I recently bought this Marcus Aurelius denarius. Can anyone tell me what the inscription is? Or don't--I don't mind either way--I'll be researching it regardless.
Last of the Five Good Emperors If you still need help with the inscription, just say so. The letters are hard to make out on your scan, but you have the advantage of holding the coin and tipping it with the light. ONIVS AVG (Antonius Aug) seems to be legible. I like Marcus Aurelius. He wrote a book, Medititations, which is widely available in paperback translation. It runs about 150 pages, depending on the typesetting. He espoused STOICISM. He is generally regarded well by historians for being the Last of the Five Good Emperors. After his death, Pax Romana came to an end. The Catholic Encyclopedia goes into some detail about his reign and I cite that source because it underscores how broadly he is liked by history. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02109a.htm In the movie Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) with Sophia Loren, James Mason. Christopher Plummer, Omar Sharif, and many others, the part of Marcus Aurelius was played by Sir Alec Guiness. Guiness, of course, played Obi Wan Kinobi in Star Wars 4, 5, 6, and I believe that he played both men the same. The Roman emperor was a philosopher warrior, as the Catholics say, "one of the best men of heathen antiquity."
Bluegill,Congrats on your first ancient.You should realize that you're probably going to get hooked soon.I can see on the coin...TR P XXI and COS III PP (Marcus Aurelius' third term as consul maybe?) probably RIC #170 or a slight variation.It is on the link provided in the first reply to your post.Click on the "see page with thumbnails" link at the top and scroll down about 1/3 of the way to RIC 170.Good luck and have fun.
Bluegill, On second examination,THIS looks a lot more like your coin except yours has the PP on it,Pater Populi. RIC 356cf Marcus Aurelius Denarius. 175-176 AD. M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARM, laureate head of Aurelius right / TR P XXX IMP VIII COS III (no P P), Felicitas standing left holding caduceus & cornucopia. BMC 675.
I think that's it. Nice work there, Mikjo0. My first ancient was a denarius of Gordian III. I got it from Littleton in 1974 and sent it back. It did not float my boat. For one thing, "coins" to me meant "bullion." I almost liked coins, but not quite. Twenty years later, I wanted to suggest tokens as an advertising medium to my employer, so I got into numismatics per se to gather information for my report. I got interested in Barber Dimes and Mercury Dimes, but they did not have "it" for me somehow. Well, the coin dealer I had been working with those past 20 years needed a Young Numismatist for a coin show and my daughter was the target. I dropped her off and picked her up and on the last day, I walked the bourse floor and saw ANCIENT GREEK coins -- and that they cost no more (or less) than other numismatic items. Then, I was hooked. After reading advertisements and such, I bought my second first ancient, a little silver obol from Miletos. Ten years later, I still have it.
thanks mmarotta....speaking of movies,Richard Harris played Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator. He was the father of "bad guy" Commodus and since the film was released,I have noticed a sharp upward spike in the prices for both men's coinage.A bit off topic,but interesting.
