Dear Friends of ancient mythology! I think that here is some important information about Juno. 1st coin: Roman Republic, L. Procilius, gens Procilia AR - Denarius, 3.77g, 17.79mm, 45° Rome, 80 BC Obv.: Laureate head of Juppiter r. behind S.C Rev.: Statue of Juno Sospita, advancing r., holding shield and spear, snake before behind L.PROCILI / F Ref.: Crawford 379/1; Sydenham 771; Procilia 1 VF Here you can see clearly the beak-shoe-like bending of her shoes! 2nd coin: Roman Republic, L. Roscius Fabatus, gens Roscia AR - Denarius serratus, 18.10mm, 3.8g Rome, 59 BC* Obv.: Bust of Juno Sospita wearing goat's skin cap, r., behind modius beneath L.ROSCI bankers mark in r. field Rev.: Virgin in long clothes stg. r., feeding snake, which erects before her in several coils, behind cista in ex. FABATI Ref.: Crawford 412/1 (symbols 23); Sydenham 915; Roscia 3; Albert 1329 scarce, toned VF, appealing silver Pedigree: ex Harlan J. Berk * Dated 64 B.C. by Crawford and hence also by Roman Silver Coins , Volume I. The revised date is based on the outstanding analysis of the Messagne Hoard by Alan Walker and Charles Hersh, ANS Museum Notes No. 29, New York, 1984, pp. 103-134 Some notes on Iuno: The name of Iuno has no connections to the name of Juppiter, because the initial sound is always "i" (and not 'di' as on Juppiter, 'diou-pater'), and particularly because the following "u" is not created by the diphthong "ou". Then there is the name of the gens Iunia which never is written with a diphthong. Probably Paul Wissowa is right who puts Iuno to iuvenis, iuvenca and such words and interprets it as 'young woman', 'nubile wife'. That shows that Iuno originally had no close mythological connection to Juppiter like Hera to Zeus. Today it is suggested that each woman from ancient time on has had her own Iuno like the men who have had their own genius. In literature it is found not until Tibull, but the fratres Arvales sacrificed to Iuno Deae Diae, the Juno of the goddesss Dia, at the Picularia. Iuno Sospita: To understand the meaning of the figure in historic times the Italic influence is essential, especially the Etruscan conception which goes back basically to the Greek Hera. The cult of Iuno was wide spread over Italy. Lanuvium was the city of Iuno Seispes Mater Regina; by the people this was etymological turned from Seispes - whose meaning is unclear until today - to Sospes or Sospita, meaning helper or savior. Propertius reports as cult rite for the Iuno of Lanuvium in which a virgin had to feed a snake (perhaps a temple snake, then the cave which is mentioned is only a 'novellistic painting of our literally sources'). This was suggested as chastity proof and as omen for the fertility of the land in the next year, two very heterogenous elements (the chastity proof perhaps secondary?). In 338 BC the cult was adopted as official cult of the state but was left in Lanuvium. The Sacerdos Lanuvini, a priesthood formed by knights, were known from imperial times. The consules too were sacrificing to the goddess. In 194 BC she got a temple in Rome too by C. Cornelius Cethegus at the forum holitorium, without ceasing the cult in Lanuvium. This temple was renewed by Julius Caesar after Juno Sospita has appeared in a dream to Metella Caecilia with the message she wants to leave Rome if her temple was neglected furthermore. Denarii of Julius Caesar are known where the reverse shows Sospita driving a biga. The sanctuary of Sospita in Lanuvium has been highly praised in the war against the Insubrians (Livius). Her official holiday was February 1st. The depictions show the goddess armed with spear and a violin-shaped shield looking like the shield of the Salii priests, wearing (Etruscan) beak-shoes which were bended upwards at the toe-cap and a goat-skin which was helmeted-like pulled over her head. The scholar Latte suggests the snake and the cult statue to be signs of an etruscificated type of the Athena Polias. It was not allowed to sacrifice goats to Juno. Ovid assumes because they were hated by Juno. But it could be that Juno had a special relation to goats because as pasture goddess Juno Caprotina she was responsible for goats too. But basically I couldn't find any convincing theory. Notes: Shield of the Salii: Holy shield which is said to be fallen from the sky in the time of Numa Pompilius. The nymph Egeria betrayed the secret of the shield, the ancile, to Numa: It was the pledge of the Roman dominance. Hereupon Numa Pompilius charged the best artists to make eleven copies of the shield, so that it was impossible to find out the original. The priesthood of the Salii, priests of Mars, was authorized to keep the twelve shields. Now the violin-shaped shield of Sospita doesn't seem to be identical with the ancile of the Salii. As we can see on coins of Augustus (RIC 136, 137) and of Antoninus Pius (RIC 736) the ancilia were made from two round shields with a small oval shield laying above them connected alltogether with numerous bolts. Because of that a connection between Sospita and the Salii could be denied. Athena Polias: The life-size statue of Athena Polias made from olive-tree wood stood in the Erychtheion on the Akropolis in Athens. This originally was the temple of Athena Polias, the city-goddess of Athens. It was said that this statue was fallen from the sky. Her cult was the oldest and the most important in Athens. I have attached a pic from the temple of Juno Sospita at the Foro Olitorio in Rome, which today is the church of San Nicola, and a pic of the statue of Juno Sospita from the Musei Vaticani, probably a marble cult statue from the 2nd century AD. Sources: (1) Der kleine Pauly (2) Benjamin Hederich, Gründliches mythologisches Lexikon (3) Michael Krumme, Römische Sagen in der antiken Münzprägung Best regards
L. THORIUS BALBUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS THORIA AR Denarius OBVERSE: Head of Juno Sospita wearing goat-skin headdress, acronym I. S. M. R. behind. REVERSE: Bull charging right, F. above, L THORIVS below, BALBVS in exergue Struck at Rome 105 BC 3.92g, 19mm Cr 316/1, Sydenham 598, Thoria 1 L PROCILIUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS PROCILIA AR Denarius OBVERSE: Bust of Jupiter right, SC behind REVERSE: L PROCILI F, Juno Sospita advancing right with sheild, spear aloft and serpent before Struck at Rome 80 BC 3.7g, 19mm Cr379/1, Syd 771, Procilia 1 L ROSCIUS FABATUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS ROSCIA AR Serrate Denarius OBVERSE: Head of Juno Sospita in goat skin, L ROSCI below, Jug to left REVERSE: Girl standing right feeding serpent before, Unknown control mark (?) to left, FABATI in ex. Rome 59 BC 3.7g, 18mm Cr 412/1; Syd 915
Nice writeup, Jochen! Here's a coin for your thread. This is, incidentally, the first coin for which I ever uncovered a significant provenance (Haeberlin!) which pitched me into a serious obsession of provenance searching for coins I acquire. L. Procilius, 80 B.C. Serratus. AR ( 3.89g, 20.5mm, 2h). SC Head of Juno Sospita r., wearing goat's skin. Rev. L. PROCILI. F Juno Sospita, wearing long dress and goat's skin, standing r. in fast biga, holding spear in her r. hand, shield with her l. hand; below horses, snake. Cr. 379/2. Syd. 772. Provenance: Myers/Adams Auction 7, April 19-20, 1974 Lot 82; Adolph Cahn and Adolph Hess Nachf., Haeberlin Collection, July 17, 1933, lot 2035 , sold to T.G. Appelgren (8 - 8 Reichsmarks) 3.88g Prachtexemplar
Great writeup, as usual, Jochen. Here's Juno Sospita on a denarius of Commodus, her last appearance on Roman coinage. This coin was struck after Commodus was given the title of augustus by his father in AD 177, and commemorates his birthplace, Lanuvium. COMMODUS AR Denarius. 3.33g, 18mm. Rome mint, Autumn - Dec AD 177. RIC (Marcus Aurelius) 646; Cohen 270. O: L AVREL COMMODVS AVG GERM SARM, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: IVNONI SISPITAE TR P II IMP II COS P P, Juno Sospita, advancing right, brandishing javelin in right hand and holding shield in left; in front, snake. Here's the Antoninus Pius type mentioned, depicting the ancilia. ANTONINUS PIUS AE As. 9.56g, 27.9mm. Rome mint, AD 143-144. RIC 736a. O: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III, laureate head right. R: IMPERATOR II, two ancilia (oval shields with rounded projections above and below); ANCILIA in exergue, S C across field.
JUNO SOPITA RR Hd Juno Sospita R goat skin hddrss She-wolf R placing stick on fire eagle stndng fanning flames 45 BCE 19.0mm 4.07g Cr 472-1 RR L Thorius Balbus 105 BCE AR Denarius Juno Sospita goat skin Bull charging Sear 192 Craw 316-1 RR L Papius serratus 79 BCE Juno Sospita goat skin JUG Griffon Sear 311 Craw 384-1 JUNO during the Ancient Second World War with Hannibal Campania CAPUA AE Semuncia 216-211 BCE Juno Xoanon Hannibal capital Italia SCARCE
L. Procilius Ar Denarius 80 B.C. Obv. Head of Jupiter right. Rv Juno Sospita advancing right Crawford 379/1 3.91 grms 18 mm
Another great write-up Jochen1. And a lot of very nice coins. I wish I had a better specimen to share, but this sestertius of Antoninus Pius featuring Juno Sospita is, I think, somewhat scarce, so here it is, ugly as it is: Antoninus Pius Æ Sestertius (140-144 A.D.) Rome Mint ANTONINVS AVG PIVS [PP TR P COS III], laureate head rt. slight drapery on left shoulder / [IVNONI SISPITAE] (?) S-C, Juno Sospita walking right, with spear & long shield, snake. RIC 608 (or rev. leg. variety?) (24.25 grams / 32 mm)
