Featured Happy Birthday, Sol Invictus

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

 

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Thanks for a very interesting post, and I hope you had a jolly good Saturnalia!

 

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[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.

 

Ancient coins are interesting.

 

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Love that Constantine!

 

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

 

Ok enough. Discuss the coins and not things better suited for religious forums.

 

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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

 

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Extremely reliable.

 

I was thinking on remaking this post, and just quotting the orginal post and the relevent posts.

 

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.

 

Best wishes Sol on your birthday!!

 

its Willieboyd's thread. and no worries here, just thought this thread is going in to many directions lol