I just bought two recent books on my namesake, Germanicus Caesar, published as companions to the exhibitions in the Museums at Kalkriese (2015) and Haltern (2017): The second I first saw the picture of the arch with it's two gates I knew I just had to rebuild it as a companion to my single-gate arch of Titus and the tripple-gate arches of Septimius Severus and Constantine. The arch was built in 18 or 19 A.D by Caius Julius Rufus, a rich citizen of the town Mediolanum Santonum in Gallia, now known as Saintes in the french department Charente-Maritime: C(aius) IVLI[us] C(aii) IVLI(i) OTUANEUNI F(ilius) RVFVS C(aii) IVLI(i) GEDOMONIS NEPOS, EPOTSOVIRIDI PRON(epos) [SACERDOS ROMAE ET AUG]USTI [AD A]RAM QU[A]E EST AD CONFLUENT[E]M, PRAEFECTUS [FAB]RUM, D(at) "Caius Julius Rufus, son of Caius Julius Otuaneunus, grandson of Caius Julius Gedemo, great-grandson of Epotsovirid(i)us, priest of Rome and of Augustus at the altar at Confluens, prefect of works, gave [this arch]" The dedicatory inscriptions honoring the emperor Tiberius and his son Drusus junior are worn away. It is the better preserved dedication to his nephew and adoptive son, Germanicus, that makes this arch known as the "Arch of Germanicus" today: GERMANICO [CAESA]R TI(berii) AUG(usti) F(ilio) DIVI AUG(usti) NEP(oti) DIVI IULI PRONEP(oti) [AUGU]RI FLAM(ini) AUGUST(ali) CO(n)S(uli) II IMP(eratori) II "To Germanicus Caesar, son of Tiberius Augustus, grandson of the deified Augustus, great-grandson of the deified Julius, augur, flamen, augustales, consul for the second time, hailed imperator for the second time." The two principal heirs to the imperial throne during the reign of Tiberius (AD 14-37) were his nephew Germanicus (born 15 BC), and Drusus the younger (born 13 BC), his own son by his first wife Vipsania. Germanicus was the elder son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia and was born in 15 BC. He lost his father six years later and in AD 4 was adopted by his uncle Tiberius, heir to the imperial throne of Augustus. His military exploits in Germany early in Tiberius' reign further enhanced his reputation and popularity, his clear intention being to emulate his father's achievements in the area. Recalled to Rome by Tiberius in AD 17, Germanicus celebrated a magnificent triumph on 26 May. He was then dispatched to the East to take up a new command with extraordinary powers over all the eastern provinces. He reduced Cappadocia and Commagene to the status of provinces but then offended Tiberius by taking an unauthorized pleasure trip to Egypt, a country that had been barred to senators by Augustus. On returning to Antioch he quarreled with Piso, the governor of Syria, and soon afterwards was stricken with a mysterious illness that resulted in his death on 10 October AD 19. Piso was suspected of being implicated in the sudden and unexpected demise of the popular prince and later committed suicide, though he always protested his innocence. The Roman coinage in the name of Germanicus is all posthumous, the earlier issues belonging to the reign of his son the Emperor Caligula (AD 37-41), the later to that of his brother the Emperor Claudius (AD 41-54). This copper as (worth one-fourth of the orichalcum sestertius and one-sixteenth of the silver denarius) was struck by Caligula in the first year of his reign, less than twenty years after his father's death. GERMANICVS CAESAR TI AVGVST F DIVI AVG N - bare head of Germanicus left / C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT around large S C Copper As, struck under Caligula, Rome AD 37/39 28,13 mm / 11,10 gr RIC (Caligula) 35; BMCRE (Caligula) 49; CBN (Caligula) 73; Cohen 1; Sear 1821 As a result of Germanicus´ untimely death, Tiberius' own son Drusus now became heir to the throne, and Sestertii and Asses were struck in his honor during Tiberius' twenty-fourth tribunician year (AD 22-23), an unusually prolific period for the production of aes coinage at Rome. However, in AD 23 Drusus also died prematurely at the age of only thirty-six. It seems likely that he was the victim of the ruthlessly ambitious praetorian prefect Sejanus who had seduced his wife Livilla, sister of the late Caesar Germanicus, and had persuaded her to administer poison to her unfortunate husband. This example of the copper as (worth one-fourth of the orichalcum sestertius and one-sixteenth of the silver denarius) issued for Drusus Caesar has a fine portrait of the ill-fated 35-year-old prince. The obverse inscription describes him as “son of the Emperor Tiberius and grandson of the Divine Augustus”, the same pedigree which had been borne by his predecessor as heir, Germanicus. The reverse inscription records that Drusus was in the second year of his tribunician power (TRIBVN POTEST ITER) showing that he had been granted this distinction by Tiberius as part of his preparation for the succession to the imperial throne. The large S C, which is encircled by the inscription, stands for Senatus Consulto (“by the authority of the Senate”) and its prominence is indicative of the importance placed by the Senate on its constitutional prerogative to issue coinage. Under the Empire, this right was generally restricted to the aes denominations. DRVSVS CAESAR TI AVG F DIVI AVG N - bare head of Drusus left / PONTIF TRIBVN POTEST ITER around large S C Copper As, struck under Tiberius, Rome AD 22/23 29,80 mm / 11,32 gr RIC (Tiberius) 45 ; BMCRE (Tiberius) 99; CBN (Tiberius) 78; MIR 2, Series 38/6; Cohen 2; Sear 1794 Let´s see your coins of Germanicus and Drusus junior and share your thoughts on if and how they would have shared power had they had survived longer.
Germanicus, with Divus Augustus (15 B.C. - 19 A.D.) AR Drachm CAPPADOCIA, Caesarea O:GERMANICVS CES TI AVGV COS II PM, bare head of Germanicus right. R: DIVVS AVGV-STVS, radiate head of Augustus left. 3.23g 16.5mm RPC I 3623a; cf. Sydenham, Caesarea 50; RIC I 61; BMCRE 106 The date of this issue remains uncertain. RPC places it late in Tiberius' reign, circa 33/4 AD, while the traditional dating, adopted by RIC and Sydenham, place's it in the first year of Caligula's reign, 37/8 AD. Tiberius & Drusus ( 14 - 37 A.D.) AR Drachm CAPPADOCIA, Caesarea-Eusebia O: [TI C]AES AVG PM TRP XXXV, Laureate head of Tiberius right. R: DRVSVS CAES TI] AVG F COS II R P, Head of Drusus left. Caesarea in Cappadocia mint 33- 34 A.D. 3.47g 19mm RIC I 87; RPC I 3622. Syd 46
Beautiful! I like the subheading on the Germanicus book: "Superstar"!! I didn't know that that word had been incorporated into German! Here are my only coins of the first cousins Drusus Minor and Germanicus, the first issued by Drusus's father Tiberius and the second by Germanicus's son Caligula: Drusus Minor or the Younger, full name Drusus Julius Caesar (13 BCE-23 AD, son of Tiberius and Vipsiana), AE As, 23 AD, Rome Mint, issued by Tiberius. Obv. Bare head left, DRVSVS CAESAR TI AVG F DIVI AVG N / Rev. PONTIF TRIBVN POTEST ITER around large SC. RIC I Tiberius 45, Sear RCV I 1794 (ill. p. 353), BMCRE Tiberius 99, Cohen 2. 28 mm., 10.4 g. Germanicus (died 19 AD, father of Caligula [Gaius] & brother of Claudius), AE As, Memorial issue struck under Caligula, 40-41 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Bare head left, GERMANICVS CAESAR TI AVG F DIVI AVG N / Rev. Legend C CAESAR DIVI AVG PRON AVG P M TR P IIII P P around large S C in center. RIC I Caligula [Gaius] 50, Sear RCV I 1822. BMCRE 74 (Caligula), Cohen 4. 28 mm., 11.99 g., 6 h.
Amazing. I always enjoy seeing your builds. Since it's a triumphal arch, here is a triumph... GERMANICVS CAESAR Germanicus in triumphal quadriga right holding eagle-tipped sceptre SIGNIS RECEPT DEVICTIS GERM SC Germanicus standing left, his right hand raised, holding legionary eagle in left Rome, 37-41 AD 15.97g Scarce Sear 1820, RIC 57, BMCRE 93
Thanks for the great write up! And your coins are both wonderful! Here are me well circulated coins of these two titans of Rome:
Spain. Carteia. Time of Tiberius. AD 14-37. Æ Quadrans (18mm, 3.77g, 2h). Germanicus and Drusus, Caesars and honorary quattorvirs. Obv: GERMANICO-ET DRVSO.; Turreted and draped bust of Fortuna right. Rev: CAESARIBVS-IIII VIR. CART.; Rudder. Ref: AAB 686; ACIP 3306; RPC I 123. About Very Fine, slightly rough patina.
J.G. That's a very impressive model , & the coins are handsome too . Saintes, Charente-Maritime looks like a great place to visit & enjoy some French wine .
Saintes was the capital of the Roman Province of Aquitania (has an Amphitheatre, too!) and indeed looks like a cozy place. I might take a trip next summer. As you can see on the picture the arch in nature is higher than my model but I left off the lowest section to give it the a more proportional look as compared to the better known arches in the city of Rome. Construction of the arch took me only about two hours but my newest work (the Basilica of Constantine at Trier) has been keeping me busy for a week now. I also need one of those quadriga coins of Germanicus! I like the light toning of your specimen very much. No wonder they pictured one the book cover next to the arch.
