MATRI DEVM, Cybele or Julia Domna

"Romans knew Cybele as Magna Mater ("Great Mother")", according to Wikipedia. Her role as a goddess is hard to pin down. One aspect is "mother of the gods" (whatever that means). That appears on Roman coins under Julia Domna:



Denarius. 19-17 mm. 3.23 grams.
Julia Domna, IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG
MATRI DEVM, Cybele standing half left, leaning on column, holding globe and scepter, lion at feet. [A lion, or lions, usually accompany Cybele]
RIC 382 "211-217" (i.e. under Caracalla)
Hill 1329 "212"
Sear II. --, but close to 6594.
Ex Spink "The Michael Kelly Collection of Roman Coins, part 2."

Perhaps Julia actually regarded Cybele as important as a goddess. However, in my opinion, I think Julia appropriated the idea of "mother of the gods" because she had sons (Caracalla and Geta) who were emperors and emperors were (pretty close to) gods.

This reverse type is unique to Julia Domna. One reference work that is helpful is A Dictionary of Roman Coins by Seth Stevenson. Although it is very old (written in the 1800's in a charming and quaint style) the massive work has (virtually) every legend discussed and who used it. The fact that only Julia Domna is listed for MATER DEVM and MATRI DEVM is strong evidence that the type was issued for her alone.

Cybele also appears on other types of denarii for Julia Domna and on provincial coins. Show us some!

 

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Nice pickup! I remember that coin from the auction and was tempted to bid on it, but had already recently acquired another (much less nice) example. I haven't photographed that one yet, but here's another Domna Cybele with the more common MATER DEVM reverse.


JULIA DOMNA
AR Denarius. 3.92g, 20.1mm. Rome mint, circa AD 198-207. RIC IV (Septimius) 564. O: IVLIA AVGVSTA, draped bust right; hair waved vertically and fastened in large bun on back. R: MATER DEVM, Cybele seated on throne, holding branch extended in right hand, left elbow resting on drum, set on throne; on both sides of throne, lions seated left; the one on left only half seen.
Ex A.K. Collection (Triton XX, 9 Jan 17, Part of Lot 614); ex stock Münzen und Medaillen Basel 1971

 

Both of the above coins are fantastic, but the lions (on many Roman coins) need work, eh? Love both coins.

 

Here's mine:
Julia Domna. AR denarius, Rome, 211–7 CE; 3.23g. BMCRE C14, RIC C382, RSC 137. Obv: IVLIA PIA – FELIX AVG; draped bust r. Rx: MATRI DEVM; Cybele, towered, standing front, head l., legs crossed, holding drum and scepter, resting arm on column; at feet, lion.

 

A very fun thread because I am particularly interested in Cybele on coinage. Hopefully, the following discourse will not prove soporific.

That is a lovely coin, @Valentinian , and one of several on coins of the Severan Dynasty featuring Cybele.

Cybele was an Anatolian mother goddess. From an article about a 2,100-year-old statue of her found in Turkey's northern Ordu province located on the Black Sea coast.

"In Anatolian mythology she was the personification of the earth. In Greek mythology in which she was equated to Earth-goddess Gaia, Cybele was mostly associated with fertile nature, mountains, town and city walls, as well as wild animals such as lions."

Bill Welch has written an excellent essay about Cybele as Magna Mater, which I highly recommend.

Once you realize that Cybele and Gaia were subjected to syncretism and assimilated with one another in Greco-Roman culture, it's easy to see why Cybele carries the epithet of "Mother of the Gods," for Gaia had a lot of offspring, indeed. The family tree at this website is largely adapted from Hesiod's Theogony:



She appears on several Julia Domna denarii. In addition to @Valentinian 's MATRI DEVM coin issued by Caracalla, in which the goddess holds a scepter and leans on a column, Severus issued one for Julia with the MATRI DEVM legend and Cybele standing reverse type, but she holds a branch and does not lean on a column (RIC 566). It is very rare and I don't have one in my collection. This was sold August 19, 2014 in Agora's Sale 15:



In addition to the Cybele seated MATER DEVM type as exemplified by @zumbly 's lovely example, above, on which she is depicted holding a scepter as one of her attributes, an earlier issue of similar design but different style depicts her without a scepter:


Julia Domna, AD 193-211.
Roman AR denarius, 2.84 gm, 17.5 mm, 6 h.
Rome, AD 198, issue 1.
Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: MATER DEVM, Cybele enthroned left, flanked by two lions, holding branch and resting elbow on drum; no scepter.
Refs: RIC 565; BMCRE 54-55; RCV --; RSC 126a; Hill 340; CRE --.

I explored the significance of the presence or absence of a scepter on this issue in an earlier thread.

Oh, yes. Julia is depicted as Cybele on a coin with the unambiguous legend, MATER AVGG "Mother of the Augusti," so you have some evidence to back up this assertion:


Julia Domna, AD 193-217.
Roman AR denarius, 3.30 g, 19 mm, 6 h.
Rome, 21st emission, AD 205.
Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: MATER AVGG, Julia Domna, as Cybele, seated left in quadriga of lions and holding branch in her right hand.
Refs: RIC 562; BMCRE 48; Cohen/RSC 117; RCV 6592; Hill 759; CRE 354.

I have asked before and shall ask again, "Is there anything cooler than Cybele riding in a quadriga pulled by lions?"

Although Cybele appears on provincial coins from the Flavian period ...


Titus and Domitian, Caesares, AD 69-81.
Roman provincial Æ 18.5 mm, 5.14 g, 5 h.
Lycaonia, Laodicea Combusta (Laodikeia Katakekaumene / Claudio-Laodicea).
Obv: TITOC KAI ΔOMITIANOC KAICAΡEC, bare head of Titus right, facing bare head of Domitian left.
Rev: KΛAYΔIO ΛAOΔIKЄѠN, Cybele, polos on head, seated left, holding patera and tympanum; lion beneath throne.
Refs: RPC II 1613; von Aulock Lykaoniens 151; SNG von Aulock 8416; Waddington 4779; SNG France III 2322.

... the Cybele cult particularly flourished during the Severan period and the Anatolian mother goddess appears on several provincial issues:


Septimius Severus, AD 193-211.
Roman provincial Æ 27.2 mm, 10.7 gm, 8:00.
Thrace, Anchialus, AD 193-211.
Obv: ΑV Κ Λ CЄΠ CЄVΗΡΟC, laureate and cuirassed bust, right.
Rev: ΟVΛΠΙΑΝΩΝ ΑΓΧΙΑΛΕΩΝ, Cybele enthroned left, holding patera, resting left arm on drum, a lion reclines at each side of throne.
Refs: Moushmov 2817; AMNG III 469; Varbanov 213 var. (bust type).


Julia Domna AD 193-217.
Roman provincial Æ 11.14 g, 25.1 mm, 7 h.
Moesia Inferior, Nikopolis ad Istrum, legate Aurelius Gallus, AD 201-203.
Obv: IOVΛIA ΔOMNA CE, draped bust right.
Rev: VΠ AVΡ ΓAΛΛOV NIKOΠOΛITΩN ΠΡOC ICTΡON, Magna Mater (Cybele) riding lion right, holding scepter and tympanum.
Refs: H&J, Nikopolis 8.17.31.1; Varbanov 2894 (same dies); AMNG --; Moushmov --; SNG Copenhagen --; BMC Thrace --; Lindgren --; Mionnet --.

Cybele, in the local mythology of Phrygia, was considered to be the mother of King Midas and bears the name Mida. She is depicted on this issue of Geta, which I wrote about a few months ago:


Geta, as Caesar, AD 198-209.
Roman provincial AE 19.4 mm, 5.42 g, 7 h.
Pisidia, Cremna, AD 198-209.
Obv: L SEP G-ETAC N(?)C, bare-head of Geta to right.
Rev: MIDAE DE-AE COL CRE, Mida seated on chair to left, with patera in right hand.
Refs: BMC 19, p. 302, 9A; Von Aulock Pisidiens II 1243; SNG France 1502.

 

Here she is on a denarius of Faustina II as the Great Mother. The MATRI MAGNAE legend also appears on rare sestertii of Julia Domna, but it was used for Faustina first, and having had thirteen children in her lifetime, she could rightfully claim to being something of a Great Mother herself.


FAUSTINA II
AR Denarius. 3.16g, 18.2mm, Rome mint, AD 161-176, RIC III Marcus Aurelius 706 (S). O: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bust of Faustina the Younger, bare-headed, hair waved and fastened in a bun on back of head, draped, right. R: MATRI MAGNAE, Cybele, towered, draped, seated left on throne, holding branch and resting left elbow on drum; behind, lion.

 

Great write-ups on an interesting topic. I have one question though: isn't DEVM singular?

 

Lovely coin! This reverse legend also appears on Faustina Junior's bronze coins, such as on this not-exactly-FDC example from my collection. Here the Great Mother is seated right:


Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 22.57 g, 28.1 mm, 12 h.
Rome, AD 161-175.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: MATRI MAGNAE S C, Cybele enthroned right between two lions, holding tympanum set on her left knee.
Refs: RIC 1663; BMCRE 932; Cohen 169; MIR 25; RCV 5281.

 

NO! It's genitive plural -- "of the gods." Genitive singular is DEI.

You're thinking of accusative singular, which is also deum.

 

Ah, that explains it. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

Same as @zumbly, the more common type.


Julia Domna (194 - 217 A.D)
AR Denarius
O: IVLIA AVGVSTA; Draped bust right.
R : MATER DEVM; Cybele seated left between two lions, wearing towered crown, branch in right hand, scepter in left hand, resting left arm on drum.
Rome Mint 205 A.D.
19mm
3.01g
Reference: RIC IVa 564, p. 169.

 

man, u guys always make me want to spend money and buy more coins!
i have one but now i need more!


Julia Domna Denarius. Rome mint: AD 198. IVLIA AVGVSTA, draped bust right / MATER DEVM, Cybele, towered, enthroned left between two lions, leaning on drum and holding branch & scepter. RIC 564, RSC 123.
20.52mm 3.8g

 

@gsimonel
I know little of Latin but these lines from the essay linked above seem to also refer to the Deum in that usage as singular:"Next to that coin is another with the legend MATRI DEVM. This time Cybele is standing, but she is still demonstrating supreme casual confidence by the way she leans on that column and crosses her legs. She is holding her drum and her sceptre, and one of her lions is still at her feet. If that old theory is right, and this coin was supposed to suggest that Julia shared some of the characteristics of the Magna Mater, then it is worth noting that this coin was minted in the year after Domna's husband Severus died, when their son Caracalla was emperor. Caracalla hated his brother Geta, and had killed him a year before. So choosing this date for a reference to "Mother of God" in the singular might have been a pointed reference to Caracalla's sole rule and his position of supreme power."
In doing a little research online it seems the title was also related to ISIS as the mother of HORUS, the singular deity, who held the throne of his father Osiris, and it's adoption by the dominant form of Christianity. Nice write-up Warren @Valentinian and follow-ups. In my study with the Native American indigenous cultures I have come to the conclusion that it is good to come from the perspective that there is only one Goddess, they call "First Woman" in creation stories as well as many other names but she has many different aspects. These different functions often relate to the the time frame involved- ie. the year and the seasons, the day and night cycle(the lions as suns of dawn and dusk) or the precessional cycle of the rise and fall of cities and civilizations. Here she is as the Earth herself/Tree bearing fruit and Gaia/Tellus mother of the four seasons. Here is a better one I got from online, it may be TIFs copy, not sure.
In relating to the Goddess it is also beneficial to internalize the ancient worldview that the Earth was the center of the entire creation and all else including sky and sea, underworld and time cycles(motions,turnings)were projections or developments from her body. (@zumbly your new labyrinth is a beauty from another thread.)

 

That's just a straight-up misinterpretation of the Latin grammar. DEVM is genitive plural. The singular is DEI, as in agnus dei -- "Lamb of God."

 

Nice coins and interesting thread. I have a Julia Domna sestertius with Cybele, rather worn. As Bing suggests, the lion needed some work:



Julia Domna Æ Sestertius
(c. 198 A.D.)
IVLIA [AVGVSTA] Draped bust right, hair in bun behind / [MATER DEVM], Cybele seated left, between two lions, holding branch and resting arm on drum.
RIC 859; BMC 772
(20.63 grams / 29 mm)

 

RC, what is the difference if any between Matri and Mater? I read that the dative case-Matri could imply with the gerand Deum being an archaic form, possibly meaning- "God's Mother". Grammar is something of a weakness in my own studies, disliked the English in grade school,no less in another language but you did post that link to Bill Welch's essay. Just humor me, it is intriguing. https://books.google.com/books?id=TZTeDFdMdCcC&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=matri deum mother of your god&source=bl&ots=3Tz424H7aF&sig=jwamHCwuqVg6KD5FFdkaSASXmoU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjxmMqHrN7eAhUH7IMKHRD6BHEQ6AEwAHoECAYQAQ#v=onepage&q=matri deum mother of your god&f=false

 

Matri is dative -- "to/for/by mother"; Mater is nominative -- used as the subject of sentences or in titles (as a nominative absolute).

And as for that source calling Deum a gerund? Erroneous and I don't just argue semantics here. A gerund is a term from English grammar to refer to a verb in its participle form that serves as a substantive (noun). For example, run is a verb. Running is its participial form. When used as a substantive, such as in "running is good exercise," then it's a gerund. It's not a gerund if used as an adjective, such as "hot and cold running water." That's just a participle. Same with using it as a verb along with a helping verb, as in "we were running fast" -- not a gerund.

Now, lest you think I'm being pendantic, the term can only refer to verbs. Deus (god) is never a verb in Latin. Only a noun. It can't be a participle and it certainly can't be a gerund. I think that the author is confusing the grammatical term "gerund" with "genitive" because if (hypothetically speaking) deum were "the archaic conjugational use of the genitive" of deus in the singular, than it really would mean "god's mother."

But deus has one genitive singular: dei, as in agnus dei. It DOES have two alternative plural genitive forms: deorum and deum. Deum is also singular accusative, but the context of the coin inscription and the tomb inscription described in The Golden Fleece is not compatible with it being an accusative.

Moreover, I wrote Bill Welch and he said that he took one year of Latin 55 years ago and he thanked me for correcting him.

 

haha...ain't it the truth! 9_9...

 

....there is fungus among us!!..

 

M

Mea Culpa, thank you