With the world currently engulfed in the Covid-19 pandemic, hygiene is more important than ever. Hygieia is the Greek goddess of health, cleanliness, and hygiene. She was the daughter of the god of medicine, Asclepius, and along with her 4 sisters Panacea, Iaso, Aceso, and Aglaia, played an important part in her father's cult making sure everyone stayed clean and healthy. While her father and other sisters focused more on the healing process, Hygieia was associated with the prevention of sickness and maintaining good health. The word "hygiene" is derived from her name. The Romans identified her with the ancient Italian goddess Salus, the goddess of social welfare. In 2020, I can't think of a more important god or goddess. Feel free to post your coins with Hygieia, her father Asclepius, or any of her sisters (I'm not sure if there are any but I'd like to see them if there are!) This is the best identification I can make for this coin since I was only able to find one possible die match on vcoins. Faustina II AE, 6.12g 161-175/6 AD Thrace, Pautalia Obverse: ΦΑΥϹΤΕΙΝΑ ϹΕΒΑϹΤΗ, draped bust right Reverse: ΟVΛΠΙΑϹ ΠΑVΤΑΛΙΑϹ. Hygieia standing, right, feeding serpent from patera
Asklepios, snake & staff Athens New Style Tetradrachm c 135/4 BC bs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet 16.63g 29.2mm Thompson issue 30 Thompson catalogue: Obs 354 : Rev NEW Rev : AΘE ethnic Owl standing on overturned Panathenaic amphora on which month mark [Ν] control ΗΡ below 3 magistrates : MENED EPIGENO ARISTE LF symbol : Asklepios clutching stick with snake entwined All within a surrounding olive wreath
RRRRR! Athens New Style Tetradrachm c 47 BC Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet with tr-partite earings 27mm 17.04gm Thompson (new) issue 105 Thompson catalogue: Obs: I260 Rev:NEW Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora on which month mark A: control ΣΩ below 2 magistrates : DIOKLES TO DEY MEDEIOS RF symbol : Hygieia All within a surrounding olive wreath
Your attribution looks like a good attribution to me - here's the RPC reference: RPC IV, 8820 there are two other options worth looking at - I think this is closest. and here's an Asklepios as I have no Hygieias (although many of Salus) - If my geography is approximately right - Pautalia is somewhere in modern Bulgaria and Phrygia/Akmoneia somewhere in the western half of modern Turkey, and separated by 200-250 years - Asklepios was not a minor figure. Greek Coins, Phrygia, Akmoneia, AE, 1st century BC, Menodotos and Silion, magistrates Obv: Laureate head of Zeus right Rev: AKMONE / MHNOΔO ΣIΛΛΩN, Asklepios standing facing, resting hand upon serpent-entwined staff.
Thanks @Sulla80. I did go through RPC and ACSearch but none of them have a die match for mine...at least that I could find. Faustina II's bust is much smaller on mine than on the RPC examples and the legend goes almost to the top of her forehead on "ΦΑΥϹΤΕΙΝΑ". Most of the RPC ones I saw show the legend broken up by her head. Same goes for the reverse of mine. I think it is the closest match to 8819 though. I only found one that seems to have my obverse match on vcoins, and it is not as nice as mine IMO. Certainly much more than I paid for mine by some 8x!
Always fun to find a bargain. It would be nice to find L. Ruzicka, "Die Münzen von Pautalia", Sofia, 1933 which is referenced and might have pictures of 8821, 8822, and others.
I do love some Hygieia and family! This one's my favorite because it has both Asklepios and Hygieia and Faustina II! Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman provincial Æ 22.7 mm, 6.54 g, 7 h. Thrace, Hadrianopolis, AD 161-176. Obv: ·I·AVCTEINA CEBACTH, pearl-diademed and draped bust, right. Rev: ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ, Hygieia, feeding serpent from patera, and Asklepios, leaning on serpent-entwined staff, standing facing one-another. Refs: RPC IV (temp) 10453; SNG Cop 560; Jurukova 84-87; Varbanov 3219; Moushmov 2521; Mionnet suppl. 2, 636. I also like this one because it's an odd denomination used only in the city of Tomis, a 4-1/2 assarion piece: Gordian III, with Tranquillina, A.D. 238-244 Roman provincial AE 4.5 assaria, 12.80 g, 28.2 mm, 7 h. Moesia Inferior, Tomis, A.D. 241-244. Obv: AVT K M ANTΩNIOC ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟC // CABINIA TPA / NKVΛΛINA, confronted laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian right and diademed, draped bust of Tranquillina left. Rev: MHTPOΠON-TOV TOMEΩC, Hygieia standing right, feeding serpent from patera; Δ< (ligate) in lower left field. Refs: AMNG I (Pick) 3534. Note: Easily confused with the more commonly encountered Moushmov 2288, AMNG 3535, which does not bear a mark of value and may have been tariffed at four assaria.
