Latest Faustina Senior is an architectural issue

I have a thing for Antonine women and I am always trying to expand my collection of them. This is my latest acquisition. Feel free to post your Faustina Senior coins, coins with temples, or whatever you feel is relevant.

The construction of the temple to Diva Faustina, which was later rededicated to Divus Antoninus and Diva Faustina, began in the year following the empress's death in AD 141. It was probably completed about AD 150, which is the date assigned to this issue in Hill, The Monuments of Ancient Rome as Coin Types, pp. 11-13. The shell of the building still survives in the Roman Forum, enclosing the church of S. Lorenzo in Miranda. You may see photos and read about it here.


Faustina Senior, Augusta AD 138-141
Roman AR denarius; 3.27 g, 18 mm, 6:00
Rome under Antoninus Pius, AD 150
Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust right
Rev: AED DIV FAVSTINAE, hexastyle temple on podium; statues to right and left and seated figure of Faustina in center; statues of Victory at corners of pediment
Refs: RIC 343; BMCRE 339; Cohen 1; RCV 4573
(seller's photo)

Here is what remains of this temple:



The reverse iconography, with a seated statue behind pillars, reminds me of this familiar coin:

 

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Nice addition. I have the same type.


FAUSTINA Sr. (138-141 AD)
Silver Denarius
DIVA FAVSTINA
Draped bust right.
AED DIV FAVSTINAE
Hexastyle temple of diva faustina, containing seated statue of the deity, trellis-work fencing in foreground at foot of steps.
17mm
3.2g
RIC 343

 

She looks like she was an old biddy. But that is a nice coin for sure.

 

cool coin! so is the statue the remnants of a statue of faustina?


here's my only coin of her....

 

@Roman Collector and @Mat -- wonderful reverse types! Being able to correlate a coin's architecture with something still in existence is always special .

 

Great post Roman Collector, one of my favorite coins as having the coin with the reverse of a building still standing is a great feeling, love your coin and pic of the temple. I have a denarius and sestertius of the temple.

 

Very nice! I'd like to have an example of that sestertius.

 

Nice!

 

Thanks, expensive though, I was lucky I scored that one in Roma's first E auction probably when they didn't have as big an audience as they have now.

 

very nice!

 

Also a point of interest is I followed that link to the reconstruction pics of the temple, fabulous site by the way, and none showed what could be steps on the left side (facing) as looks like on my sestertius. Possible as a steep gradient that side, could have disappeared when temple and church attached.

 

Thanks @Roman Collector Very informative write up. I should visit it this year in my trip to italy!

 

@Roman Collector is my coin below the temple is same temple on faustina? the one that exists in italy?

 

An update to the OP. I have since acquired two similar denarii, each issued earlier and for the dedication of the temple in AD 143.

The first bears the inscription, DEDICATIO AEDIS ("the dedication of the temple"). It comes in two bust types, one bare-headed and another with a veiled bust, known from only a handful of examples: the Paris specimen cited by Cohen and Strack, and an example in a private collection cited by Temeryazev & Makarenko. An example in the British Museum (1937,0708.26) with a veiled bust wearing a stephane is considered to be an ancient forgery made of base metal. My example is, of course, the bare-headed version:


Faustina I, AD 138-141.
Roman AR denarius, 3.44 g, 18.7 mm, 7 h.
Rome, AD 143.
Obv: DIVA AVG FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: DEDICATIO AEDIS, hexastyle temple on stepped podium, above, a quadriga, Victories as acroteria.
Refs: RIC 388; BMCRE 306; Cohen 191; Strack 426; RCV 4596; UCR 434; CRE 127.

The second type, also issued in AD 143 for the dedication of the temple, bears the reverse inscription PIETAS AVG (BMCRE 319-321) or PIETAS AVGVSTI (BMCRE 322-323). The former is also known with a veiled bust from the collection in Vienna and cited by Strack (432). I only have the PIETAS AVG version with the bare-headed bust type:


Faustina I, AD 138-141.
Roman AR denarius, 3.55 g, 17.4 mm, 7 h.
Rome, AD 143.
Obv: DIVA AVG FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: PIETAS AVG, hexastyle temple on stepped podium, above, a quadriga, Victories as acroteria.
Refs: RIC 396; BMCRE 319-21; Cohen 253; Strack 432; RCV 4599; UCR 435; CRE 129.

 

No. Although it looks similar, that depicts the temple of Divus Augustus and Diva Augusta and shows an octastyle temple with two seated figures (BMCRE 549).

 

Nice additions @Roman Collector

 

Nice post, RC. I have a couple of Antonine "temple" issues:

A sestertius:



Faustina I Æ Sestertius
2nd Phase: Dedication of the Temple to Diva Faustina
(c. 143-150 A.D.) Rome Mint
D[IVA AVG]VSTA FAVSTINA draped bust right / [PIETAS AVG], hexastyle temple façade; pediment decorated with figures; quadriga; SC in exergue.
RIC 1148; BMCRE 1454.
(25.63 grams / 28 mm)

One in silver, like the OP:



Faustina I Denarius
(c. 150 A.D.)
Rome Mint
DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust rt. / AED DIV FAVSTINAE, temple of Diva Faustina: railing & statues in front, pediment with 1 standing, 2 reclining figs. quadriga & figures as acroteria.
RIC 343; BMCRE 339-343
(2.81 grams / 16 mm)

Finally, along the same lines, a scruffy Temple of Augustus denarius of Antoninus Pius



Antoninus Pius Denarius
(c. 158-160 A.D.)
Rome Mint
ANTONINVS AVG [PIVS PP TR P XXII], laureate head right / [AED DIVI] or [TEMPLVM DIV] AVG REST, COS IIII, octastyle temple of Divus Augustus and Livia.
RIC 272 a/b /284/ 290a / 305
(3.02 grams / 16 mm)