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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;DonnaML, post: 4650982, member: 110350&quot;]This is the specific passage from the article at FORVM that I quoted earlier in the thread, addressing the tension inherent in having a female personification of the manliest of virtues, i.e., martial valor -- essentially, manliness itself. See <a href="https://www.forumancientcoins.com/moonmoth/reverse_virtus.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.forumancientcoins.com/moonmoth/reverse_virtus.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.forumancientcoins.com/moonmoth/reverse_virtus.html</a> :</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;Virtus embodies manly courage and strength of character. There were powerful female figures in Roman culture, but these were generally goddesses like Minerva, not mortals. So, having a female personification of these qualities sometimes presented difficulties to the propagandists. As a result, coins often showed, not Virtus herself, but a soldier or the emperor with a &quot;VIRTVS&quot; legend to indicate that the army, or the emperor, was valorous and manly. In fact, a whole range of characters were brought into play. Here are some. . . .&quot;&nbsp; The article proceeds to give various examples of coins with a VIRTVS reverse legend accompanied by images not of VIRTVS herself but of the emperor, or a soldier, or Mars.</p><p><br /></p><p>The same article addresses another manifestation of that tension, evident at times even when a coin clearly does show the female personification of Virtus. The author addresses these two images of VIRTVS, holding a parazonium, one of her typical attributes:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1148671[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is what the FORVM article says about these two portrayals of Virtus:</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;A parazonium is a longish triangular dagger, wide at the hilt end and coming to a point. It is not carried by every version of Virtus, but it is frequent, particularly on earlier representations. It is also sometimes carried by the emperor, or Mars, or Roma, giving them the aura of courage without needing to say the word.</p><p><br /></p><p>Who&#039;s this long-legged soldierette on the near left, with the big weapon? Virtus again, this time carrying her parazonium. In this typical position it looks rather phallic, and it&#039;s hard to believe that this is accidental, though the experts assure me it is a pure coincidence. This is a denarius of Trajan from 114-117 CE.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the centre, from nearly 100 years later, this denarius of Caracala has an almost identical depiction. This time you can see clearly that the parazonium is carried with the point at her thigh and the handle outwards. Virtus is dressed in a definitely feminised way – look at the long drape at the end of the sleeve and compare with Spes. Although she seems to be wearing trousers, such a barbarous garment is unlikely, and the effect is probably caused by a poor interpretation of the fold-over boot-tops shown on several other Virtus coins on this page.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>Personally, I think any expert claiming &quot;coincidence&quot; in the extremely obvious phallic nature of the parazonium -- at least as it is positioned and shaped (i.e., not like a triangle) in these two coins -- is incredibly naive.&nbsp; Especially given the context of the tension inherent in having a female personification of a quintessentially male characteristic.&nbsp; Virtus is already in male &quot;drag&quot; in a sense by the very fact of her portrayal of the manly characteristic of martial valor; adding a very phallic parazonium to her presentation simply takes things one step further -- whether doing so was intentional or a product of the subconscious -- while continuing to signal her femaleness by showing her with one bare breast.&nbsp; (I tend to think that intentionality is more likely.&nbsp; Don&#039;t forget that the ancient Greeks and Romans were quite familiar with the idea of combining the two sexes in one being; <i>viz</i>. the many statues of Hermaphroditus.)</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is a coin of mine in which I think the shape and positioning of the parazonium as held by a female Virtus (with her gender evidenced not only by her bare breast but also by her body shape in general) are even more obviously phallic:</p><p><br /></p><p>Hadrian, AE Dupondius, 123 AD, Rome Mint.&nbsp; Obv. Radiate head right, IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG PM TRP COS III / Rev. Virtus standing right, right breast bare, left foot on helmet, holding spear with right hand and parazonium with left hand, VIRTUTI AVGVSTI,&nbsp; S - C across fields.&nbsp; Old RIC II 605 (1926 ed.), Sear RCV II 3670, Cohen 1470, BMCRE 1239. 27 mm., 11.36 g.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1148685[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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