. hand SOL INVIC-TO COMITI T | F, .ATR in ex. RIC VII Trier 135
The reference on the final line is from The Roman Imperial Coinae, Vol VII. Its the standard work. The dating is from careful typology, based primarily on the progression of mintmarks and controls. See Studies in Constantinian Chronology by Patrick Bruun (1961).
I dont think baby Jesus minds that he has the same b-day and someone else (^_^) (image of sol from wiki) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus
Randy: I really apologize for hijacking your thread. I became caught up in the argument. I'll delete all my irrelevant posts, and I hope Mr. Pearse finds his way to doing so as well. Again, sorry.
its Willieboyd's thread. and no worries here, just thought this thread is going in to many directions lol